Latest news with #Stecher
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Oilers could shake things up in Game 5 after Kris Knoblauch's cryptic lineup comments
Head coach Kris Knoblauch of the Edmonton Oilers (Credit: Getty Image) Kris Knoblauch remains tight-lipped about who will start in the net for the Oilers on Saturday. After pulling Stuart Skinner in Game 4 following three goals in the first period, Knoblauch turned to Calvin Pickard, who helped the Oilers claw back into the game and secure a 5-4 overtime win. Pickard has remained undefeated this postseason with a 7-0 record and delivered a solid relief performance. Despite this, Knoblauch has not confirmed whether he will reward Pickard with the start or return to Skinner, who has been Edmonton's primary goalie throughout the playoffs. Troy Stecher's role in Game 4 raises questions Another key area of speculation surrounds the blue line, particularly the usage of defenseman Troy Stecher. Stecher played just over four minutes in Game 4, the lowest on the team, and finished at minus-one before Knoblauch opted to sit him for the rest of the contest. Knoblauch clarified that Stecher was not benched due to injury but because of a coaching decision. This limited showing may prompt the Oilers to bring John Klingberg back into the fold. Klingberg was scratched for Game 4 in favor of Stecher but has playoff experience and offensive upside that could help spark transitions against Florida's aggressive forecheck. Oilers return home with momentum and mystery As both teams traveled from Florida to Edmonton on Friday, the Oilers were buoyed by a dramatic comeback win that evened the series. With the Stanley Cup Final now a best-of-three and two potential games left in Alberta, Knoblauch's decisions are under a brighter spotlight. Read more: 'I fear I danced too hard,' says NHL star Darnell Nurse's wife, Mikayla Nurse, as bachelorette trip photos of Celeste Desjardins light up Instagram What's clear is that Edmonton's coaching staff sees this as an opportunity to push the edge. Whether that means changes in net, on defense, or further down the lineup remains to be seen. But with the stakes at their highest and momentum shifting back to Canada, Knoblauch's next moves could be the difference in the championship battle.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Oilers make changes for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Panthers
SUNRISE, Fla. — Two consecutive losses to the Florida Panthers in the Stanley Cup Final prompted the Edmonton Oilers to make a series of changes for Game 4 on Thursday night. In at forward is Jeff Skinner, replacing Viktor Arvidsson, and on defense Troy Stecher took John Klingberg's place after some rough performances so far in the series. 'Felt that we could use the change, have those guys come in, give us a boost,' coach Kris Knoblauch said after his team's morning skate. 'We've seen it throughout the playoffs where we've made alterations to our lineup and it's benefited us.' Skinner is playing just his third playoff game after playing an NHL-record 1,078 in the regular season before getting into the postseason. Fittingly, it came with Taylor Swift in attendance many years after Skinner memorably gave her a No. 53 Carolina Hurricanes jersey with his name on it. Stecher, paired with Darnell Nurse, is also making his debut in the final after playing a handful of games earlier on this run when Mattias Ekholm was out injured. 'I play a simple and steady game," Stecher said. 'I don't do anything great, I don't make a lot of mistakes, and I feel like they know what to expect out of me every night.' Knoblauch also moved Connor Brown to Edmonton's top line on the right side of center Connor McDavid and left wing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with veteran Corey Perry getting bumped down to the fourth line. 'A guy that's playing really well, skates well, good with the puck, confident guy that can play up and down your lineup," McDavid said. "Looking forward to it." Stuart Skinner remains the Oilers' starting goaltender after getting pulled from their Game 3 loss. Skinner allowed five goals on 23 shots but did not think he would lose the net to journeyman backup Calvin Pickard. 'I don't really see too much reason to panic quite, quite yet,' Skinner said. 'It's a good opportunity for me to come back. Obviously we lost two in a row, and I'm good in these situations. I know how to bounce back.' Nugent-Hopkins skated Thursday morning after not practicing earlier in the week because of an undisclosed injury. He said he was feeling good. Florida is 5 of 17 on the power play, and it's not just the first unit coming through. The second power play with forwards Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Carter Verhaeghe and Evan Rodrigues and defenseman Nate Schmidt running the point has been producing. During this playoff run, that group has scored four times in just over 10 minutes of ice time. 'We're building a lot of chemistry playing together,' Verhaeghe said. 'We have so many great players on the unit. Both units have been pretty good. I mean, we just want to move the puck right and get pucks to the net.' Panthers defenseman Gustav Forsling turns 29 on Thursday. The smooth-skating Swede has quietly been one of the team's best players during these three consecutive trips to the final. 'Unbelievable player: He's so fit, so strong, and he can skate like the wind and has such a good stick,' Verhaeghe said. 'I wouldn't want to play against him. He's so good defensively and closes his gap so quick that he doesn't allow you to have any space out there. You get the puck, your head is up, and he's on you. He's so elite at that. So good for our team.' NHL playoffs: /hub/stanley-cup and /hub/nhl
Miami Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Oilers making lineup changes for Game 4 of Cup Final vs Panthers. Who's in? Who's out?
