Edmonton Oilers Head coach Kris Knoblauch says he is considering a change to his defense lineup for Game 4. He didn’t drop any names, but the rumor going around is that Philip Broberg is a possibility to enter the lineup for Game 4 versus the Dallas Stars. “We’ve got a defenseman that we’re very confident in that we could insert. We’re still considering what is best for us.” He added that it would be difficult to switch the lineup considering the six defensemen they have used have the game experience.
The Oilers have tinkered with their pairings throughout their 15 playoff games. On Monday night, as the team was struggling mightily in Game 3’s second period, Knoblauch went back to the pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci, which has been a disaster analytically. After losing that game and going down 2-1 in the series, it might be time for a more drastic move.
Who Comes Out of the Lineup?
Darnell Nurse is taking a ton of heat on Tuesday after a lousy showing in Game 3. In fact, Nurse has struggled on and off during this season’s playoffs, going a league-leading plus/minus -12. Knoblauch said he takes plus/minus with a grain of salt but also noted that Nurse can play better. He’s being cratered at times defensively, and it seems to get worse when he’s on the ice with Cody Ceci.
It would be one thing if Nurse was having an off-game or two. But, as a $9.5 million defenseman, there’s some talk about sending a clear message that he’s being paid to be better. Can the Oilers justify taking out a player who eats that many minutes and makes that much money?
Speaking of Ceci, he too has been less than reliable. There are times when he’s fine, and others when it’s hard to argue using him as the sixth defenseman on the roster. Ceci has had his moments offensively, but on the defensive side, the Oilers need more from him.
The other option would be to run 11-7, which seems unlikely considering the Oilers are arguably already pushing their top forwards too hard.
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It’s not clear if Broberg will be the answer to the Oilers’ problems of holding a lead or playing consistent hockey through 60 minutes. But, the one thing Edmonton likely won’t struggle to find in his game is motivation. This is player who might get his first shot at playoff hockey on Wednesday and his mindset will likely be to play well enough that the Oilers would need to question taking him out.
Knoblauch confirmed that Stuart Skinner will be back in the net for Game 4, but did not confirm if Ryan McLeod would be inserted back into the lineup.
