Rumor: Two Oilers expected back in the lineup on Sunday.

Oilers expecting some good news on Sunday.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Rumor: Two Oilers expected back in the lineup on Sunday.
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The Edmonton Oilers are the hottest team in the National Hockey League's Pacific Division this season and it sounds like things may be on the verge of getting even better for head coach Dave Tippett's suddenly rejuvenated squad.

Although at the time of this writing there has been no official announcement from the Edmonton Oilers organization, it now sounds like the Oilers are set for a pair of returns this coming Sunday prior to their matchup against superstar forward Jack Eichel and his Buffalo Sabres. According to a report from Sportsnet Oilers insider Mark Spector, it now sounds like Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be back in the Oilers line up for that game and additionally Spector is also reporting that veteran forward Zack Kassian claims he will also be ready to go when the Oilers face the Sabres. 

Nugent-Hopkins has been out of action for some time now after suffering an injury against the Las Vegas Golden Knights all the way back in November and this would mark his first return to action since the injury. Nugent-Hopkins had reportedly been dealing with the issue prior to undergoing a minor procedure in his hand to correct the issue, at the time head coach Dave Tippett gave him a prognosis of about 10 days for a full recovery. The Oilers clearly saw this as an ongoing issue that could continue to be a problem in the long term so hopefully this shorter term absence from Nugent-Hopkins has paid off. 

Kassian has also been dealing with a nagging issue of his own, but in his case the issue stems from his back. Kassian has missed the last 3 games as a result of his injury and although he did practice with his teammates on Friday he has yet to return to action. Kassian himself made the declaration to Spector that he was ready to go so it remains to be seen at this time if the team's medical staff and coaching staff agree with the veteran bruisers assessment of the situation. Kassian was spotted warming up with the organization's top line during practice on Saturday however which does point to the fact that the Oilers are expecting him to be ready come Sunday.


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