Streaking Oilers faced with lineup choices as players return from injury

The Oilers defeated the Seattle Kraken Tuesday night in their fourth win in a row. Connor Ingram made 27 saves on his 29th birthday.

Decisions, decisions.

Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch has some of the lineup variety to make with players coming off the injured list while his team is on a heater.

Knoblauch said Wednesday after practice Trent Frederic will return to the Oilers’ lineup against the Blackhawks after missing the last five games. The forward left the Oilers’ game on March 19, a 4-0 home loss to the Florida Panthers, with an undisclosed injury.

Frederic’s absence, along with those of star centre Leon Draisaitl and relative newcomer Colton Dach, forced the Oilers to call up reinforcements from their farm team in Bakersfield, Calif., and give more playing time to others.

Draisaitl will miss the rest of the National Hockey League regular season with a lower-body injury he suffered on March 15 against the Nashville Predators. Knoblauch said Dach, the forward whom the Oilers acquired last month from the Chicago Blackhawks along with defenceman Connor Murphy for Andrew Mangiapane, is still sidelined after being injured in the Panthers game.

The thing is the Oilers are on a four-game winning streak and have been playing stronger defensively in recent games. And the likes of depth forwards Max Jones, who has scored two goals and an assist in the last eight games, and Josh Samanski have earned praise and playing time.

Knoblauch said Wednesday that Jones brings “an all-round game” to the lineup.

“I’ve liked his energy, his speed, and also getting in on the forecheck with some hits,” he said. “He’s been rewarded with some goals as of late.”

The coach said he’s got “very difficult decisions” to make for Thursday’s 7 p.m. game at Rogers Place against the Blackhawks with seven games left on their regular-season schedule, but that it’s that time of year when everybody needs playing time to get ready for the playoffs.

“It’s important that everyone stays involved,” Knoblauch told reporters. “Everyone still gets to play a little bit, because during the playoffs, we’re always going to have injuries. You don’t want to have somebody sitting for weeks and then (tell them), “OK, we need you now.’”

Kasperi Kapanen, one of Draisaitl’s regular linemates, said after Tuesday’s win that their better play without the puck is the team “trying to simplify the game a little right now, trying not to do too much.”

“We still have amazing players that can play with the puck and make plays, but I think the general idea is to simplify,” the winger told media. “We’re obviously missing (Draisaitl) out there, so it seems to be working right now, and we need to keep doing that. The main thing is that we’re playing the right way right now and that counts, so we just have to keep building.”

Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard said after Wednesday’s practice “everybody” has been chipping in given Draisaitl’s absence.

“People are really stepping up in big ways,” said Bouchard, who leads all NHL defencemen in scoring with 86 points (20 goals, 66 assists).

Heading into NHL action on Wednesday, the Oilers (38-28-9) are two points behind the Pacific Division-leading Anaheim Ducks and three points ahead of the third-place Vegas Golden Knights.

Prospect signs ELC

The Oilers announced Wednesday morning they have signed junior prospect William Nicholl to an entry-level contract, two years after they drafted him in the seventh round. The 19-year-old London Knights forward’s three-year deal starts next season.