Philip Broberg in, Vincent Desharnais out among the changes to the Oilers lineup for Game 4

As Kris Knoblauch promised this morning, the Oilers have indeed made a major shakeup to their defence pairings for Game 4.

Although he didn’t confirm with reporters who exactly would be coming out of the lineup, it appears that The Athletic’s Daniel Nugent-Bowman report from the morning skate ended up being accurate. Philip Broberg, Ryan McLeod, and Corey Perry enter the lineup while Vincent Desharnais, Sam Carrick, and Warren Foegele will sit for tonight’s crucial game.

While some may wonder why the Oilers opted to stick with Darnell Nurse despite his struggles throughout these playoffs, the players are rallying around him and the coaching staff is banking on a different partner (in this caseBrett Kulak) ending up being the trick to getting him going. It is certainly intriguing that they opted to scratch Desharnais, who has appeared in all 15 games before tonight’s game, while turning to Broberg who has been through his fair share of adversity this season.

In any case, Knoublauch is counting on this influx of players coming into the fold to provide a spark and bring that intensity that could breathe some life into an Oilers team that was likely feeling rattled after a disastrous second period in Game 3. This is not the first time he has with a bold move like this one in these playoffs and his intuition has typically been proven correct, with the most notable being starting Calvin Pickard in Game 4 against the Canucks.

The Oilers are sacrificing a combined five-point split between Desharnais, Carrick, and Foegele for three guys who have not yet gotten on the scoresheet in these playoffs. Whether or not it is fair that the aforementioned players are getting the hook tonight, the fact remains that Edmonton will be focused on getting a much-needed victory tonight because this Stars team could very easily run away with this series given how resilient they have been in the postseason. If going for a shakeup to the lines helps even the odds and potentially a tied series, so be it.

To find out if these changes will ultimately work out, catch the action on Sportsnet and CBC with puck drop scheduled for 6:30 p.m. MDT.