<p>The Edmonton Oilers will be turning back to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/25/calvin-pickard-is-gonna-save-this-season-oilers-fans-react-to-lineup-changes-ahead-of-game-3/">Calvin Pickard</a> Sunday night in a pivotal Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings.</p>
<p></p>
<p>After dropping Games 1 and 2 on the road with Stuart Skinner in the crease, Pickard got the start Friday night in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/26/oilers-vs-kings-game-3-a-tactical-review/">Game 3</a>, backstopping the Oilers to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/26/the-day-after-3-0-power-play-wakes-up-as-oilers-score-seven-goals-on-kings/">a 7-4 win</a> that saw him make big saves to keep them in the game. That was something Skinner failed to do early in the series, and while Pickard&#8217;s .857 save percentage wasn&#8217;t anything to write home about, it was just better than Darcy Kuemper&#8217;s .853.</p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Oilers lines and pairings in morning skate for Game 4:<br />RNH-McDavid-Hyman<br />Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Arvidsson<br />Kane-Henrique-Brown<br />Frederic-Janmark-Perry</p>
<p>Nurse-Bouchard<br />Walman-Klingberg<br />Kulak-Emberson</p>
<p>Pickard<br />Skinner</p>
<p>&mdash; Daniel Nugent-Bowman (@DNBsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/DNBsports/status/1916529645199003799?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p>
<p>The Oilers, meanwhile, will be mixing up their lineup once again — this time, however, they&#8217;ll be separating Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who were together on the top line in Games 2 and 3. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/18/zach-hyman-skates-edmonton-oilers-top-line-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-evander-kane-trent-frederic-jake-walman-practice/">Zach Hyman</a> will remain alongside the Oilers captain, joined by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the other flank.</p>
<p>This trio has played just 27:45 against the Kings in the playoffs over the last four years, but have made the most of it outscoring them 2-1, while controlling 66.7 percent of the shot attempt share, 73.1 percent of the scoring chance share and 75.7 percent of the expected goal share.</p>
<p>Draisaitl, meanwhile, will centre Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson on the second line, while the third and fourth lines — featuring Adam Henrique between Evander Kane and Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark centring Trent Frederic and Corey Perry — will remain the same.</p>
<p>On the blue line, Darnell Nurse will play alongside Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman with <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/27/john-klingberg-playoff-history-clutch-moments/">John Klingberg</a> and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson.</p>
<p>Klingberg, who has been solid in his return to the Oilers lineup scoring an assist with two shots and five blocks, said the Oilers need to take things one day at a time.</p>
<p>&#8220;I think the big thing in playoffs is you gotta stay even keeled,&#8221; he said via the Oilers website. &#8220;You have a great win like yesterday, and today, it&#8217;s just a matter of getting prepared for tomorrow. So I think we&#8217;re a veteran team and obviously going to the Finals last year, I think that helps a lot with just knowing what you have to do. But every game is going to be different and the outcome is going to be different as well.&#8221;</p>
<hr />
<p><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i></p>
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Edmonton Oilers Calvin Pickard Los Angeles Kings

The Edmonton Oilers will be turning back to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/25/calvin-pickard-is-gonna-save-this-season-oilers-fans-react-to-lineup-changes-ahead-of-game-3/">Calvin Pickard</a> Sunday night in a pivotal Game 4 against the Los Angeles Kings.



After dropping Games 1 and 2 on the road with Stuart Skinner in the crease, Pickard got the start Friday night in <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/26/oilers-vs-kings-game-3-a-tactical-review/">Game 3</a>, backstopping the Oilers to <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/26/the-day-after-3-0-power-play-wakes-up-as-oilers-score-seven-goals-on-kings/">a 7-4 win</a> that saw him make big saves to keep them in the game. That was something Skinner failed to do early in the series, and while Pickard's .857 save percentage wasn't anything to write home about, it was just better than Darcy Kuemper's .853.
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https://twitter.com/DNBsports/status/1916529645199003799

The Oilers, meanwhile, will be mixing up their lineup once again — this time, however, they'll be separating Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who were together on the top line in Games 2 and 3. <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/18/zach-hyman-skates-edmonton-oilers-top-line-connor-mcdavid-leon-draisaitl-evander-kane-trent-frederic-jake-walman-practice/">Zach Hyman</a> will remain alongside the Oilers captain, joined by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the other flank.

This trio has played just 27:45 against the Kings in the playoffs over the last four years, but have made the most of it outscoring them 2-1, while controlling 66.7 percent of the shot attempt share, 73.1 percent of the scoring chance share and 75.7 percent of the expected goal share.

Draisaitl, meanwhile, will centre Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson on the second line, while the third and fourth lines — featuring Adam Henrique between Evander Kane and Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark centring Trent Frederic and Corey Perry — will remain the same.

On the blue line, Darnell Nurse will play alongside Evan Bouchard, Jake Walman with <a href="https://oilersnation.com/2025/04/27/john-klingberg-playoff-history-clutch-moments/">John Klingberg</a> and Brett Kulak with Ty Emberson.

Klingberg, who has been solid in his return to the Oilers lineup scoring an assist with two shots and five blocks, said the Oilers need to take things one day at a time.

"I think the big thing in playoffs is you gotta stay even keeled," he said via the Oilers website. "You have a great win like yesterday, and today, it's just a matter of getting prepared for tomorrow. So I think we're a veteran team and obviously going to the Finals last year, I think that helps a lot with just knowing what you have to do. But every game is going to be different and the outcome is going to be different as well."

<hr />

<i><span style="font-weight: 400;">Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QX_QCiZyIo&amp;list=PLRSWOpthKmdtmFOKQDd7TQdTU2KSKXYvX">DFO DFS Report</a>. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at</span></i> <em><a href="http://www.x.com/zjlaing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">@zjlaing</span></a></em><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"><em>,</em> or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.</span></i>

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