The weight is off. It took a little longer than anyone had hoped, but the Edmonton Oilers finally punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Friday night. As a reward, they can give their injured players the extra time off they need while also easing them back into the lineup in a relatively low-stakes game.
That's how goalie Stuart Skinner will return to game action, starting against the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday in his first start since suffering a head injury against the Dallas Stars on March 26. Skinner owns a 24-18-4 record and an .894 save percentage on the year. He'll be joined in his return by defenseman Cam Dineen, back in Edmonton after Mattias Ekholm's aborted comeback attempt on Friday. Dineen received his second emergency call-up in three days, filling in for the injured Ekholm and Jake Walman. Dineen has 43 points in 59 games in the AHL this year and played one game for the Oilers on March 6.
The rest of the lineup should stay the same as their win on Friday, with Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse, and Brett Kulak likely slated for huge minutes for a third consecutive game. Bouchard, in particular, has been a beast, playing more than 28 minutes in each of his last two games. They'll face off against a Winnipeg Jets team that's also locked into a playoff spot, having clinched the Central Division title on Saturday. A win over the Oilers on Sunday would clinch the Jets' first-ever Presidents' Trophy.
The Oilers (47-29-5) are gearing up for a crucial matchup against the San Jose Sharks (20-49-12) on April 16, 2025. This game will be pivotal for both teams, but especially for the Oilers as they finalize their roster for the playoffs. Connor McDavid is set to return after being scratched as a precautionary measure for a 5-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings on April 14. Leon Draisaitl, however, will miss his seventh straight game, but is expected to be ready for Game 1 of the Western Conference First Round against the Kings.
In a twist, Darnell Nurse will serve a one-game suspension for cross-checking Los Angeles forward Quinton Byfield, but he will be back for the playoffs. Meanwhile, defenseman Timothy Liljegren will return for the Sharks after missing the previous game due to an upper-body injury. The Oilers have a strong lineup, and the return of McDavid should bolster their chances.
The Oilers have been dealing with injuries, but it appears they could be largely healthy in time for Game 1 against the Kings. While defenceman Mattias Ekholm will miss the entire series, star forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are expected to be ready, along with winger Zach Hyman and defencemen Jake Walman and Troy Stecher. The Oilers could also have trade-deadline addition Trent Frederic back, who has been labelled questionable for Game 1. Head coach Kris Knoblauch stated on April 14, "It is looking good for Evander Kane to make his season debut that night."
Draisaitl has been out since April 3, and it does not appear he will dress in the team's final regular-season game against the Sharks. The 29-year-old is set to finish the season with a league-high 52 goals and is tied for third in the NHL with 106 points over his 71 games. Despite his extended absence, McDavid is confident Draisaitl will play at his usual level in the playoffs. "I feel Leon is going to feel the same way [as me]," McDavid said. "Everybody is going to feel the same way coming out of that, and we’ll be ready to roll."
Goaltender Stuart Skinner returned over the weekend after missing just over two weeks of action, posting 17 saves on 18 shots in a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets. It's unclear whether the Oilers will start Skinner in Game 1 against the Kings or turn to Calvin Pickard after a strong run of play down the stretch. Skinner has a 25-18-4 record this season with a 2.87 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage over 50 games. Pickard has gone 22-10-1 with a 2.71 GAA and a .900 save percentage in 36 games. Skinner has the stronger record against the Kings this season, going 1-0-1 with a .932 save percentage, while Pickard is 0-2-0 against Los Angeles with a .891 save percentage.
The Kings have been the best team at home this season, improving their record to 31-5-4 at the Staples Center with their recent win against Edmonton. On the road, the Kings have a 16-19-5 record, going 1-1-0 in Edmonton. The Kings are set to enter the playoffs as one of the league's hottest teams, having won four straight and eight of their past nine.
Tensions are expected to run high when the Oilers and Kings meet for the fourth straight year in the first round of the playoffs. The Oilers have advanced in each of the past three seasons, but this year will mark the first time Los Angeles has home-ice advantage. “It means a lot," Kings forward Adrian Kempe said after their recent win. "We’ve established our home game well all season, we have really good confidence there and we’ve shown over the last couple of weeks that we can play better on the road as well.”
Monday's game added further fuel to the fire as tempers flared with the Oilers amassing 53 penalty minutes over the first two periods, 15 of which were handed to Darnell Nurse. Nurse was suspended for Edmonton's final game of the season for his cross-check to the back of the head of Quinton Byfield, but will be back for Game 1. During a second intermission interview, Kings forward Phillip Danault had some strong words regarding the Oilers' play. "I think they just have their B squad in trying to hurt us," he said. This comment drew the ire of veteran Oilers forward Corey Perry, who responded, "What the f--k? Excuse my language, but what do you want us to do? Did he not see what has happened (to our team) over the last couple of weeks? What does he want us to do? We’re not out there to hurt anybody. Let’s move on."
Oilers forward Connor Brown acknowledged that Monday's heated matchup was likely a preview of what's to come in the first round. "Everyone knows what’s ahead of us, a gruelling series, it was a rough one, but the refs did a good job keeping everything under control, they didn’t really let anything go,” Brown said. “It’s a good team over there; it’s a good team in here. It’s going to be a good series. It’s exciting. Obviously a bit of a frustrating one (tonight), but come next week it’s going to be exciting."
