Here comes the cavalry.

Not long after the Oilers announced Derek Ryan was recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the team hit the ice at Rogers Place for a morning skate, where more reinforcements were inbound.

Defenceman Mattias Ekholm skated in his usual spot on the top pairing alongside Evan Bouchard, marking the first time he’s done so since the Oilers’ 6-2 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on March 4, missing the team’s last five games. Ekholm has battled an illness since late January, missing the odd practice and a game in early February against Toronto. He was, however, able to represent Sweden at the 4 Nations Face-Off.

On Monday, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said he expected to see Ekholm back in the lineup no later than Thursday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets.

That wasn’t the only notable difference in the Oilers’ lineup, as winger Jeff Skinner was elevated to the top line alongside Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman.

Despite being in and out of the lineup, seemingly struggling to get the coaching staff’s trust, Jeff Skinner has been one of the more consistent Oilers in recent weeks and months. Among Oilers forwards who have played over 100 minutes, he ranks fourth in five-on-five goals per hour scoring .93, and third in points, with 1.67, trailing just McDavid and Leon Draisatil.

While much of his 645 minutes at five-on-five have come in the bottom-six, he’s found ways to produce offence with a solid shot rate and a knack for generating quality looks.

Jeff Skinner has spent just 74 of those minutes alongside McDavid, but the results have been ugly, with them getting outscored a staggering 8-1. Much of those minutes were earlier in the season, though, when Skinner’s game wasn’t where it needed to be.

Draisaitl will continue to be flanked by Corey Perry and Connor Brown, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins holding onto the third line spot with Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson. Despite Ryan’s recall, he isn’t expected into the lineup yet with Adam Henrique centring Mattias Janmark and Kasperi Kapanen on the fourth-line.

Beyond Ekholm returning to play with Bouchard, Jake Walman and Darnell Nurse will skate on the second pair and Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson on the third, while Calvin Pickard gets the start.

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.