Oilers make no lineup changes ahead of Game 7

The Edmonton Oilers will keep their lineup from Saturday night intact tonight as they take on the Canucks in Game 7.

The back-and-forth second-round series has come down to Monday night as the Oilers look to be the first team to win consecutive games this round. Vancouver took Games 1, 3, and 5, while Edmonton took Games 2, 4, and 6.

Rolling the lineup over means Corey Perry will sit for his second consecutive game. He’s been one of the most disappointing players this post-season for the Oilers, scoring no points in 10 games, while taking just eight shots on goal. Adam Henrique, meanwhile, will miss his fifth straight game dealing with an ankle injury.

Stuart Skinner will get the start.

Edmonton’s top line will feature Connor McDavid, centring Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman, while the second will see Leon Draisaitl centre Dylan Holloway and Evander Kane. This rendition of the Oilers’ top six is arguably as effective as we’ve seen all season. Holloway kicked off Game 6 with a end-to-end goal 8:18 into the first period, and is looking as comfortable as he ever has in the NHL.

The Oilers’ bottom-six will continue to look to provide excellent defensive value, with Ryan McLeod centring Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan, and Sam Carrick centring Mattias Janmark and Connor Brown. For as solid as they have been in their own zone, a goal from this group would go a long way in Game 7.

Vancouver, meanwhile, will see some changes to their lineup. Most notably, they’ll be without winger Brock Boeser, who has been an Oilers killer all season scoring nine goals in 10 games between the regular season and playoffs. On Sunday, Boeser was revealed to be dealing with a blood clotting issue in his leg. Vasily Podkolzin will also miss the game. Drawing in their place will be Ilya Mikheyev and Sam Lafferty.

Puck drop for Game 7 is set for 7 p.m. MST Monday night.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.