AT THE MORNING SKATE:
With two forwards -- Ryan Jones (coming off a knee injury) and call-up Charles Linglet -- joining the gameday roster Friday, all eyes were on the morning skate line combinations to see which forwards would sit out the game.
Unlike in Thursday's practice, when Ethan Moreau and Patrick O'Sullivan were relegated to the blueline, Robert Nilsson and O'Sullivan were left off the forward lines Friday morning.
Head coach Pat Quinn later confirmed that unless a recent resurgence of the flu intensifies today, he expects those two to sit out.
"It won't be for the long run necessarily -- it'll be for tonight and our evaluations of the two different players coming in (Jones and Linglet) will continue," he explained. "It is now in that process of trying to nail down who's going to be part of us as we go forward."
The decision to sit out Nilsson and O'Sullivan wasn't a simple one, Quinn added.
"I had seven names circled with sub-par performance from Detroit and maybe a few other games beyond that. Two are coming in and two are coming out of those seven, and at the end of the day, it's not arbitrary necessarily but I could have taken any one of five more guys and been able to justify not playing them tonight."
AHL VET MAKES NHL DEBUT
Although two Oilers are certainly unhappy about the situation, the team's newest addition -- Linglet -- is thrilled. After seven seasons in the AHL, the 27-year-old winger will make his NHL debut tonight in Dallas.
"Finally a dream come true tonight, my first game in the NHL, and I'm super excited," Linglet said after the skate. "We had a tough year over there but I stick to it, I battled through it, and this is how they reward me. It's nice to know other players can look at it and say 'Hey, you know what, if he did it, I can do it.'"
Although the call-up comes seven years into his pro hockey career, Linglet says the key to finally making the NHL was working hard and staying focused.
"I play hockey for a living and it's the best job ever," he explained. "I came in every day, AHL deal or not, I just came in to try to be a pro out there, try to work hard and do things right, and they gave me an opportunity because of it."
Quinn isn't expecting flashiness from the forward but rather steadiness with the puck and a solid effort.
"He's been a journeyman sort of player for a while who was putting up some numbers on a not very good team right now," Quinn said. "Because of those numbers and the way he's continued to play hard for that team there, he has warranted an opportunity. It's one of those good stories about guys sticking to their knitting and maybe you get a chance somewhere.
"What I expect out of him tonight is a nervous hockey player that is getting to play his first NHL game," the coach continued. "For him, it's just keep it simple, show us what your assets are, and maybe some good things will happen."
DUBNYK DECIDES TO STAY IN GOAL AFTERALL
Despite faulty (yet hilarious!) April 1st reports that Devan Dubnyk would play center tonight in Dallas, the goalie confirmed that he will be starting the game in his usual spot: between the pipes.
Dubnyk and Jeff Deslauriers have been alternating starts this road trip, and the 23-year-old rookie is looking forward to another opportunity to learn, improve, and register his third NHL win.
"I think the most important thing is that there's only a few games left and to take every opportunity to try to continue to build on the good things that I've been doing the last couple of games," Dubnyk said. "You just keep learning things and keep getting more comfortable in these last few games here."
With two forwards -- Ryan Jones (coming off a knee injury) and call-up Charles Linglet -- joining the gameday roster Friday, all eyes were on the morning skate line combinations to see which forwards would sit out the game.
Unlike in Thursday's practice, when Ethan Moreau and Patrick O'Sullivan were relegated to the blueline, Robert Nilsson and O'Sullivan were left off the forward lines Friday morning.
Head coach Pat Quinn later confirmed that unless a recent resurgence of the flu intensifies today, he expects those two to sit out.
"It won't be for the long run necessarily -- it'll be for tonight and our evaluations of the two different players coming in (Jones and Linglet) will continue," he explained. "It is now in that process of trying to nail down who's going to be part of us as we go forward."
The decision to sit out Nilsson and O'Sullivan wasn't a simple one, Quinn added.
"I had seven names circled with sub-par performance from Detroit and maybe a few other games beyond that. Two are coming in and two are coming out of those seven, and at the end of the day, it's not arbitrary necessarily but I could have taken any one of five more guys and been able to justify not playing them tonight."
AHL VET MAKES NHL DEBUT
Although two Oilers are certainly unhappy about the situation, the team's newest addition -- Linglet -- is thrilled. After seven seasons in the AHL, the 27-year-old winger will make his NHL debut tonight in Dallas.
"Finally a dream come true tonight, my first game in the NHL, and I'm super excited," Linglet said after the skate. "We had a tough year over there but I stick to it, I battled through it, and this is how they reward me. It's nice to know other players can look at it and say 'Hey, you know what, if he did it, I can do it.'"
Although the call-up comes seven years into his pro hockey career, Linglet says the key to finally making the NHL was working hard and staying focused.
"I play hockey for a living and it's the best job ever," he explained. "I came in every day, AHL deal or not, I just came in to try to be a pro out there, try to work hard and do things right, and they gave me an opportunity because of it."
Quinn isn't expecting flashiness from the forward but rather steadiness with the puck and a solid effort.
"He's been a journeyman sort of player for a while who was putting up some numbers on a not very good team right now," Quinn said. "Because of those numbers and the way he's continued to play hard for that team there, he has warranted an opportunity. It's one of those good stories about guys sticking to their knitting and maybe you get a chance somewhere.
"What I expect out of him tonight is a nervous hockey player that is getting to play his first NHL game," the coach continued. "For him, it's just keep it simple, show us what your assets are, and maybe some good things will happen."
DUBNYK DECIDES TO STAY IN GOAL AFTERALL
Despite faulty (yet hilarious!) April 1st reports that Devan Dubnyk would play center tonight in Dallas, the goalie confirmed that he will be starting the game in his usual spot: between the pipes.
Dubnyk and Jeff Deslauriers have been alternating starts this road trip, and the 23-year-old rookie is looking forward to another opportunity to learn, improve, and register his third NHL win.
"I think the most important thing is that there's only a few games left and to take every opportunity to try to continue to build on the good things that I've been doing the last couple of games," Dubnyk said. "You just keep learning things and keep getting more comfortable in these last few games here."