The Edmonton Oilers are making several changes ahead of Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. It starts with two players being replaced in the lineup — forward Jeff Skinner drawing in for Viktor Arvidsson, defenseman Troy Stecher for John Klingberg. It continues with a slew of movement with the lineup itself. Based on the team's morning skate, Connor Brown is slated to be the right wing on Edmonton's top line with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins at left wing and Connor McDavid at right wing. Skinner will be the left winger on the Oilers' third line with Adam Henrique at center and Trent Frederic at right wing. Thursday will be Skinner's third game of the playoffs, getting one game apiece in the first round against the Los Angeles Kings and in the Western Conference final against the Dallas Stars. He has one goal and one assist in those games. And then Corey Perry drops from the top line to fourth line right wing with left winger Vasily Podkolzin and center Mattias Janmark. As for the defense pairs, Brett Kulak will be with Evan Bouchard, Darnell Nurse with Stecher and Mattias Ekholm with Jake Walman. Stecher has played in six games this postseason, two in the second round against the Vegas Golden Knights and four against Dallas. Goaltender Stuart Skinner, who was benched in the third period of Game 3 on Monday, will be back in net for Game 4. The Panthers, meanwhile, are expected to roll out the same lineup as Game 3. That should look as follows... Forward lines Carter Verhaeghe-Aleksander Barkov-Sam Reinhart Evan Rodrigues-Sam Bennett-Matthew Tkachuk Eetu Luostarinen-Anton Lundell-Brad Marchand A.J. Greer-Tomas Nosek-Jonah Gadjovich Defense pairs Gustav Forsling-Aaron Ekblad Niko Mikkola-Seth Jones Nate Schmidt-Dmitry Kulikov Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 2-1.
Vancouver Sun
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
When an NHL player is hurt in the postseason, the hoary cliché is 'next man up,' but when you're the ultimate battler, Troy Stecher, and you have been that next man until, uh, the first man Mattias Ekholm looks like he's coming back, then what? 'He's a better player than me, that's the reality of the world and the business we live in,' said Stecher, the Edmonton Oiler defender, who's never been a moper or a griper, just a teammate whose head is firmly wrapped around the obvious, that Ekholm, who may return for Game 4 against Dallas, is one of the NHL's best defencemen. 'He's probably our 1a or 1b, depending on how you look at Bouch (Evan Bouchard), one, what the public thinks he is. He's an elite defenceman in this league. He played in the 4 Nations, he's played for Team Sweden. He's been to the Cup final in Nashville (and here last spring). If healthy, I want him playing. Yeah, if I'm out, I will be disappointed, but he gives us a better chance to win,' said Stecher. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Taking one for the team. Honest stuff. 'I want to win a Stanley Cup, man. I don't want to talk poorly, but my time in Vancouver wasn't very good, we weren't very good in Arizona or Detroit. I just want to play on a contender… obviously I want to be in the line-up but at the end of the day, it's not my decision,' said Stecher. Nope. If Ekholm, who hasn't played any of the Oilers' playoff games, and none since April 11 against the San Jose Sharks here, returns Tuesday, it will be head coach Kris Knoblauch's call, along with Paul Coffey, who handles the defence. Stecher has been excellent as Darnell Nurse's partner, but he could draw the short straw if they decide Ekholm is ready and they go with six D. Or, maybe they act prudently and go with seven D and 11 forwards, and give Ekholm limited minutes to see how he is after significant undisclosed lower-body injury. Stecher, a small guy (184 lbs.) with a big heart like Kris Russell when he was here, has battled his lack of size for close to 600 NHL games. He's had a chip on his shoulder, as he should, because smaller players always have to prove they can play while big guys have to prove they can't in the coach's eyes. This situation now, maybe coming out for Ekholm, seems a metaphor for his career. 'Yeah, that's fair. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no bad days in this league. I love what I do. Some days I maybe worry about my spot or my role. There were probably some long nights in regular season where I went home and was pretty concerned. But you wake up the next morning, put your hard hat and your work boots on, and you get to the rink,' he said. 