After dropping their last three games, the Edmonton Oilers have shuffled their forward lines.

Head coach Jay Woodcroft made some significant adjustments during practice on Wednesday in preparation for tomorrow night’s game against the league-worst San Jose Sharks.

Instead of having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl play on different lines, the team has chosen to split them up. Zach Hyman will fill in as the top-line right wing, and Ryan McLeod has been promoted to play on McDavid’s left wing.

Warren Foegele will be on the right side of Draisaitl’s second line, which he will center alongside young prospect Dylan Holloway.

Bob Stauffer, host of Oilers Now radio, shared the entire practice line:

Sam Gagner joins Evander Kane and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the right wing, seemingly dropping them to the team’s third line. For the past few games, this trio has played together, usually in a second-line capacity. Particularly Kane and Gagner have demonstrated some chemistry.

Derek Ryan, a veteran, and rookies Raphael Lavoie and James Hamblin will continue to form the fourth line.

Woodcroft’s unexpected lineup adjustments appear to be a vote of confidence for some of the team’s younger players.

Getting top-six minutes with Draisaitl for Holloway is especially unexpected. Despite having a strong season thus far, the 22-year-old has failed to contribute to the score, recording just 0 points in the first 11 games. Woodcroft benched him for extended periods during the weekend’s game against the Nashville Predators, as he only played 6:31.

Nevertheless, on Monday night against the Vancouver Canucks, he did look excellent.

Another player trying to get his offense going is McLeod. He has spent most of the season as the team’s third-line center, but he hasn’t been producing much—in 11 games, he has just one assist. It will be interesting to line him up with McDavid because both players are renowned for their speed.

There don’t seem to be any changes to the Oilers’ defensive pairings, and Woodcroft hasn’t announced who will start in goal tomorrow night.

Stuart Skinner is expected to start after Jack Campbell cleared waivers earlier today. But there’s always a chance the team decides to see how AHL call-up Calvin Pickard responds to NHL action before everyone else does.

Tomorrow night’s puck drop versus the Sharks is scheduled for 8:30 pm MT on Sportsnet West.