During practice today, it became clear that Cody Ceci will be a healthy scratch for the first time as an Oiler. The second defensive pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci has struggled throughout the playoffs and was particularly exposed by the Panthers in Game 1. Coach Knoblauch has decided to replace Ceci with Vincent Desharnais, a bold move considering the circumstances. While Nurse's performance has also been criticized, benching a $9.25 million player in the Cup Final would reflect poorly on the organization.
The rest of the defensive pairings will remain the same, as Knoblauch indicated in his press conference yesterday. When asked about changing the pairings, Knoblauch suggested he is pleased with the performance of the other pairs, making it difficult to justify changes. However, directly replacing one defenseman with Desharnais seems to be the best solution.
Desharnais was previously benched due to struggles against the Dallas Stars, but his playing style could be effective against the Panthers. His physicality might disrupt the Panthers' heavy forechecking and make it tougher for them to control the puck in the offensive zone.
Game 2 starts tonight at 8:00 PM in Florida, and the Oilers need to win at least one game before heading back to Edmonton. With Ceci benched, this decision might spark the team to deliver their best performance.