'That's something my dad instilled in me at a young age. He said there's only two things you can control, your work ethic and your attitude,' said Stecher, whose father, Peter, who sold aluminum, copper and brass. He away in July of 2020 at 65, of complications from diabetes. 'He sold all the hand-railings at Rogers Arena in Vancouver,' said Troy, proudly. Safety first, although hockey players don't always think that at playoff time, including Stecher throwing his body in the way of shots or battling bigger guys. Ekholm wanted back in a while back, thought he was ready. But the Oilers have been winning, so why rush him? 'I'm really happy with our D corps so far,' said Ekholm, who doesn't know if he'll be eased into the line-up to see how his body holds up, or they play him with Bouchard for his usual 20 minutes, on the PK, against the other team's best player even strength. 'That's for the coaches. If you asked my head, I want to be back where I usually am, but my body may have a different say in that,' said Ekholm, who has been up in the pressbox watching, and he's a cheerleader but a terrible spectator. 'I've never been hurt in the playoffs before, and being hurt and knowing it would be a long stretch has been nerve-wracking, but with the guys (defence) doing so well…I've gotten used to it (sitting). But, it's not something I want to do anymore,' said Ekholm, who has a different perspective, of course, from up high. 'You think anybody can play in the NHL from the 500 level. You're thinking, 'Why did you make that pass?' Then, you're on the ice and it's the best league in the world.' Connor Brown won't be playing Game 4, maybe out with concussion protocol after the Alex Petrovic caught-in-the-train-tracks hit in the second period. Brown turned from the boards and was run over. Knoblauch engaged in a playoff exchange with a media guy on the play. 'How did you see the hit?' asked a scribe. 'Possibly the same way you saw it,' said Knoblauch. 'I thought it was a hard hit,' said the scribe. 'Hard would have been part of my answer, yeah,' laughed Knoblauch. 'And not clean is the second part?' he was asked. 'Those are your words, not mine,' chuckled Knoblauch, refusing to bite on an assessment. The Oilers coach isn't happy to lose his third-line winger, who has five goals and eight points. There was no penalty on the play, no second look by the NHL's Player Safety people, but Knoblauch may have felt Petrovic caught Brown up high, even though it seemed a shoulder block by a 6-foot-4, 220-pound player on a smaller six-footer who is 184 pounds. Maybe the shoulder did ride up into Brown's face, but the head didn't seem to be the target. 'I saw the puck coming towards him. I tried to make a hockey play and finish my check. I certainly wasn't trying to hurt him,' said the local product Petrovic. Whatever, Brown, already playing on a bad foot after blocking a shot in the Vegas series, is out, which hurts their PK unit. They would likely insert Viktor Arvidsson if they go with 12 forwards and not 11 and 7 D. Arvidsson has sat since Kasperi Kapanen replaced him for Game 4 against Vegas. Do the Oilers stick with Pick? Not anymore. While goalie Calvin Pickard was stopping shots with his teammates Monday at a nearly full skate, he's not supplanting Stu Skinner anytime soon. But Pickard, who came out of the Oiler bullpen to win six straight playoff games until suffering a lower-body problem when Tomas Hertl fell on the back of his leg in the crease in Game 2 against Vegas, will likely back up Skinner Tuesday. Nobody's saying what Pickard's injury was exactly. It could have been an ankle he twisted after Hertl fell on the bent Pickard leg. But he's back. 'I knew when it happened, right away, it wasn't great. Obviously you all saw that it was an awkward collision, kind of a freak play,' said Pickard. 'I was running on straight adrenaline the rest of the game (OT winner by Leon Draisaitl), obviously a big win. The next 36 hours until the next morning skate before Game 3, I tried to fool my brain into thinking I was OK. But I came out and tried to skate, and it wasn't good.' 'When it happened, I didn't think I would be back. Credit to our medical staff having me dialled in (with the proper treatment),' he said. He's been a spectator for the last six games with Skinner pitching three shutouts, and Sunday's game against Dallas, when he was outstanding, giving up just one goal. Pickard has been Skinner's biggest booster, cheering him on as he goes into the dressing room after wins. It's very much a partnership here. 