The fourth-line battle will be on full display in Winnipeg tonight. James Hamblin, Lane Pederson, Noah Philp and Derek Ryan are all dressed. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said after tonight’s game he will put together his top three lines in the fashion he expects to start the season with, but said this about the fourth line: “With our fourth line there is going to be a lot more fluctuation on what that line will look like (in the final four preseason games), because we have so many guys trying out for that spot.”

Tonight is another opportunity for those players to impress the coaching staff.

Hamblin, Pederson and Philp will play centre as will young Sam O’Reilly. Ryan will start on the wing, but Knoblauch told me he expects to change the lines as the game goes along. It isn’t just a coincidence all of them are in the lineup. Tonight is an opportunity for them to be teammates, but also compete for a spot on the fourth line.

“I know Winnipeg has a pretty good lineup playing tonight at home, and I think it will be a pretty good opportunity for all those guys. We feel all four of them can be NHL centremen, whether it is this year or possibly next season. It is a good test for all of them, and we will see how they play. They will have some shifts against weaker competition (young players), but they will have shifts against difficult competition in Schiefele and Lowry and that will be a test,” said Knoblauch.

It is a great opportunity for Hamblin, Pederson and Philp to make a strong impression. They have to beat out Ryan for the job, and that won’t be easy in four to six preseason games they will play. Philp, who didn’t play last season for personal reasons, will play his third preseason game. He has been noticeable. He did fight the puck a bit early in Monday’s game v. Calgary, and that is likely due to inactivity. That will come with time, and he handled the puck better as the game wore on.

The challenge for Philp and Hamblin is neither require waivers to go to the American League, while Pederson and Raphael Lavoie, who is also battling for a fourth-line job, would need to clear waivers. If the battle is super close, a team can err on the side of caution, at least to start the season, and send down the player who doesn’t need waivers. It is just part of the business, but if Philp and Hamblin stand out they will make the decision much more difficult.

Speaking of decisions. Stuart Skinner wanted this game. He will play 30 to 40 minutes tonight. Knoblauch said it will depend on how many shots he’s faced and how the game is going, but Skinner wanted this game as he anticipated Winnipeg dressing many NHL players, which could lead to him facing a few more quality shots.

Savoie – Pederson – Arvidsson
Janmark – O’Reilly – Brown
Hoffman – Philp – Griffith
Caggiula – Hamblin – Ryan
de Jong

Kulak – Emberson
Dineen – Wanner
Hoefenmeyer – Carrick

Skinner
Delia

The forward lines are not set. I do know for sure Sam O’Reilly will centre Janmark and Brown to start. Knoblauch told me Ryan will start on Hamblin’s wing. I just projected on the rest of the lineup. Pederson is the most offensive-minded centre, so playing him with Viktor Arvidsson and Matthew Savoie or Hoffman makes sense to me. Edmonton had 14 forwards not on the ice this morning. Raphael Lavoie is banged up and won’t play, but Knoblauch is hoping he will be back on the ice Friday. Tomorrow is a scheduled day off. Of the other 13 forwards, one of them won’t play.

Knoblauch also said he will move the lines around as the game goes along, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about combinations.

Connor – Scheifele – Vilardi
Namestnikov – Lambert – Ehlers
Niederreiter – Lowry – JAD (Anderson-Dolan)
Gustafsson – Kupari – Ford

Morrissey – DeMelo
Samberg – Pionk
Stanley – Miller
Lundmark-Salomonsson

Kahkonen
DiVincentiis

The Jets will ice a NHL-laden roster, which explains why Skinner wanted this game. The Oilers’ next two games are at home and Seattle and Vancouver likely won’t dress as many NHL forwards as the Jets are tonight. The main battle to watch will be how Hamblin, Philp and Pederson handle playing against Winnipeg’s top three lines. The most inexperienced centre is Brad Lambert, but he’s playing with two established NHLers in Namestnikov and Ehlers. There won’t be many “weaker” minutes for the Oilers centres tonight.

It looks like the Jets will play the first three listed D pairs, but that wasn’t confirmed so I kept in the fourth duo in case.

Kaapo Kahknonen and Eric Comrie are battling to be Connor Hellebuyck’s backup, and Kahkonen is coming off two consecutive seasons with a sub .900Sv% and will need to play well to earn that job.

GAME DAY PREDICTION: Winnipeg has a much deeper offensive roster and they skate to a 4-2 victory.

OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: The debate for the fourth line isn’t any clearer by the end of the game. Opinions will vary on who is the frontrunner.

NOT-SO-OBVIOUS GAME DAY PREDICTION: Drake Caggiula delivers another big hit and picks up a point.