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The Edmonton Oilers wake up Sunday morning at a crucial intersection in their post-season.
The Edmonton Oilers wake up Sunday morning at a crucial intersection in their post-season.
Be great or be gone.
That and more on in this edition of…
9 Things
9. Most points per game by a player in Stanley Cup Playoff history has a distinct Oilers flavor: Wayne Gretzky (1.84), Connor McDavid (1.62), Leon Draisaitl (1.62) and Mario Lemieux (1.61).
8. The Bakersfield Condors lost 3-1 to the Ontario Reign Saturday, eliminating the Condors from the AHL playoffs. Both G.M. Ken Holland and Bill Scott were in California for the game. Expect Philip Broberg to be recalled by the Oilers right away. It is highly likely that Raphael Lavoie and Jack Campbell will join the Black Aces as well.
7. The excellent Oilers play-by-play man Jack Michaels was on-point after the Oilers win in Game 3. For a club known for its offence, its penalty kill has been critical. Edmonton’s PK was perfect on Friday and is 0-for-10 on the series. Those units are largely untouched by the Oilers top three forwards, McDavid, Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, its success driven by the rank & file.
6. Speaking of which: Big Vincent Desharnais has been a tower of strength on the PK and was particularly strong on Friday. There were some opinions that Edmonton needed to upgrade the right side of the blueline. Early on, that does not appear to be the case. A good PK normally has both great process and the willingness to do the hard things. Desharnais played 5:31 short handed Friday. And he blocked 3 shots, 12 for the series.
4. The death of Bob Cole this week caused me to reflect a little on my own career as it has inspired many broadcasters to do, no doubt. I have been truly fortunate to spend time around many of the greats in pro hockey press boxes. I met Cole for the first time in the lunchroom at The Saddledome in the early 90’s. But what sticks in my mind more is seeing him in the gondola in Maple Leaf Gardens a couple of years later during The Stanley Cup Playoffs. I remember Mr. Cole as being friendly and generous with his time. I also recall thinking “how did a kid from Saskatchewan end up in the same booth as this guy”?
3. Intangibles has become a bit of a dated, dirty word in the modern era of analytic-driven sports like hockey. But Evander Kane is a perfect example of how you cannot always boil down effectiveness and determine outcomes with math and probability. Kane’s performance and the Gordie Howe Hat Trick Friday night was potentially series changing. Playing with grit, instinct, managing one’s emotions at critical times and the ability to rise to the moment are nearly impossible things to measure. But they are also damn hard to win without. It was a deft touch by Kris Knoblauch to elevate Kane up the lineup when he did.
2. It is common knowledge that the Oilers and the Kings are facing one another for a third consecutive post-season. I see these two teams headed in opposite directions. Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar are still the Kings most impactful players. But they are 34 and 36 years old, respectively. Please do not get me wrong: I have mad respect for both. They are still fabulous competitors and could play on my team any day. But for all of his detractors, Ken Holland has done a better job of building around his best players. The talent gap between the two clubs is growing. No guarantee that the Oilers will win this series, however. It is now about them putting it all together.
1.But ahead of Game 4, I see the Kings as a wounded bear. They literally have never been more dangerous. It is a club that still has multiple Stanley Cups in its dressing room. The fierce pride and competitiveness of a champion is harder to eliminate because they know the sweet taste of winning. And they know what is required to win. It is the most critical point in this series and that there is no question about it…the single most crucial time for Edmonton to elevate its game in the McDavid era? Is now.
The Edmonton Oilers eased back on the gas a bit at the end of Game 1. Yeah, it was garbage time. Sure, L.A. was getting some bounces. But it may well have given the Kings a sliver of belief that bled into Game 2. However, I did not see that same governor on Edmonton’s performance at the end of Game 3. Sportsmanship has to go out the window in these situations. Killer instinct wins. And the Oilers buried them.
Edmonton had Los Angeles pinned once. They cannot let the Kings back up off the mat again, or this series could quickly get away from them.
