EDMONTON -- A new day, a new pairing.

The Edmonton Oilers are taking to the ice after having a day off yesterday. Today's practice was pivotal, as it will set the stage for tomorrow's game against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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The forward lines remained untouched from what they started with from the season opener. It will be vital that the forward group generates quality scoring chances before drastic in-game measures need to be taken.

On the defensive side, the Oilers used some different pairings. Keen observers will note that the Oilers finished their game against the Winnipeg Jets with these pairings.

The pairing of Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard is the one constant. Darnell Nurse was skating with Travis Dermott while Brett Kulak and Ty Emberson were paired up.

One game is a minimal sample size. The extremely early returns indicate that this formation would be worth exploring.

According to Dobber Frozen Pool, the Oilers out-chanced the Jets in shot attempts when Dermott was on the ice, 16-6. These were his results with both Nurse and Kulak.

The results with Emberson on the ice were mixed. With Nurse, he was out-chanced 6-13. On the other hand, he and Kulak out-chanced the Jets, 5-1, when on the ice together.

For now, it appears that Dermott has the potential to have more chemistry with Nurse. Despite also being a left-handed defender, it's clear that he played well with whoever he was paired up with.

Saturday will be another test for the Oilers' defense group. It's time to give this group some runway for a few games to see what the team has in these pairings.

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