The Edmonton Oilers lineup will have some new looks Thursday night as the Montreal Canadiens roll into town.
Mattias Ekholm and John Klingberg will both be out of the lineup, as Max Jones is set to make his Oilers debut, filling in for Jeff Skinner in the bottom-six. Cam Dineen, along with Jones, were recalled on an emergency basis Wednesday and will draw into the lineup.
Ekholm has been battling illness for some time and will now get a chance to rest after playing for Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Klingberg, meanwhile, is dealing with a minor injury, The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman reported, who added the forward group will look like so:
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin – Leon Draisaitl – Viktor Arvidsson
Mattias Janmark – Adam Henrique – Connor Brown
Max Jones – Kasperi Kapanen – Corey Perry
There’s no indication at the time of writing what the defensive pairings will look like.
For Jones, tonight’s game will mark his eighth NHL game this season, having previously drawn in for seven with the Boston Bruins. The Oilers acquired him alongside Trent Frederic on Tuesday.
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch spoke about the two on Thursday.
“With Frederic, you’ve got a 200-foot player, physical, can play anywhere in the lineup,” he said, via the Oilers website. “For me as a coach, it gives me some flexibility. It gives us some bite and edge that we can use.
“Max Jones is that player, too. We need a spark offensively and I think he can chip in every once in a while. He adds a little sandpaper to our team, and he makes us harder to play against.”
While Jones hasn’t played many NHL games this year, he had a strong campaign with the AHL’s Providence Bruins ahead of the trade, scoring 13 goals and 21 points in 38 games. He signed a two-year deal carrying a $1-million AAV with the Bruins last summer, after spending his career with the Anaheim Ducks.
There, he was productive in depth roles in the last two years, scoring 14 goals and 34 points in 121 games averaging 12:26 in ice-time per night. All the while, he laid 10 hits per hour of ice-time. That’s an element the Oilers have missed in their game this season, and Jones will provide some punch in a depth role.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
