There’s no shortage of tension heading into Thursday night’s clash between the Edmonton Oilers and the Seattle Kraken - and a big reason for that won’t even be on the ice.
Kraken forward Mason Marchment, who stirred up plenty of bad blood in last Saturday’s meeting, won’t be in the lineup for the rematch in Edmonton. Marchment drew the ire of the Oilers after delivering a late, blindside hit on defenseman Darnell Nurse late in the first period - a hit that didn’t go unnoticed by Edmonton’s bench.
Adam Henrique stepped up immediately after the hit, challenging Marchment, who declined. Nurse later sought his own response late in the third period of what turned into a 4-0 Oilers win, but again, Marchment passed on the invitation. Kraken head coach Lane Lambert didn’t offer much detail on Marchment’s absence beyond calling it “maintenance,” after the forward missed Monday’s practice.
So while there was plenty of anticipation around whether Marchment would have to answer the bell in the rematch, it looks like that storyline will be put on ice - at least for now. Marchment isn’t known as a frequent fighter, but he’s no stranger to dropping the gloves, logging at least one scrap in each of his pro seasons. Still, the Oilers might have to wait for another opportunity to settle the score.
On the Oilers’ side, the focus has shifted from retribution to retooling - and potentially reigniting one of the league’s most dangerous forward lines. At Wednesday’s practice, head coach Kris Knoblauch reunited Ryan Nugent-Hopkins with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman on the top line.
That trio has been lights-out over the past three seasons, outscoring opponents 65-42 at five-on-five and controlling over 63 percent of the expected goals in nearly 1,000 minutes together. That’s elite territory, and their chemistry could be the spark Edmonton needs to keep rolling through this homestand.
With Nugent-Hopkins moving up, the rest of the forward group got a shakeup. Leon Draisaitl centered a line with Vasily Podkolzin and Matt Savoie - a trio that saw some limited action together last season when Savoie was called up. There’s some intrigue here, especially with Savoie continuing to push for a more permanent role.
The third line saw Henrique between Mattias Janmark and Andrew Mangiapane, a trio that brings a veteran presence and defensive reliability, while Curtis Lazar centered the fourth line with Connor Clattenburg and Trent Frederic, giving Edmonton some energy and grit in the bottom six.
Defensively, there were no changes. Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard continue to anchor the top pair, with Nurse skating alongside Alec Regula on the second unit. Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson round out the third pair - a group that’s quietly provided steady minutes as the Oilers look to find consistency on the back end.
Puck drops at 7 p.m. local time in what will be the second game of Edmonton’s five-game homestand. After Thursday’s tilt with the Kraken, they’ll welcome the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday, followed by the Buffalo Sabres next Tuesday and the Detroit Red Wings next Thursday.
With emotions still simmering and the Oilers’ top line back together, this rematch has all the ingredients for a statement game - even if one of the central figures is watching from the press box.