Star Oilers forward absent from practice, new lines revealed for Game 3 vs Florida Panthers

Before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, both Connor McDavid and Connor Brown missed some time at practice, with Brown confirmed to be dealing with illness. So far, no update on Nugent-Hopkins' condition has been shared.

According to reporters at Oilers practice, Jeff Skinner was elevated to the first line left wing in Nuge's absence, and otherwise, forward lines stayed the same.

The sign that Jeff Skinner took the first line assignment may be an indication he's just a placeholder for Nugent-Hopkins. If Nuge was really expected to miss Game 3, the Oilers likely wouldn't be giving Skinner his minutes.

There's also a major shuffle of defence pairs, and it may not be the combinations fans want to see. Darnell Nurse has struggled in the first two games against Florida, and now they're trying to settle him down next to top defender Evan Bouchard.

Ekholm is slated to play on the third pairing alongside John Klingberg. It's a strange pairing to see, given how much success Ekholm has with Bouchard, and Klingberg has had with Walman.

This defence change looks like the Oilers trying to find an ideal partner for Darnell Nurse. Troy Stecher has had success with him in the past, but the Oilers would have to go 11/7 to work him in.

Hopefully Nugent-Hopkins gets good news for his availability in Game 3, and these new defence pairings work against the relentless Panthers forecheck.