The Edmonton Oilers have confirmed their starting lineup versus the Los Angeles Kings for Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series. Evander Kane and Dylan Holloway are in, Derek Ryan and Connor Brown are out. That may come as a surprise to some fans, considering talk of Kane’s injury and Brown’s picking up his game. That said, it’s a positive sign that the Oilers have incredible roster depth and the luxury to sit two effective, but healthy players.
Brown has picked up his game of late. He started the season off incredibly slowly, but once he got the monkey off his back in terms of scoring a goal, they started to come more regularly. He finished with four on the season. Many said while he was going through his slump that his regular season numbers didn’t matter as much as what he could produce in the postseason. That he’s not starting in the playoffs is fascinating and introduces a hiccup in the theory that the Oilers were waiting for that playoff breakout to come.
Meanwhile, Ryan is a healthy scratch but one of the team’s more effective penalty killers. He can play effective minutes in a fourth-line role and understands his job, having been in the playoffs before.
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The Oilers have chosen to go with Mattias Janmark, alongside Evander Kane and Sam Carrick on the fourth line. It’s a physical line that has size and grit, especially if Kane is healthy. Meanwhile, Dylan Holloway will get a look on the third line with Corey Perry and Ryan McLeod.
The Oilers Want to Make a Statement In Game 1
Not having won an opening series game against the Kings in the last two seasons, the Oilers are looking to change that and come out strong early. Head coach Kris Knoblauch must believe this is the best roster suitable to do just that.
Don’t expect it to be this way for every game in the series. The fourth line is likely interchangeable and if Kane shows any signs of a lingering sports hernia issue, he’ll come out.
