McDavid is battling a lower-body injury and could be at risk of missing Wednesday's game against the Vegas Golden Knights. McDavid is in the middle of a race of for the Art Ross Trophy, with 130 points (31G / 99A) in 74 games.
Fresh off a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, the Oilers will switch to Skinner between the pipes on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. Skinner has allowed three or more goals in five of his last six (3-1-2), including allowing three on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Oilers enter action as -137 home favourites.
Fresh off a disappointing 5-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, the Oilers will switch to Skinner between the pipes on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche. Skinner has allowed three or more goals in five of his last six (3-1-2), including allowing three on 29 shots (.897 SV%) in his most recent outing, a 3-2 overtime loss to the St. Louis Blues. The Oilers enter action as -137 home favourites.
Ryan did not play the last two games but will re-enter the lineup in favour of Sam Carrick. Ryan has five goals and six assists in 66 games this season.
After a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Blue on Monday, the Oilers will turn to Pickard between the pipes on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars. Pickard has allowed two or fewer goals in three of his last four starts (3-1-0), including a 21-save performance (.955 SV%) in his last outing, a 6-1 win over the Anaheim Ducks. Pickard and the Oilers enter action as +108 road underdogs against a Stars team they defeated 4-3 in February.
Stecher will be the odd-man out on the Oilers' blue-line as Brett Kulak (undisclosed) and Cody Ceci (illness) are both available for Monday's game. Stecher has one assist in four games with the Oilers since being acquired from the Coyotes.
Kulak left Saturday's game with an injury but will not miss any additional time as he is available to play in St. Louis for Monday's game. With Cody Ceci returning to the lineup vs. the Blues, Troy Stecher will be the odd-man out on the Oilers' blue-line.
Ryan will be the odd-man out on Monday as Connor Brown draws back into the lineup. Ryan has five goals and six assists in 66 games this season.
Brown will presumably take over Derek Ryan's spot on the Oilers' fourth line when they travel to St. Louis on Monday. Brown has three goals and six assists in 61 games this season.
The Oilers have won three straight and will return to Skinner between the pipes after giving him the night off in their last game. Skinner has saved 54 of 58 shots (.931 SV%) in his last two games (2-0-0) and has won three of his last four (3-1-0). The Oilers enter action on Monday as -197 road favourites against a St. Louis Blues club that they defeated 3-2 on February 28th.
Kulak departed after just one shift, but head coach Kris Knoblauch said that he "appears to be OK" and that he will travel with the team to St. Louis for Monday's game. With Cody Ceci expected to return to the lineup vs. the Blues, the Oilers may sit Kulak to give him some additional time to heal.
Rodrigue has earned himself a one-year, two-way extension with the Oilers after an impressive 17-10-4 record, .915 SV% and 2.72 GAA with Bakersfield (AHL) in 2023-24. The 23-year-old was Edmonton's 2018 second-round pick (62nd overall).
The Oilers snapped a two-game losing skid on Tuesday courtesy of Skinner and will roll with him again on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. Skinner saved 22 of 25 shots (.880 SV%) in a 4-3 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets and has allowed three or more goals in four straight (2-1-1). The Oilers enter action -150 home favourites against the Kings.
The Oilers have been leaky between the pipes lately, allowing five or more goals in their last two games (0-2-0), and will likely return to Skinner in the crease on Tuesday. Skinner has lost two of his last three outings, allowing three or more goals in each and posting a subpar .884 SV%. The Oilers enter action as -122 home favourites against a Winnipeg Jets club that has been outscored 13-4 in their last three games (0-3-0).
Brown did not play on Sunday due to an illness but will draw back into the lineup on Tuesday against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Brown has six points (1G / 5A), 64 penalty minutes, and 70 hits in 40 games this season.
