Oilers reveal new lines with Hyman's return for game vs. Hurricanes
Photo credit: Edmonton Oilers Raw
The Edmonton Oilers are on the road again tonight to take on the Carolina Hurricanes, and will finally get Zach Hyman back into the lineup.
Hyman was officially activated off LTIR by the Oilers yesterday, with Ike Howard being sent to the AHL and Troy Stecher placed on waivers. Edmonton has lost some depth, but get one of their most important players back.
Edmonton Oilers name new starting lineups with Zach Hyman cleared to play
According to Oilers insiders at practice, the team is expected to deploy the following lines:
Zach Hyman will return to his usual spot of first line right wing alongside Connor McDavid, and likely will also be featured on the first power-play unit.
Matt Savoie will also keep his first line assignment, and has excelled since being promoted into the top-six. He may finally be earning some trust from the head coach to step into a more meaningful role - at least until Nugent-Hopkins returns from injury.
Leon Draisaitl's elite second line with Podkolzin and Roslovic will stick together, now one of their most consistent pairs this season.
Andrew Mangiapane will be dropped to the third line with Henrique and Frederic, which also moves Janmark down to the 4th line.
On defence, Alec Regula will stay in the lineup over Ty Emberson, and defence pairs remain the same.
The Oilers will be taking on an exceptionally deep Hurricanes team, which will be a challenge this far into a road trip. If there's any weakness on the Hurricanes, it may be with their goaltending at the moment.
With Zach Hyman's highly anticipated return the Oilers lineup should get a boost of morale, and maybe to their 5v5 offence as well. For an Oilers team that's still middling in the standings, they're looking for a turning point - and this could be it.
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