The sun has risen in Edmonton <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/22/oilers-game-notes-edmonton-hosts-kraken-without-mcdavid-and-draisaitl/">without their two superstar centres</a> scheduled to be in the lineup Saturday night as the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/22/game-preview-edmonton-oilers-seattle-kraken-no-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl/">host the Seattle Kraken</a>.

While it hasn&#8217;t been common for one of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl to be out of the lineup, it&#8217;s even rarer that both miss the same game. The last time it happened was in last year&#8217;s regular-season finale against the Colorado Avalanche when both sat to rest.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
Without them able to go with various injuries expected to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/21/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-out-seattle-kraken-potentially-longer/">keep them out for a week or so</a>, the Oilers have put three of their four lines in a blender.
The <a href="http://oilernation.com/combinations">new top-line</a> will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centring Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson, who now play their third consecutive game together. Adam Henrique will take the middle of the ice on the second line alongside Corey Perry and Zach Hyman, while Mattias Janmark will be the third-line centre alongside Jeff Skinner and Connor Brown. The fourth line will see Derek Ryan play his first game with the Oilers since January 11th, with Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen on his flanks.
Edmonton&#8217;s blue line is expected to remain the same: Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman on the second, and Brett Kulak and Troy Stecher on the third.
Stuart Skinner will start in goal.
It will be curious to see how the Oilers will fare without the Dynamic Duo. In five-on-five this year, the Oilers have been outscored when neither McDavid or Draisatil are on the ice 62-57, controlling 47.9 percent of the goal share, which is a number better than it has been in recent years. In the five years preceding this season, the Oilers had been outscored 333-270 without them on the ice, controlling just 44.78 percent of the goals.
Edmonton&#8217;s depth has managed to fare better this season than recent years, and Saturday night will a true test.
<hr />
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
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The sun has risen in Edmonton <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/22/oilers-game-notes-edmonton-hosts-kraken-without-mcdavid-and-draisaitl/">without their two superstar centres</a> scheduled to be in the lineup Saturday night as the Oilers <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/22/game-preview-edmonton-oilers-seattle-kraken-no-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl/">host the Seattle Kraken</a>.



While it hasn't been common for one of Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl to be out of the lineup, it's even rarer that both miss the same game. The last time it happened was in last year's regular-season finale against the Colorado Avalanche when both sat to rest.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2107" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="325"></div>
Without them able to go with various injuries expected to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/03/21/edmonton-oilers-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-out-seattle-kraken-potentially-longer/">keep them out for a week or so</a>, the Oilers have put three of their four lines in a blender.

The <a href="http://oilernation.com/combinations">new top-line</a> will be Ryan Nugent-Hopkins centring Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson, who now play their third consecutive game together. Adam Henrique will take the middle of the ice on the second line alongside Corey Perry and Zach Hyman, while Mattias Janmark will be the third-line centre alongside Jeff Skinner and Connor Brown. The fourth line will see Derek Ryan play his first game with the Oilers since January 11th, with Max Jones and Kasperi Kapanen on his flanks.

Edmonton's blue line is expected to remain the same: Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard on the top pairing, Darnell Nurse and Jake Walman on the second, and Brett Kulak and Troy Stecher on the third.

Stuart Skinner will start in goal.

It will be curious to see how the Oilers will fare without the Dynamic Duo. In five-on-five this year, the Oilers have been outscored when neither McDavid or Draisatil are on the ice 62-57, controlling 47.9 percent of the goal share, which is a number better than it has been in recent years. In the five years preceding this season, the Oilers had been outscored 333-270 without them on the ice, controlling just 44.78 percent of the goals.

Edmonton's depth has managed to fare better this season than recent years, and Saturday night will a true test.

<hr />

Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at <a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing">@zjlaing</a>, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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Oilersnation fans! Gear up for the best sleep of your life with Douglas - recently named Canada’s Best Mattress. Made specifically for Canadians, the Douglas mattress features three layers of high-quality foam giving you the cool, comfortable sleep you deserve. Get a FREE Sleep Bundle with your mattress including 2 memory foam pillows, a luxurious set of sheets, and more! Visit <a href="https://www.douglas.ca/oilersnation/">Douglas.ca/OilersNation</a> or check out their Manchester Square location in Edmonton.

Here’s how the Oilers lines will look against the Kraken without their superstars

GDB 70.0: Injured Oilers look to get back into win column against Kraken (8pm MT, CBC)

Oilers Game Notes 70.0: Edmonton hosts Kraken without McDavid and Draisaitl

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