PROJECTED LINEUP: Oilers vs. Blackhawks

EDMONTON, AB – Tristan Jarry will get the start in goal, while Trent Frederic will return from injury on Thursday night at Rogers Place when Connor Murphy & Jason Dickinson face the Chicago Blackhawks for the first time as members of the Edmonton Oilers.

Forward Zach Hyman will be a game-time decision, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said, after being a non-participant during Wednesday's full-team practice at Rogers Place.

Frederic is expected to return on a line with Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen after enjoying a strong stretch before he was forced to miss the last five games with an injury he sustained in a shutout defeat to the Florida Panthers on Mar. 19.

"I'm just excited to get playing again," Frederic said. "I think it was not ideal to take a break. I thought I was playing well, but we did a lot of good stuff, and I think I'm in better shape than I was before.

"Being physical and more engaged. The team is playing better, too, so it's good to be a part of."

With Frederic's return, one of Curtis Lazar or Josh Samanski is likely to come out of the lineup in his place, with Spencer Stastney serving as the extra defenceman.

Jarry will be back between the pipes for the first time since starting Edmonton's current four-game win streak on Mar. 24 by making 16 saves in a 5-2 victory over Utah.

Connor Ingram started the previous three games for the Oilers and helped build the streak with three straight wins, including a 27-save shutout on his 29th birthday in a 3-0 blanking of Seattle this past Tuesday.

"Just build on his last game," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said of Jarry. "I thought he was very solid – two goals against, made some big saves when we needed him, and he's had a lot of time to work on his game and just kind of reset. In the last few practices, he's looked really good, so hopefully he can carry that going forward."

The Oilers' recent success from the crease has been aided by their strong team defence, strengthened by the acquisitions of Connor Murphy and Jason Dickinson, who'll face the Blackhawks for the first time since being traded to Edmonton before the Trade Deadline.

Colton Dach, who was also acquired from Chicago, remains day-to-day with an injury.

"We wanted to get better defensively, and we have," Knoblauch said. "A lot of it is an emphasis on what we can do with our systems, but also, we added two very defensive, detailed players, and especially with Dickinson and Murphy, who've been playing a lot of minutes for us and playing against key matchups.

"Those two have really solidified our identity of how we want to play."

After the Sharks defeated the Ducks on Wednesday, the Oilers can put themselves into a tie for first place in the Pacific Division if they earn two points tonight, with Edmonton currently holding the tiebreaker over Anaheim with more regulation wins.

"Home-ice advantage is huge for any group, but first place is the result of the process," Dickinson said. "I think we just want to go out there and win games that we're supposed to win and the divisional matchups that matter even more. Take advantage of those."

"I think the biggest thing is to focus on today. Win the two points and then see where it takes you. Because there are a lot of things outside of our control that might not allow us to get that position. But if we do what we do, then it might happen, and that's all we can ask for."

With Thursday's morning skate being optional, the forward lines and defence pairings are based on Wednesday's practice and will be confirmed during warm-ups.

View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. the Blackhawks below:

Podkolzin - McDavid - Savoie
Hyman - Nugent-Hopkins - Roslovic 
Frederic - Dickinson - Kapanen
Jones - Henrique - Samanski

Ekholm - Bouchard
Nurse - Murphy
Walman - Emberson

Jarry
Ingram