As the Edmonton Oilers get set to take on the New York Rangers on Thursday night, the team is, once again, going with an 11-7 formation. That means no traditional fourth line, and an opportunity for a depth forward to get more ice time.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch explained his decision to run 11-7 again. It’s something he’s not traditionally done.
Specifically, the coach explained that the format gives him flexibility to double-shift top players while also getting more involved minutes for depth forwards who aren’t part of the power play or penalty kill. “I think we’ve got enough forwards that can double shift, get a little more ice time,” Knoblauch said. “It’s much easier managing the bench with 11 forwards than 12, just with the players we have right now.”
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One of the biggest beneficiaries could be Vasily Podkolzin, who has shown flashes of strong two-way play but hasn’t logged the kind of minutes that allow him to build rhythm.
“You see the start of the season where Podkolzin is playing 10–12 minutes — that’s not enough for a guy like that,” Knoblauch said. “He’s not on any special teams right now, but he’s a prime candidate…”
He added, “Let’s just say Draisaitl’s line is going they have their shift and then you know you can spot Podkolzin and you can spot Roslovic back with that fourth line much easier. So yeah, it allows those guys who aren’t having a lot of special teams get involved because we do have some good players that I don’t think have been seen the ice as much as I should.”
Can Podkolin Break Out for the Oilers
While he hasn’t broken out offensively, there’s a lot to like about Podkolzin’s game right now. He’s a gritty, hard-working, heavy forward who has the ability to score, but perhaps lacks the confidence to take the shot and not defer to someone like Draisaitl. If he’s double shifted, he might be looked to more to drive that fourth line.
For Podkolzin, that involvement might be exactly what he needs to get on the scoresheet. He’s been doing the work, just not getting the reward when it comes to his offensive production.
Knoblauch is sticking with the same 11-forward, 7-defenseman lineup that powered the Oilers to a 6-3 win over the Utah Mammoth, highlighted by a five-goal second period and six players with multi-point nights.
Edmonton’s top-six against the Rangers includes Connor McDavid centering Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Andrew Mangiapane, with Vasily Podkolzin and Jack Roslovic getting prime minutes beside Leon Draisaitl.
The bottom five feature Matt Savoie, Adam Henrique (getting his 1000 game celebration), and Trent Frederic, with Ike Howard and David Tomasek as the final two fowards.
Mattias Ekholm is projected to play with Evan Bouchard (although this could change based on the last couple of games) Darnell Nurse with Jake Walman, and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson. The seventh defenseman remains Troy Stecher.
Stuart Skinner is expected to start in goal.
The previous meeting between these two teams saw the Oilers take home the 2-0 victory. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins aims to keep his point streak going as he 16 points in his last 14 games against the Rangers.
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