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Oilers Tweak Lineup After Blowout Loss

The Edmonton Oilers make some changes to their lineup ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Jon Alfano

Edmonton Oilers left wing Jeff Skinner skates with the puck against the New York Rangers.
Edmonton Oilers left wing Jeff Skinner skates with the puck against the New York Rangers. / Danny Wild-Imagn Images
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After looking largely dominant for the past month and change, the Edmonton Oilers played possibly their worst game of the postseason in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, getting run out of the building in a 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers.

Now facing a 2-1 deficit in the series, head coach Kris Knoblauch decided to give his lineup a bit of a tweak. Knoblauch told reporters that Jeff Skinner will draw in for just the third time this postseason and first time since Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars, replacing Viktor Arvidsson in the lineup. On the blue line, Troy Stecher will play for the first time since Game 4 against the Stars, replacing John Klingberg. This will be Stecher's first time playing since Mattias Ekholm returned to the lineup.

One change the Oilers will not be making, however, is their starting goalie. Stuart Skinner will start once again despite allowing five goals on 23 shots in Game 3 and being replaced by Calvin Pickard in the third period.

Jeff Skinner, 33, made the playoffs for the first time in his 15th NHL season, and first with the Oilers, after spending his entire career with the Carolina Hurricanes and Buffalo Sabres. The Toronto native has two points (one goal, one assist) in as many playoff games and scored a goal in Game 5 against the Stars. He had 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) in 72 games during the regular season.

Stetcher, 31, appeared in six games earlier this postseason while filling in for Ekholm. Though he didn't score any points in those games, he still posted a plus-3 rating while averaging 15:57 of ice time, so he did what he needed to.

Puck drop for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final is set for 8 p.m. ET from Amerant Bank Arena.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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