With his team's season on the line, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has elected to go with the horses who brought him victory in Game 6.
Today, Knoblauch confirmed that there are no changes to his team for Game 7, he'll ice the same squad he did in Game 6. This, of course, means that goaltender Stuart Skinner gets the start and that veteran Corey Perry gets the scratch in favor of Connor Brown.
Check it out:
Personally I don't know how you can scratch Perry in a Game 7, but he hasn't really been much of a factor in this series to be honest. I'll never criticize a coach for sticking with a winning lineup.
You do have to wonder though if this is the end for Perry. He's 39 years old and he's a pending unrestricted free agent who is coming off a pretty controversial season. He was effectively kicked off the Chicago Blackhawks for inappropriate conduct and his career looked to be over. He scored a 'Get Out of Jail Free' card courtesy of Oilers GM Ken Holland, but I think he'll have a more difficult time finding a suitor in free agency this upcoming offseason.
Indeed, this may mark the end of Perry's NHL career.
Read below for our earlier report on the Canucks and their lineup for tonight's game.
The Vancouver Canucks are on the brink of elimination and the brink of advancing to the Western Conference Final as they prepare to face the Edmonton Oilers in the final and deciding game of their second round Stanley Cup playoff series, Game 7.
There will be a ton on the line tonight and unfortunately for the Canucks they will be fighting an uphill battle with two of their top stars out of the lineup. Head coach Rick Tocchet has confirmed that star goaltender Thatcher Demko will not be available for Game 7, and of course there was the shocking news that Brock Boeser will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a blood clotting issue.
This of course leaves Tocchet with a number of difficult choices to make before the biggest game of the season, something he has already done. Tocchet spoke to reporters on Monday and confirmed 4 changes to his lineup including the absence of Boeser due to his ailment.
Stepping out of the lineup tonight will of course be Boeser as well as forward Vasili Podkolzin with Sam Lafferty and Ilya Mikheyev expected to replace them tonight. Tocchet has also confirmed that he will be going back to goaltender Arturs Silovs in Game 7 despite Silovs getting shelled in Game 6.
Only time will tell if these prove to be the right decisions.
