DALLAS — All the talk around the Edmonton Oilers for the last 48 hours has been about that leaky penalty kill that they believe cost them Game 1.
And the lowly 62.2 per cent success rate they’re chugging along at this spring looks even worse when you are reminded of the league-leading 94.3 per cent they posted a year ago, when they surrendered just four powerplay goals in 25 playoff games. The Oilers have already allowed 14 power-play goals in just 12 games this spring.
“I think we all knew coming into this year that we’re probably not going to replicate last year. That was a run you go on one time, I think,” said penalty killing specialist Mattias Janmark. “But for sure, you want to become better. It’s a huge part of the success you’re going to have.
“Last game … it obviously cost us the game. We needed one more play on all of those kills, and we didn’t get it.”
We wrote in depth on the topic here.
One positive on the PK is that, as much as the Oilers have hemorrhaged goals early in series’, they’ve managed to right the ship as the rounds go on. In Games 3-6 of the L.A. series the Oilers’ P.K. went 7-for-8, and in the final three games of the Vegas series it was perfect in six attempts.
“You try to pre-scout teams, and they’re doing the same thing against our PK,” said defenceman Brett Kulak. “So we come in with a game plan, and then you’ve got to react off that and see what happens. Pucks were going in the first couple of series, and there was more of the same in Game 1.
“We’re going to make adjustments. We’ve got a different plan and we’ve got to execute it.”
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Lining ‘Em Up
The two teams looked back at Game 1 quite differently, on a night where the team that likely had the most minutes of the game did not win, in the end.
“I’m sure they’re looking at the first 40 minutes and going to want to replicate that,” Dallas head coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’re looking at the last 20 and saying, ‘We have to do more of that than 20 minutes.’ Even the way we drew the penalties 5-on-5, attacking offensive seams and things like that, that’s more of what we need to do tonight.”
Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said on Thursday that Mattias Ekholm would not play in Game 2 tonight. But he was seen having a lengthy pre-practice chat with the big defenceman, as the two skated circles just before the morning skate commenced.
“Just checking up on his family, his son William, how he’s doing in hockey and summer sports and school… All that stuff,” chuckled Knoblauch, who was likely being lobbied a bit by the veteran Ekholm, who’s itching to get back into some games.
“He’s feeling good, and watching the games is a very difficult part of it when you’re not playing. He’s been in the league a long time, this is the first time he’s missed any playoff, so he’s definitely wanting to be a part of it.”
Connor Brown is nursing a foot injury after blocking a shot in Round. 2. He did not take the skate again Friday, but Knoblauch said he’ll play tonight. Here are the expected lines:
Oilers lineup
Nugent-Hopkins-McDavid-Hyman
Podkolzin-Draisaitl-Kapanen
Kane-Henrique-Brown
Frederic-Janmark-Perry
Kulak-Bouchard
Nurse-Stecher
Walman-Klingberg
Skinner
Stars lineup
Granlund-Hintz-Rantanen
Robertson-Duchene-Johnston
Marchment-Steel-Seguin
Benn-Back-Dadonov
Harley-Heiskanen
Lindell-Ceci
Bichsell-Lyubushkin
Oettinger
Mind The Gap
Toss Stars defenceman Thomas Harley on the pile of NHL defencemen who found out the hard way that the gap they use to defend everyone else isn’t the same gap required to defend Connor McDavid.
McDavid blazed around Harley in Game 1, which is not something you’ll often see from a Team Canada defenceman with the pedigree of Harley.
“My gap was terrible,” Harley said, when asked about the strategy to defending McDavid. “So if you can avoid turning and skating forward that would be great. I want to avoid doing that as much as possible, but he’s pretty fast, so it’s going to happen from time to time. But try to skate backward, have a good gap, force him outside, all that stuff.”
McDavid was at warp speed in Game 1. He went right at the Stars’ top pair of Harley and Miro Heiskanen at every opportunity, finishing the game with two assists, four shots on goal, and he was thwarted twice while in alone by goalie Jake Oettinger.
“Our defenseman — really only myself — has to do a better job of not getting burned wide,” Harley said. “He’s the best player in the world — unbelievably fast. He’s quick out of his turns and he can handle the puck at that speed, which is pretty rare.
“There’s a reason why he’s the best player in the world, there’s a reason he’s won however many Hart trophies (three). You don’t know what he’s going to do.”
