Oilers Change Forward Mix Ahead of Game 5 vs. Kings

Foegele hasn’t been bad, but he’s not given the Oilers the same level of production he offered at the end of the regular season. Meanwhile, Holloway has been a surprise bright spot for Edmonton. In limited minutes, he’s been effective, scoring a couple of goals. He’s only been getting 9:23 per game. Foegele has been getting over 13 minutes. This change might flip the script on that a bit.

We’ve Seen This Story With Holloway Before

Keep in mind, the Oilers had Holloway on a third line in practice before the series with the Kings began and he started Game 1 on the fourth line while Evander Kane got the third line minutes. Kane has worked his way up to a top-six role. What Edmonton is going with in practice on an off day might be a firm indicator of how head coach Kris Knoblauch deploys his lines on Wednesday.

Still, Holloway is deserving of another look, whereas Foegele might need a bit of a kick in the pants. Neither has been bad, but if Foegele can be more effective in a top-nine role, that’s a big deal for the Oilers offense which only scored once in Game 4 to edge out Los Angeles 1-0.

Foegele is a pending UFA at the end of the season and his playoff performance could speak volumes as to the level of interest Edmonton has in re-signing him and, if so, what they’re willing to offer on an extension. He posted 20 goals for the first time in his career during the 2023-24 regular season.