'He's been awesome, no surprise to me. Very impressive for a guy of his age (26), the mental hurdles he's gone through. He always bounces back,' said Pickard, seconding Skinner's opinion that goalies are always under the microscope. They pick the position when they're young, but the pressure's not vise-like when you're 13. 'The goalie is always the centre of attention. You might like it as a kid, but you get to this level and there's a lot of pressure. He's been fun to watch, though,' said Pickard. This 'n that: Stars centre Roope Hintz who didn't play Game 3 after Nurse slashed him on the foot in Game 2 in Dallas, was on the ice for an optional skate Monday. 'You want to go every night but sometimes you just can't,' said Hintz, who was on the ice for about five minutes of the pre-game warmup Sunday, but that was it. 'I don't know how close I (was),' he told reporters. His coach Pete DeBoer says he has his fingers crossed that his No. 1 centre can return. 'He'll try again in warmup.'… Courtesy 1440's Jason Gregor, since Game 4 against Vegas, the Oilers have only given up 10 high danger chances off the rush, and six came in the 6-3 loss in Game 1 in Dallas… Being out-scored 9-1 the last two games to the Oilers has taken the good vibes out of the Dallas room after they opened with a 6-3 win. 'I don't think we're a light, fun bunch,' said DeBoer, when asked if he had one player who could keep things light. 'I had Joe Thornton and Brent Burns walking shirtless down the street in the Cup final (San Jose). We aren't them. We're more of a serious bunch.' Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
Ottawa Citizen
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Oilers defenceman Troy Stecher might draw short straw if Mattias Ekholm returns but that's fine with him
When an NHL player is hurt in the postseason, the hoary cliché is 'next man up,' but when you're the ultimate battler, Troy Stecher, and you have been that next man until, uh, the first man Mattias Ekholm looks like he's coming back, then what? Article content 'He's a better player than me, that's the reality of the world and the business we live in,' said Stecher, the Edmonton Oiler defender, who's never been a moper or a griper, just a teammate whose head is firmly wrapped around the obvious, that Ekholm, who may return for Game 4 against Dallas, is one of the NHL's best defencemen. Article content 'He's probably our 1a or 1b, depending on how you look at Bouch (Evan Bouchard), one, what the public thinks he is. He's an elite defenceman in this league. He played in the 4 Nations, he's played for Team Sweden. He's been to the Cup final in Nashville (and here last spring). If healthy, I want him playing. Yeah, if I'm out, I will be disappointed, but he gives us a better chance to win,' said Stecher. Article content Article content 'I want to win a Stanley Cup, man. I don't want to talk poorly, but my time in Vancouver wasn't very good, we weren't very good in Arizona or Detroit. I just want to play on a contender… obviously I want to be in the line-up but at the end of the day, it's not my decision,' said Stecher. Article content Nope. If Ekholm, who hasn't played any of the Oilers' playoff games, and none since April 11 against the San Jose Sharks here, returns Tuesday, it will be head coach Kris Knoblauch's call, along with Paul Coffey, who handles the defence. Article content Article content Stecher has been excellent as Darnell Nurse's partner, but he could draw the short straw if they decide Ekholm is ready and they go with six D. Or, maybe they act prudently and go with seven D and 11 forwards, and give Ekholm limited minutes to see how he is after significant undisclosed lower-body injury. Article content Article content Stecher, a small guy (184 lbs.) with a big heart like Kris Russell when he was here, has battled his lack of size for close to 600 NHL games. He's had a chip on his shoulder, as he should, because smaller players always have to prove they can play while big guys have to prove they can't in the coach's eyes. Article content 'Yeah, that's fair. I wouldn't have it any other way. There's no bad days in this league. I love what I do. Some days I maybe worry about my spot or my role. There were probably some long nights in regular season where I went home and was pretty concerned. But you wake up the next morning, put your hard hat and your work boots on, and you get to the rink,' he said.
