Skinner will get the start for the tail-end of Edmonton's back-to-back after Calvin Pickard got the nod on Wednesday. Skinner was fantastic in his last start, stopping all 30 shots he faced in a 1-0 shutout victory over the Kings on Monday. The 26-year-old netminder owns a 17-9-3 record and a .902 SV% on the season. The Oilers enter action on Thursday at +100 on the money line.
Stecher will be the odd-man out on the Oilers blue-line as Edmonton is opting to dress just six defencemen tonight. Noah Philp will draw into the lineup in his place.
Philp will skate on the fourth line as the Oilers opt for a more traditional lineup tonight of six defencemen and seven forwards. It's just his fourth NHL game of the season. Philp has nine goals and eights assists in 28 AHL games this season.
Ekholm has been a staple on Edmonton's blue line this season, averaging 22:51 time-on-ice, and will thankfully be available on Wednesday night. The 34-year-old defenseman has 18 points (6G / 12A) and 62 blocks in 43 games this season.
Ekholm has been a staple on Edmonton's blue line this season, averaging 22:51 time-on-ice, his highest total in three seasons. The 34-year-old defenseman has 18 points (6G / 12A) and 62 blocks in 43 games this season.
On the front end of a challenging back-to-back, Edmonton will turn to Pickard between the pipes on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild. Pickard has been unspectacular in the Oilers' crease this season but has yielded positive results, posting a 2.50 GAA and .896 SV% in 16 appearances (10-4-0). The Oilers are coming off a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Kings and enter the action on Wednesday as -226 road favorites against a Minnesota team they defeated 7-1 on December 12th.
Philp made his NHL debut this season and played three games while Connor McDavid was out of the lineup. He has nine goals and eights assists in 28 AHL games this season.
Derek Ryan will be a healthy scratch on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings, allowing Brown to re-enter the lineup. The 30-year-old Brown has only played five games this season, averaging 11:42 time-on-ice.
Coming off a 4-3 win with Calvin Pickard in net against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Oilers will return to Skinner between the pipes on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner struggled in his most recent out, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old netminder has a 2.77 GAA and .898 SV% in 28 games this season (16-9-3). The Oilers enter Monday's contest as -197 home favorites against a Kings team that had a five-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Coming off a 4-3 win with Calvin Pickard in net against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Oilers will return to Skinner between the pipes on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner struggled in his most recent out, allowing five goals on 26 shots (.808 SV%) in a 5-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The 26-year-old netminder has a 2.77 GAA and .898 SV% in 28 games this season (16-9-3). The Oilers enter Monday's contest as -197 home favorites against a Kings team that had a five-game winning streak snapped in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames.
Ingram has not played an NHL game since suffering an upper-body injury on November 18th, missing 18 games, but returns from the AHL after a one-game conditioning stint with the Tuscon Roadrunners where he saved 29 of 30 shots (.967 SV%) in a victory. Utah HC will hope that the forced time off helped Ingram rediscover his game from a season ago as he had struggled before his injury, sporting an ugly 3.61 GAA and .871 SV% in 13 games (6-4-3).
Walman last appeared in a Sharks' jersey on December 21st due to a lower-body injury and has skated the past few days but will remain out of the lineup on Friday. In 31 games with the Sharks this season, he leads all defenders on the team with five goals, 25 points and 80 SOG.
The Oilers will roll with Skinner between the pipes for the third time in the last four games. Skinner saved all 26 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Boston Bruins on Tuesday but was not awarded a shutout because he missed the end of the first period, being removed from the playing surface by a concussion spotter. The 26-year-old Skinner has a 2.69 GAA and .902 SV% in 27 games this season (16-8-3). The Oilers enter Thursday's contest as sizeable -216 road favorites against a Pittsburgh Penguins team amid a four-game losing skid (0-3-1).
Josh Brown will draw back into Edmonton's lineup on Tuesday against the Boston Bruins, sending Stecher to sidelines as a healthy scratch. The 30-year-old Stecher is averaging 14:12 time-on-ice and has six points (3G / 3A) in 35 games this season.
