As the Edmonton Oilers took to the ice for warmups in their final game before the Christmas break, lines were mixed up in the absence of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Fortunately the Oilers have just got Viktor Arvidsson back from injury, who will be able to mitigate the loss of Nuge at least tonight.

Oilers reporter Tony Brar revealed that Nugent-Hopkins will be unavailable for tonight’s game. Arvidsson will move up in his place, Mattias Janmark will move to the third line, and Derek Ryan will enter the lineup after being an healthy scratch.

 

Nugent-Hopkins’ absence wasn’t further explained from the coaching staff this morning. Being the day before the holiday break, it seems like Nuge could be dealing with something minor, and the Oilers have an opportunity for some extra rest here.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Out, Oilers Lineup Has New Possibilities To Try Out

In this one game without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, the Oilers could perhaps make some more line changes to see what they have deeper in the lineup.

Especially on the powerplay, Jeff Skinner would be thought of as the natural choice to replace Nugent-Hopkins. It’s telling that Skinner’s still on the fourth line, and if Knoblauch puts out Perry or Arvidsson on the powerplay, it’s clear that Skinner serves no purpose on this team.

 

Having Viktor Arvidsson get a chance on the top line will be interesting to see, and hopefully he can make an impression with the opportunity. He’s still returning from injury, and is being eased back into big minutes – but this game could jump-start that progress.

The Edmonton Oilers are coming in hot, winning 7 of their last 8 games, but will be seeing a Senators team that’s on a roll as well. Hopefully the Oilers are fully dialled in tonight to bag one more win before the Christmas break.

More details and analysis to come.