{"id":291914,"date":"2026-04-29T20:11:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:11:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/291914\/"},"modified":"2026-04-29T20:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T20:11:07","slug":"oilers-expected-to-have-black-aces-join-team-in-anaheim-ahead-of-game-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/291914\/","title":{"rendered":"Oilers expected to have Black Aces join team in Anaheim ahead of Game 6"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Edmonton Oilers<\/a>\u00a0will be getting some reinforcements for morning skates and practices.\u00a0Before the team jetted off to California ahead of Thursday night\u2019s elimination Game 6 against the Anaheim Ducks, head coach Kris Knoblauch said<\/a> some Bakersfield Condors would be meeting them upon arrival.\u00a0The Condors<\/a> were eliminated from the Calder Cup playoffs on Sunday after a first-round loss to the Coachella Valley Firebirds that went to a third-game decider.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ll be meeting us in Anaheim,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cI know Stan [Bowman] and I were talking about it. I think we\u2019ll have four or five forwards, and three or four defencemen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Although Knoblauch didn\u2019t list the specific players, one would anticipate that Isaac Howard, Quinn Hutson, Roby J\u00e4rventie, and Alec Regula would be amongst the returning group. Each played between three and 29 games with the Oilers this season.<\/p>\n

These playoffs have challenged the Oilers\u2019 centre depth. Adam Henrique went down<\/a> in Game 1, Jason Dickinson missed two games, and even Connor McDavid was listed as a game-time decision before Game 5. There\u2019s been no timeline for Henrique\u2019s return.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are currently 13 forwards in rotation, with Trent Frederic the healthy scratch up front in Game 5, as Knoblauch wanted Colton Dach to play after missing Game 4 due to illness.<\/p>\n

Curtis Lazar\u2019s ability to play centre and take faceoffs, particularly on the penalty kill, gave him an edge to remain in the lineup over Frederic, said Knoblauch.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith Dach coming back, we feel that he\u2019s been playing really well with his speed, his physicality. Also, the importance of Lazar,\u201d he said. \u201cWe talked about those faceoffs on the penalty kill. Lazar was part of that last night\u2026Obviously, we didn\u2019t take many penalties last night\u2026but we felt that it was important for him to play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spencer Stastney remains the team\u2019s seventh defenceman, a failsafe at the moment. Stastney has not played since March 19 against the Florida Panthers, but did suit up 36 times in Oilers\u2019 silks.<\/p>\n

Condors season calledThe Condors finished fifth in the 10-team Pacific Division during the regular season<\/a> with a record of 37-23-11-1. That set up a first-round matchup against Coachella Valley.<\/p>\n

Bakersfield won Game 1 convincingly, 6-1, but that momentum did not last. The Condors lost Game 2 by a 5-4 score. In the winner-take-all Game 3, the Firebirds seized control in the second period en route to a 6-2 victory.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These black aces will at least give Knoblauch some options, if required.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA couple of nights, we were not positive we were going to have a full lineup if everyone who was questionable didn\u2019t play. But no, everything was fine. We always had extras,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u201cNow we\u2019ve got some guys coming and joining us, so that won\u2019t be an issue.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Michael Menzies is an Oilersnation columnist and co-host of PreGaming and Oilersnation After Dark. He\u2019s also been the play-by-play voice of the Bonnyville Pontiacs in the AJHL since 2019. With seven years of news experience as the Editor-at-Large of Lakeland Connect in Bonnyville, Menzies collects vinyl, books, and stomach issues. Follow him on X at Menzies_4.<\/p>\n

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