PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers vs. Avalanche

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers are expected to use the same defence and forward combinations from Wednesday's overtime win over the Chicago Blackhawks when they conclude their schedule before the 4 Nations Face-Off break on Friday against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place.

Jeff Skinner will get another opportunity tonight alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin on the second line after coming off an impressive multi-point performance against the Blackhawks that gives him three goals and an assist in his last five games.

The winger's defensive contributions translated to some offensive returns on Wednesday, where Head Coach Kris Knoblauch and his teammates like Leon Draisaitl have seen the biggest improvements in his game.

"I think he's been playing really well both ends of the rink, and I think about last game where he had a goal and an assist, but he made some key defensive plays – whether that's in the defensive zone, taking away chances that the other team had, or breaking up some plays on the backcheck," Knoblauch said.

"The third goal in Chicago that he had an assist on was a direct result of being in the right place. Defensively, they're breaking out, and if he's not in the right place, they're on the attack and we're defending. He's able to break that play up and then makes a nice play to Leon, which leads to that goal. He's been making a lot of those plays, which has only warranted more ice time and more opportunities."

Draisaitl mentioned that Skinner's made a lot of huge strides in his game, learning how to contribute in different roles as he tracks to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time in his 14-year NHL career.

"I think obviously there's been some moments where maybe he needed to learn how to be in a winning environment and play that type of hockey and what it takes, but he's been great all year," Draisaitl said. "His ice time has been limited at times, and that's really hard as a skilled player. If you're not getting the looks and you're not feeling the way that you normally feel, that's tough to adjust sometimes. But I think he did a great job of that."

Defenceman John Klingberg will play his fifth game with the Oilers since returning to the NHL from over a year out of action and performed well over his first back-to-back set in Edmonton's two OT victories over the St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks.

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned pre-game on Friday that he isn't receiving any sheltered minutes despite his long layoff and that more reps are the best remedy for getting him back up to NHL speed faster, though the bench boss believes the Swede's hands are still as good as ever.

Friday night will be a good test for the 32-year-old playing some important shifts alongside Darnell Nurse against some highly skilled Avalanche players like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas and Cale Makar.

"For him, I think the biggest thing is just the reps, getting out on the ice and competing against those guys," Knoblauch said. "His strength is his puck play; it's surprisingly picked up right away. There's something about having the puck and feeling like you're under pressure and getting jumped and making poor decisions – that hasn't happened very often with John.

"He's been able to make the right play mostly, but I think your conditioning level, you can skate as much as you want and work out in the gym as much as you can, but it's still not the same as being on the ice competing where you have to skate at a high pace and then battle. I think he's finding that right now, and the only way to do that is through game situations. We haven't been reluctant to put him in those situations."

View Edmonton's Projected Lineup vs. Colorado below:

Arvidsson - McDavid - Hyman
Skinner - Draisaitl - Podkolzin
Janmark - Nugent-Hopkins - Brown
Perry - Henrique - Kapanen

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Klingberg
Kulak - Emberson

Skinner
Pickard