Roster shakeup and uncertainty for Edmonton ahead of Game 4

Very little details. On Wednesday, Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch did admit he was going to make one lineup change for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers in Florida on Thursday night, but he did not mention which player would be inserted back into the roster.

The bench boss also kept his goaltending plans for Game 4 also under wraps as he refused to confirm his starting goalie, and also mentioned that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be a game-time decision.

The Oilers are taking Wednesday off ahead of Thursday’s crucial matchup. On Tuesday however, Nugent-Hopkins, who logged 15:34 of ice time of ice time in the ugly 6-1 Game 3 loss Monday, missed practice. Jeff Skinner took line rushes in his spot. He has appeared in two playoff games this spring, posting a goal and an assist.

As for the goalie dilemma, it remains to be seen if Stuart Skinner will have his net back after allowing five goals on 23 shots in Monday’s loss before being replaced by Calvin Pickard. The backup netminder allowed one goal on eight shots in his first game action since May 8.

Skinner has a 7-6 record this spring with a .894 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average, while Pickard is 6-0 this postseason with a .888 save percentage and a 2.87 GAA.

A lot more will be determined tomorrow ahead of Game 4, but we might have to wait until puck drop to know exactly what the Oilers’ lineup will look like.