The Oilers just activated Zach Hyman and Devon Levi off injured reserve and loaned Matt Tomkins to the Condors, ahead of tonight's game against Vancouver.
Edmonton enters the night at 11-3-3 but has lost two straight, including a 5-4 loss to Anaheim on Thursday. Getting a top-line winger and a goalie back at the same moment matters.
The team announced the moves on its official account.
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Hyman had been on IR with a neck injury, and the latest injury report listed him as out until at least Nov. 7. That is today, so the timing lines up. He has played 6 games this season with 1 goal, 1 of them on the power play.
Levi's situation is a little different. He was listed on IR with an undisclosed injury and an expected return of at least Nov. 9, so he is coming back earlier than that estimate suggested.
That brings us to Tomkins. The 32-year-old Edmonton native started Matt Tomkins starting for the Oilers because Jarry was sick against the Ducks on Thursday, the night the team lost 5-4. He has 2 appearances this season and 8 over his NHL career.
What Levi's return does to the Oilers crease
Levi has 7 games played this season and 46 for his career, so he is not a stranger to the net. With Tomkins headed to the Condors, Mike Babcock's group has its goalie picture sorted again.
Who starts tonight is not something the post tells us. Tristan Jarry was sick Thursday, and nothing in the information available says how he is doing now.
The skater side is easier to read. Hyman is 34 and has 262 goals over his NHL career, and a team that scored 71 times through 17 games just added a proven finisher to a lineup that needed one.
The road record is the story of this team so far. Edmonton is 7-0-1 away from home and only 4-3-2 at Rogers Place, which is a strange split for a team that wants to protect its own building. The homestand now has to start with Vancouver tonight.
Babcock has to find Hyman's spot in the lineup right away, and a team on a two-game skid doesn't get much time to ease anyone back in.
Quick hits
LOS ANGELES KINGS: Alex Turcotte is officially back. The Kings activated him from injured reserve, and he is set to play tonight against the Penguins. Good timing for a team that wants bodies back.
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NEW JERSEY DEVILS: Jake Allen gets the nod at the Islanders tonight. The Devils confirmed it, so no Connor Hellebuyck and no David Rittich. That is a call worth watching.
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MINNESOTA WILD: Marcus Foligno and Nick Foligno have both been activated and are expected to play tonight against the Lightning. Two big bodies back in one night is a nice lift.
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ST-LOUIS BLUES: Rough night in Nashville. The Blues lost 3-1, their third straight defeat, and finished the four-game road trip at 1-2-1.
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OTTAWA SENATORS: The wait for Linus Ullmark continues. Pro Hockey Rumors reports his return from injury has been delayed again, which is bad news in Ottawa.
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Will getting Zach Hyman back be enough to snap the Oilers' two-game losing streak tonight?
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