The Edmonton Oilers entered the postseason with more roster questions than any true Stanley Cup contender this spring. Injuries were rife across the roster, ineffective play from veterans was a real concern and the goaltending was a question mark.
One by one, coach Kris Knoblauch found solutions from the available roster players.
Advertisement
Goaltending was solved by inserting backup Calvin Pickard. Knoblauch did it during the Vancouver Canucks series one year ago, so the transition from Stuart Skinner to Pickard wasn’t shocking to anyone. What has been a surprise is the quality of Pickard’s performances. He currently owns the net, and Skinner’s return date is unknown (although likely if the team continues deep into the playoffs).
Perhaps the biggest concern surrounded how to replace injured defenceman Mattias Ekholm. He’s slated to return to the roster at some point this spring, but the team needs to win games without him in the interim.
After the completion of the six-game series against Los Angeles, the questions about how to replace Ekholm remain.
Early games
Ekholm is a strong two-way player and the ideal partner for Evan Bouchard, Edmonton’s outstanding puck-moving defenceman.
In the first two games of the playoff series versus the Los Angeles Kings, Knoblauch and his staff (the defence is led by coaches Paul Coffey and Mark Stuart) came under heavy criticism for the deployment of the defensive pairings at five-on-five. In Games 1 and 2, the deployment looked like this:
| Pairing | Mins | Goals | X-Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nurse-Bouchard |
23 |
1-2 |
67 pct |
|
Walman-Klingberg |
10 |
1-0 |
30 pct |
|
Kulak-Emberson |
16 |
1-1 |
36 pct |
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
Fans were unhappy with the Darnell Nurse and Bouchard pairing due mostly to coverage problems for the tandem. Both men allowed Los Angeles forwards to wander behind them, and the club paid in full during the early portion of the series.
The obvious solution was to move Jake Walman to the Bouchard pairing and check down Nurse to play with Brett Kulak. Instead, the only change Knoblauch made early came when switching out Josh Brown after Game 1 and inserting John Klingberg (the numbers above for the pairing are from a single game).
Once down 2-0 in the series, the coaching staff had some decisions to make. Things weren’t working, and something had to give. Here are the pairings for Game 3 and Game 4 combined:
| Pairing | Mins | Goals | X-Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Nurse-Bouchard |
21 |
1-3 |
42 pct |
|
Walman-Klingberg |
23 |
0-0 |
67 pct |
|
Kulak-Emberson |
12 |
0-0 |
61 pct |
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
The top pairing still had some issues, owing at least in part to facing tougher competition. However, the second and third pairings shone like a diamond. The pairing of Walman and Klingberg has been exceptional. In the pivotal Game 5, the duo scorched Los Angeles 16-4 shots five-on-five with a 94 percent expected goal share in the metric.
Advertisement
How did it happen? The team’s outlets have been tweaked in at least a couple of ways. First, the team is deploying an old-timey strategy in having the centre come down low (with speed) and take a handoff from the defenceman in possession of the puck. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl can easily beat the forecheck going full speed, and have the advantage of less traffic once hitting the neutral zone.
Additionally, the passing by defencemen from deep in the zone is more effective because there is often more than one attractive passing option. The Oilers don’t have two forwards lingering in the neutral zone in search of a jailbreak pass.
The result is more control, and more consistent breakouts since the start of Game 3. How much have the changes improved the results? Meghan Chayka from Stathletes tracks the evidence, and it was devastating for the Kings in the middle games of the series.
In Game 5, Knoblauch and his staff deployed seven unique pairings that played three or more minutes together. The dizzying changes may also be impacted by the lack of response from Los Angeles, but the results in Game 5 didn’t identify a true weak link among the seven pairings:
| Pairing | Mins | Shot Pct | X-Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Walman-Klingberg |
13 |
71 |
94 pct |
|
Nurse-Bouchard |
9 |
50 |
56 pct |
|
Nurse-Kulak |
7 |
50 |
67 pct |
|
Kulak-Emberson |
7 |
100 |
81 pct |
|
Walman-Bouchard |
4 |
67 |
62 pct |
|
Kulak-Bouchard |
3 |
80 |
91 pct |
|
Nurse-Klingberg |
3 |
50 |
57 pct |
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
After five games, it appeared the pairings worked and the coverage plus outlet passing issues were solved.
