Achi news desk-
During what they hope will be a deep run through the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring, the Edmonton Oilers will be taking all the time off they can get.
“Rest is always a good thing,” captain Connor McDavid said. “Rest is a tool at this time of year.”
The Oilers defeated the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Wednesday night at Rogers Place to wrap up the best-of-seven series in five games, advancing to the second round and saving a long trip back to Los Angeles for Game 6.
“In the long run … these extra days are huge, they’re critical,” forward Leon Draisaitl said. “Same with the travel, we miss (Wednesday) and you have to get back on the plane and go to LA
“We dug deep to earn that right to get some rest.”
Meanwhile, the Oilers wait to see who they will have to go through next on the way to their ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Edmonton will face the winner of a game between the Vancouver Canucks and Nashville Predators. Vancouver leads the series 3-2 heading into Game 6 in Nashville on Friday.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t going to pay attention to it,” Draisaitl said. “This is our work, this is our life. Definitely going to pay attention to who we’re going to face next.”
If Nashville were even in the series, Game 7 goes on Sunday and Edmonton gets at least five days off.
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Although rest is a tool, McDavid said the Oilers cannot be complacent and lose the momentum of their first-round win.
“We have to make sure that we work, that we practice hard against each other, make sure that we are ready to go,” he said. “There is no change in our game.
“Everyone left is a good team. They have great players who compete hard as well.”
The Oilers won the break after outscoring the Kings on special teams, something both coaches said made the difference in the series.
Edmonton, with McDavid and Draisaitl leading the way, finished 9-for-20 with the man advantage in the series and scored twice after a penalty kill on Wednesday. McDavid led the playoffs with 12 points and Draisaitl was second with 10 entering Thursday’s game.
On the penalty spot, the Oilers held the Kings scoreless in 12 chances.
Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch said finding ways to keep his special teams going will be one of the goals during the offseason.
“Whoever we see next round, the power play is going to look different just because of the way the other team is going to kill,” Knoblauch said. “We will have to be ready for that. Like our penalty kill, our penalty kill was great against LA but we’re going to see different sets, whether it’s a different shooter, formation, whatever it is. We will have to adapt.”
The Oilers eliminated the Kings in the first round for the third year in a row. They won in seven games in 2022 and then six last year.
Despite the dominance of the special teams this time around, Knoblauch said the Kings could have had an advantage during five-on-five play.
The teams were tied with 12 five-on-five goals each in the series, and Los Angeles outshot Edmonton 123-107 in those situations.
“Finding a way to score some goals at even strength would be great,” McDavid said. “Our team is always going to be big on the power play, special teams are always going to be a part of the game, they are a big part of the game at this time of the year and we just happen to be really good at them.
“I don’t think that’s a knock on us. With that being said, if we can find ways to hold on to bucks, play more in their zone (that would be a good thing).
The Oilers posted the best record in the NHL after Knoblauch replaced Jay Woodcroft behind Edmonton’s bench Nov. 12.
Last year, the Oilers fell 4-2 in the second round to the Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. The year before that, they were swept in the Conference final by the Colorado Avalanche, who also won the title.
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
