Call-up Philp added to Oilers' lineup against host Wild

Minnesota Wild centre Ben Jones, middle, skates with the puck as Edmonton Oilers defenceman Evan Bouchard tracks him during NHL action on Dec. 12, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (Matt Krohn/Associated Press) (Matt Krohn/AP)

Noah Philp is getting another opportunity to play with the Edmonton Oilers.

The National Hockey League club called up the 26-year-old forward from their minor-league affiliate on Tuesday.

He is slated to centre the team’s fourth forward line alongside wingers Corey Perry and Kasperi Kapanen on Wednesday night in St. Paul, Minn., where the Oilers (27-13-3, 2nd Pacific) will play the Minnesota Wild (27-13-4, second Central) starting at 6:30 p.m. MT.

Forward Jeff Skinner is slated to be a healthy scratch for the third game in a row.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch said Philp’s versatility and poise has served him and the Bakersfield Condors well.

“He’s been used in all situations, playing 20-plus minutes a night – a little bit on the power play, definitely on the penalty kill, on one of the top two lines – feeling very confident with the puck and making some really nice plays,” Knoblauch told media Wednesday morning following the Oilers' pre-game skate.

It’s Philp’s second NHL stint this season after being a late cut from training camp. The Canmore, Alta., native and former Alberta Golden Bear played three games with the Oilers in late October and early November, registering an assist while averaging 10:13 in ice time.

Philp, who signed with the Oilers organization as a free agent following his final season of university hockey, said on Tuesday takeaways from his previous NHL tour of duty are “being consistent, being aggressive and trying to try to make a difference” on the ice.

“If you sit back a little too much, you’re not going to make anything happen, so that’s a little bit of my focus going forward,” Philip told media on Wednesday.

Wild thriving minus stars

No superstar centre, no problem for the Wild of late.

Top-liner Kirill Kaprizov, who scored 23 goals and 50 points in 34 games for Minnesota before being lost to a lower-body injury since Christmas, won’t play against the Oilers Wednesday.

Neither will top-pairing defenceman Jonas Brodin nor the Wild’s captain and Edmonton native Jared Spurgeon, the blueliner crashed into the boards Dec. 31 in a win over the Nashville Predators and injured his right leg.

Also out of action are defenceman Brock Faber and forward Jakub Lauko.

But the Wild have thrived anyway, going 6-3 in the nine games since Kaprizov was sidelined. Minnesota placed the Russian centre, who has been skating on his own, on injured reserve Jan. 1.

It’s been an offence-by-committee approach, with forwards Mats Zuccarello (4 goals, 7 assists for 11 points), Marco Rossi (4G, 6A, 10P), Matt Boldy (3G, 4A, 7P) and Ryan Hartman (2G, 4A, 6P) leading the way.

Wild head coach John Hynes said his players have “bought in and understand we have to play a strong team game.”

“When you have players out, then it’s incumbent on the guys that are in to be able to step up and produce,” Hynes told media Wednesday after his team’s morning skate, adding that such production has a positive influence.

“We’ve played some good hockey, but also, we’ve had guys step up. That breeds confidence to them as individuals but also as a team, so when you start putting players back in after injury, it makes the team stronger because guys have had to step up (without) guys who (usually) play a lot of minutes for us.”

Knoblauch said he sees the Wild’s continued winning ways minus key players as a testament to hard work and effective defensive play.

“I think they’re keeping their game really simple,” Knoblauch said. “If you’re a group that defends well, that gives you an opportunity to win every night.”

Ekholm a maybe

• Mattias Ekholm did not appear on the Oilers' projected lineup for Wednesday night’s game and is considered a game-time decision;
• Calvin Pickard is tagged to start in goal against Minnesota with the Oilers playing games two days in a row. Edmonton is scheduled to play in Denver Thursday night against the Colorado Avalanche;
• Defenceman Travis Dermott, whom the Wild claimed off waivers from the Oilers a month ago, has been playing regularly this month in the wake of injuries on the Minnesota defence.

Projected Oilers lineup

Forward

• Ryan Nugent-Hopkins • Connor McDavid • Zach Hyman
• Vasily Podkolzin • Leon Draisaitl • Viktor Arvidsson
• Mattias Janmark • Adam Henrique • Connor Brown
• Corey Perry • Noah Philp • Kasperi Kapanen

Defence

• Darnell Nurse • Troy Stecher
• Brett Kulak • Evan Bouchard
• Ty Emberson • Josh Brown

Goal

• Calvin Pickard • Stuart Skinner

Projected Wild lineup

Forward

• Mats Zuccarello • Marco Rossi • Matt Boldy
• Marcus Johansson • Joel Eriksson Ek • Ryan Hartman
• Marcus Foligno • Freddy Gaudreau • Yakov Trenin
• Devin Shore • Marat Khusnutdinov • Ben Jones

Defence

• Jake Middleton • Zach Bogosian
• Declan Chisholm • Jon Merrill
• Travis Dermott • David Jiricek

Goal

• Filip Gustavsson • Marc-André Fleury