The Ducks and Oilers are projected to skate in with the same groups they used in their last games on Thursday, with no expected changes to either forward mix. That leaves both sides heading into Ducks Vs Oilers with the same skaters, the same scratches and the same injury lists they carried out of Tuesday night.
The Ducks’ projected forwards are Alex Killorn, Leo Carlsson, Judd Caufield, Cutter Gauthier, Mikael Granlund, Beckett Sennecke, Nico Myatovic, Tim Washe, Sam Colangelo, Jeff Malott, Roger McQueen and Nikita Nesterenko. Tyson Hinds, Ville Husso and Frank Vatrano are scratched, while A.J. Greer, Ian Moore, Ryan Poehling and Troy Terry remain listed as injured. Joel Quenneville said there will be no lineup changes from the Ducks’ last game, a 5-4 win at the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday.
For readers looking for the reason the matchup is drawing attention today, it is the combination of continuity and circumstance. The Oilers are also sticking with the same skaters after a 4-3 shootout loss at the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday, and their projected forwards include Vasily Podkolzin, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Colton Dach, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Kasperi Kapanen, Alex Formenton, Jason Dickinson, Mathieu Joseph, Max Jones, Owen Michaels and Filip Hallander. Ty Emberson, Trent Frederic and Isaac Howard are scratched, while Frederik Andersen, Zach Hyman, Tristan Jarry, Mattias Janmark, Alec Regula and Matthew Savoie are listed as injured.
The one detail that sharpens the matchup is Levi. With Tristan Jarry out, he is expected to dress as the backup after sitting out the past six games with an undisclosed injury. That makes the goaltending setup part of the story even as the skaters remain unchanged, and it also means the final answer on Thursday will come only when the game begins and the projected lineups either hold or shift at the last moment.
