Oilers Juggle Lines With Hyman's Return

The Edmonton Oilers are almost back at full strength.

Zach Hyman draws back into the lineup tonight against Columbus after missing five games with an undisclosed injury. He last played in Ottawa on November 19th, when he didn't come out for the third period.

That means the Oilers can return to their regular first line of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor McDavid, and Zach Hyman, though they're still missing Viktor Arvidsson from the first line. Head coach Kris Knoblauch said after practice today that there's still
"no timeline" for Arvidsson's return from his own undisclosed injury.

Elsewhere in the lineup, Kasperi Kapanen keeps his top-six spot, moving down from McDavid's line to the second line next to Leon Draisaitl. There's a certain irony in the Oilers adding Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner over the summer to play with Draisaitl, then playing him with Vasily Podkolzin and Kasperi Kapanen two months into the year. So much for improved secondary scoring.

Connor Brown moves down to the fourth line to accommodate Hyman and Kapanen, leaving the recently successful third line of Janmark-Henrique-Skinner intact. It's a bit of a rough shake for Brown, who looked good next to Draisaitl and Podkolzin but failed to convert on a few golden chances against Vegas on Tuesday.

The defence corps seems set in stone for now, as Troy Stecher and Brett Kulak have split time next to Darnell Nurse on the second pair.

They'll turn to Calvin Pickard in net tonight against Columbus, for his ninth start of the season. He made 28 saves on 31 shots last Friday against Utah in a 4-3 Oilers win, raising his record on the season to 5-3 with an .895 save percentage.

Tonight's game starts at 7:00 MT, after a brief ceremony to celebrate Connor McDavid's 1,000th point.

Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off: Sweden Will Regret Not Selecting Better Oilers Forward

Related: Oilers Look For Revenge In Second Meeting With Blue Jackets

Related: Sweden Makes Surprising Pick As Two Oilers Join National Team

Related: Ex-Oilers Defender Pleasant Surprise For Bruins

Related: Oilers Have Put Their Slow Start Behind Them

Related: Oilers' Jeff Jackson Reveals Connor McDavid And Evan Bouchard Contract Updates