Oilers' head coach Kris Knoblauch removes Cody Ceci from the line up

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Julien Trekker
June 10, 2024 (1:42 PM)

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The Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch decided to remove defenseman Cody Ceci from the lineup ahead of game two of the Stanley Cup Finals tonight.

Coach Knoblauch and the Oilers were on the ice this morning in Florida as they prepare for their second game against the Florida Panthers, and we saw a major change in the lineup.

Vincent Desharnais was taking reps alongside Darnell Nurse, taking Cody Ceci's spot on the second pair:

"Vincent Desharnais will be back tonight. Cody Ceci looks like the odd man out."

"Nurse with Desharnais at practice for Game 2.

Ceci could be scratched for the first time as an Oiler.

Lines are as follows:

RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Henrique-Draisaitl-Holloway
Foegele-McLeod-Perry
Janmark-Carrick-Brown

Kane's status for Game 2 is unknown at this point."

Both Ceci and Nurse have struggled in the playoffs, and Knoblauch finally did something about it.

"Watch how many times teams exploit that pairing. It's a set play. Dump it into Ceci's corner and watch Nurse mentally malfunction. Avs did it. Vegas did it. They aren't learning. Go back to the pairings from game 4, 5, and 6. It's okay to admit you f**ked up."

The Oilers will try to make sure they don't let the Panthers take a 2-0 lead in the series tonight in what promises to be an intense battle on the ice.

Do you think Kris Knoblauch made the right call by removing Cody Ceci from the lineup?