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Scenes from Morning Skate: Nugent-Hopkins returns to first line as Oilers look to get stars on track in Game 3
Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings
Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Zach Laing
Apr 24, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 24, 2026, 16:47 EDT
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There’s a good news, bad news way to look at the first two games of the Edmonton Oilers’ first-round series against the Anaheim Ducks.
The bad news is that the Oilers have split the start of the series, and their star players haven’t been their star players.
The good news is that the Oilers have split the start of the series, and their star players haven’t been their star players.
It’s a double-edged sword that’s slashed the Oilers thus far. They were able to mount a comeback in Game 1 in thanks to depth players on their roster stepping up, but they fell short of doing the same in Game 2.
All eyes were on Connor McDavid in the latest affair, doubly so after he seemingly injured his ankle, only to declare himself “fine” after the game. McDavid’s been held pointless through two games, stymied by a Ducks team doing their best impression of swarm defending that’s choked out his ability to generate much offensively.
There have been five instances in McDavid’s playoff career where he was held pointless in two straight games. In the game following the previous four instances, McDavid has scored two goals and 11 points, with three three-point games and a four-point game. So buckle up: we could be in for one of those nights tonight.
And when McDavid looks to get going, he’ll do so with familiar face Ryan Nugent-Hopkins returning to his side on the first line, flanked by Zach Hyman on the opposite wing.
The Oilers coaching staff has fiddled with the lines with Adam Henrique and Jason Dickinson out of the lineup, and while Leon Draisaitl will stick on the second line with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen, the bottom-six has a new look.
The trio that tied up Game 2, Josh Samanski, Matt Savoie, and Jack Roslovic, will make up the Oilers’ third line, while the Bash Brothers, Colton Dach and Trent Frederic, will flank Curtis Lazar on the fourth line.
Dickinson who was absent from morning skate, is a game-time decision ahead of Game 3, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said.
Edmonton’s blue line will remain the same, despite some tweaking late in their Game 2 loss, with Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, Darnell Nurse and Connor Murphy on the second, and Jake Walman and Ty Emberson on the third.
The Oilers reverting back to the top line as they have is good news for the team. They’ve been one of the league’s most effective top lines in recent years, and when they were thrown together in Game 2, they scored in just 2:25 minutes of five-on-five ice time. Looking back at their success over the last three playoffs, they’ve outscored the opposition a staggering 17-7 at five-on-five in 269 minutes, controlling 58.3 per cent of the expected goal share, looking outright dominant.
Surely, the Oilers will hope that success can translate back to a power play unit that has gone a brutal zero-for-six through two games.
As for the Ducks, their lineup is expected to remain the same, which means defenceman Radko Gudas will miss his second straight game.

Expected lineup

Nugent-Hopkins – McDavid – Hyman
Podkolzin – Draisaitl – Kapanen
Savoie – Samanski – Roslovic
Dach – Lazar – Frederic
Ekholm – Bouchard
Nurse – Murphy
Walman – Emberson
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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s managing editor, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the Daily Faceoff DFS Hockey Report. He can be followed on X at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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