Darnell Nurse skated for the second time in two days as the Edmonton Oilers get prepared to take on the Los Angeles Kings Monday evening in a first-round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Still, he wouldn’t commit to being in the lineup when asked by reporters after Monday’s on-ice session.
“We’ll see,” said Nurse, who most people believe will suit up as the Oilers try to take an early lead in the series. It’s the same response he had on Sunday when asked and it will likely be the same response he has when asked, all the way up until warmups prior to the 8 pm puck drop.
Daniel Nugent-Bowman of The Athletic writes, “He’s being especially coy. I’d be surprised if he’s not in tonight.”
But, Bob Stauffer of 630 CHED, who covers the Oilers games on the radio has Nurse in the lineup. Skating with Cody Ceci, they are the top pair with Duncan Keith and Evan Bouchard on the second pairing. Brett Kulak and Tyson Barrie will make up the third pair and Kris Russell and Philip Broberg will be ready to go in relief.
The Oilers also have a healthy crop of forwards as their much deeper forward group is ready to roll. Evander Kane and Jesse Puljujarvi will flank Art Ross Trophy winner Connor McDavid, while Zach Hyman and Kailer Yamamoto will be centered by Leon Draisaitl. Rounding out the top nine will be Warren Foegele, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Derek Ryan, with Ryan McLeod centering Josh Archibald and Zack Kassian on the fourth line.
If there’s one question mark for fans, it’s the use of Archibald who, at best, will only play half of the series. He cannot travel with the team to Los Angeles due to his COVID vaccination status. The argument for those who are happy to see him in the lineup is that he’s got a bit of an edge to his game and the Kings are feisty. The argument against is that there are players more deserving of a spot on the roster.
The Kings Lineup
The projected lineup for the Kings will see Anze Kopitar center Andreas Athanasiou and Adrian Kempe on the first line. The second line will be Philip Danualt centering Viktor Arvidsson and Trevor Moore. Alex Iafallo will be with Dustin Brown, and they’ll flank Blake Lizotte, while the fourth line is not necessarily set.
More must-reads: