Oilers News and Rumors: Nugent – Hopkins, Game 4 Lineup, Skinner, Pickard, etc. – Hockey Writer – Edmonton Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers trailed their Stanley Cup final series against the Florida Panthers, heading for Game 4, and although they were stronger than last season, they still had some work to do if they wanted to win their first title since 1990.

Related: Oiler’s Kris Knoblauch puts himself in elite company

In this version of The Oiler News & Rumors, we take a look at the position of potential Game 4 lineup Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and who might ride the pipeline after Stuart Skinner won the third game.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins missed practice on Tuesday morning

On Tuesday (June 10), the Oilers practiced and although the practice line seemed to remain the same as Game 3, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was absent, Jeff Skinner ranked first in his position but didn’t seem to worry about fans.

Jeff Skinner skates on the top line of Nugent-Hopkins with McDavid and McDavid & Perry.

RNH maintenance day.

In two playoff games, Skinner produced 1G and 1A in two playoff games. #oilers pic.twitter.com/u1uivcykp2

– Tony Brar 🚀 (@tonybrorotv) June 10, 2025

Nugent-Hopkins, 32, was the game-time decision for Game 3, but eventually came out. In 19 games in the playoffs, he scored five goals and added 13 assists to score 18 points, maintaining an average score of less than an average score.

He has been a big part of the Oilers’ offensive success and while he seems to be dealing with the little stuff, it’s nice to hear that he might be playing in Game 4 again.

Game 4 is expected to remain the same

While the practice line doesn’t guarantee that the team will play against a game, there is no belief that the Oilers will make changes to their squad before Game 4. Fans questioned the defensive pairing and lacked production from the next six forwards, but it seems head coach Kris Knoblauch trusts his team to bounce back and return to the series before returning to Edmonton.

Jake Walman fined $10,000

The league announced on Tuesday morning that guard Jake Walman was fined $10,000 in Game 3.

Jake Walman of Edmonton was fined $5,000, the highest allowed Florida Matthew Tkachuk under the CBA.

Walman was also fined $5,000, the highest allowed fine under the CBA because incidents involving the Florida bench were non-sports behavior.

– NHL Player Security (@nhlplayerssafety) June 10, 2025

After the last game, the suspension didn’t seem to happen after a fine, but Walman will have to fork some cash.

Knoblauch will not name the game 4 first releases…

The Oilers got a pump in Game 3, and Stuart Skinner was pulled and Calvin Pickard replaced him. While some fans wonder if Picard won the next game, it sounds like the decision won’t be made until Thursday (June 12).

Knoblauch leans towards Skinner’s blame, and it sounds like he’s full of confidence in both networks.

Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said they would decide to approach Game 4, starting with the goal, but also felt a lot of it was a team-wide malfunction last night. Therefore, there is no blame for Skinner.

—Pierre Lebrun (@pierrevlebrun) June 10, 2025

It’s hard not to read what Knoblauch said, but it sounds like he tends to put Skinner back between the pipes. It wasn’t his last game when the team in front of him just collapsed, but it would be fun to see what the coaching staff decided to do. Skinner has been great throughout the second half of his career playoff game, so it makes sense to have him on board. However, it is hard to ignore Pickard’s strong phase before the playoffs.

Fortunately, the Oilers had enough time to make a decision, but it sounded like the team only knew after defeating the puck in Game 4.

As the 2024-25 playoffs progress, please be sure to continue to pay attention Hockey writer As your source of news from around the NHL and the hockey world.