Andrej Sekera

Edmonton Oilers Look for Win in Key Division Game

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 1:29 p.m. ET

Fansided, Sammi Silber/FanSided via Oil On Whyte

The Edmonton Oilers have an important Pacific Division matchup to win Thursday, taking on the to Los Angeles Kings at Rogers Place.

With a victory, the Oilers can secure the second-place spot in the Pacific Division. Not to mention, they can come one point closer to taking the division lead and move up to fourth in the Western Conference.

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Oil On Whyte 1 dEdmonton Oilers Prepare for Key Pacific Matchup

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Here are the projected lines for Thursday’s game.

Forwards

Milan Lucic-Connor McDavid-Jordan Eberle

Patrick Maroon-Ryan Nugent-Hopkins-Leon Draisaitl

Benoit Pouliot-Drake Caggiula-Jesse Puljujarvi

Matt Hendricks-Mark Letestu-Zack Kassian

Defense

Oscar Klefbom-Adam Larsson

Kris Russell-Matthew Benning

Brandon Davidson-Eric Gryba

Goalies

Cam Talbot

Jonas Gustavsson

Game Notes

– Andrej Sekera is out with an illness but is expected to be back and ready for the next game. Kris Russell will switch to the left side on the second pairing to replace him. This gives Matthew Benning the chance to draw back into the lineup and prove his worth on the right side.

– Cam Talbot stole a point for Edmonton against the San Jose Sharks and will be back between the pipes after a long break. Expect him to be playing his top game given his rest, and for his heroics to be a key to victory.

– Brandon Davidson is continuing to find his game after being out with an injury to start the season. He will likely be vital in bringing physicality and excellent defensive awareness against the Kings.

– Leon Drasiaitl and Mark Letestu are two of the team’s key performers of late, so expect their roles on the top six and bottom six to be respectively important on the forecheck.