Edmonton Oilers forced to scratch veteran player with Mattias Ekholm's return
Photo credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
The Edmonton Oilers face a major decision as Oilers star defenseman Mattias Ekholm is set to return to the lineup after a long layoff due to injury.
This decision will not be taken lightly as the Oilers defence has played very well over the past several weeks and it's likely a veteran forward may need to come out of the lineup.
Oilers may look at 11-7 option for Ekholm's return
Many Oilers fans and several pundits have mentioned that the Oilers will look at the 11-7 configuration so the team can keep as many defensemen as possible available during this series.
Troy Stecher has been fantastic during these playoffs and it's likely that he will not be removed from the lineup.
The Oilers also want to use the depth in their defense especially with Ekholm returning which will give the stars more fits as the attempt to Line match.
If the 11-7 is used, it's likely that Trent Frederic will be removed from the lineup as he has the lowest ice time in the series so far.
Through 13 games in these playoffs, Frederic has one goal and two assists along with some of the lowest ice time up 7 minutes and 42 seconds all the way to 11 minutes.
If there was a player to be removed, Frederick will likely be the choice but that remains to be seen on what Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch will do.
Oilers looking to take control of series at home
The Western Conference finals continue to evolve as Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner delivered another shutout which puts him at 3 shutouts in four games.
The Oilers also hope their strong offense will resume as it did against the Vegas golden Knights which helped vanquish their Nevada rivals.
With Ekholm returning, the Oilers will attempt to take control of this series at home and try to push the stars to the brink even though the series is currently 1-1.
Game 3 is set for May 25th and the game will start at an odd time at 3:00 PM eastern.
| POLL | ||
MAI 24 | 1540 ANSWERS Edmonton Oilers forced to scratch veteran player with Mattias Ekholm's return Who would you remove from the Oilers to make room for Mattias Ekholm? | ||
| Troy Stetcher | 297 | 19.3 % |
| Kasperi Kapanen | 161 | 10.5 % |
| Trent Frederic | 495 | 32.1 % |
| Someone else | 587 | 38.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
