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Kris Knoblauch, always forthcoming with questions about his lineup, was reticent to reveal who was in and who was out for Game 3 Thursday, but there may have been a few hints at the Edmonton Oilers optional morning skate.
“Um, you’re going to have to wait and find out,” Knoblauch said.
Knoblauch may go 11-7 — 11 forwards and seven defencemen — something he hasn’t done since taking over as coach in November.
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But, with the uncertainty of Darnell Nurse’s hip, the Oilers bench boss may go that route to cover himself in case Nurse starts and can’t finish the game. Nurse played only seven shifts in Game 2.
Cody Ceci, who was scratched in Game 2 with Vinny Desharnais back in after sitting for four games because of the fine play of Philip Broberg, was quickly off the ice rather than skating with the extras.
Fourth-line centre Sam Carrick, even if he did a nice job in the face-off circle in Game 2 before getting a slashing penalty on Dmitry Kulikov that earned him a fine, stayed out late with Sam Gagner and others, which usually means those players aren’t suiting up.
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Evander Kane, who was dressed to practise Wednesday but had a conversation with Knoblauch on the ice and then left, could be out for the first time in the playoffs. He has been playing with a sports hernia or something else and has not been practising for most of the post-season.
Knoblauch has been weighing the Kane in/Kane out situation for quite some time, knowing they needed his aggressiveness, but his skating is compromised. And this might be the first time the feisty forward will have to watch.
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“That’s mostly a conversation that we have with our medical staff. Our doctor, T.D. (trainer Forss), they’re telling us exactly what’s going on and is it going to get worse, can it be better?” he said.
“Then we take that information and we think about, `Well, alright if he’s running at 75%, do we have another guy with 100%?’ Then we make those decisions.
“But that information, the most important is through the medical staff. They lead us in making the right decision.’’
Corey Perry would be taking Kane’s spot in the lineup after he didn’t play in Game 2 in Florida.
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