Game 6
Edmonton won the series, but there are questions about the defence as the team prepares for the Vegas Golden Knights in the second round. The performances were decidedly less impressive than in Games 3 through 5:
| Pairing | Mins | Shot Pct | X-Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Walman-Bouchard |
9 |
25 |
22 pct |
|
Nurse-Kulak |
8 |
33 |
32 pct |
|
Walman-Klingberg |
8 |
63 |
51 pct |
|
Nurse-Klingberg |
6 |
100 (7-0) |
100 pct |
|
Kulak-Bouchard |
5 |
67 |
99 pct |
|
Kulak-Emberson |
5 |
43 |
44 pct |
|
Nurse-Bouchard |
5 |
57 |
52 pct |
All numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick
The most used pairing in the closing game of the series matched what fans were demanding, but both the first and second pairings struggled against a determined Los Angeles squad.
Meanwhile, Nurse-Bouchard had solid numbers during the game (although the actual results were poor). Nurse-Klingberg was effective, giving the coaches another combination to ponder.
Advertisement
It’s difficult to look at a series clinching victory with a negative eye, but the reads and gaps will need to be much better in the next series. As the team sets the lines and pairings for Vegas, there are several things that should be addressed.
Answers
Nurse had a high event series with some loose coverage that is reflected by eye and math. When the big defenceman was on the ice at five-on-five during the Kings’ series, the Oilers were outscored 9-4. When Nurse was off the ice, the team outscored Los Angeles 11-5. Evan Bouchard had similar totals: 8-3 goals for Edmonton when Bouchard was at rest, outscored 11-7 when Bouchard was on the ice.
Together, the pairing delivered 3-7 goals on the ice at five-on-five. That reflects coverage issues and misreads by the pairing. Without the puck, Nurse and Bouchard have the same weakness (read and react, wandering).
The questions around the defence appear to have gone full circle in one six-game series. The easy answer is placing Ekholm on the Bouchard pairing, and then running the strongest combination of Nurse, Kulak, Walman and Klingberg on the second pair. Ekholm could return from injury at some point during May.
Until then, Knoblauch’s ongoing search for what works receives another best-of-seven series to continue the experiments. A good guess has Nurse and Bouchard on separate pairings in Game 1 against the Golden Knights.
(Photo of Darnell Nurse, Kevin Fiala and Evan Bouchard: Perry Nelson / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Felipe Melo sinaliza time como “vítima” da arbitragem no Brasileirão: “Tem que parar”
Felipe Melo, em jogo no Maracanã (LUCAS MERÇON e MARCELO GONÇALVES / FLUMINENSE FC) Felipe Melo, após o triunfo do Fluminense sobre o Sport, desabafou ao ressaltar mais dois erros de arbitragem envolvendo o Tricolor. Além do pênalti sofrido por Arias, alvo de revisão do VAR, o ex-jogador avalia que o árbitro “ignorou” uma falta para expulsão que deixaria o time pernambucano em desvantagem numérica. Neste cenário, houve um apelo para que novos equívocos, capazes de prejudicar o clube carioca, não sejam cometidos na sequência do Brasileirão. “Mais um pênalti, ao meu modo de pensar, claro para o Fluminense que não foi marcado pelo juiz. O VAR foi lá e tirou. O juiz marcou e o VAR tirou. A camisa do Arias faz assim (dobra). Para mim, é pênalti. ‘Ah, mas a bola tinha passado’. Para mim, é pênalti.”, disse […]
Chiefs rookie minicamp: Josh Simmons’ injury timeline, standout playmakers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie minicamp has begun for the Kansas City Chiefs’ seven NFL Draft picks and a flurry of other undrafted rookies looking to earn their shot.Here are four observations from the opening day of minicamp, beginning with injury timeline news for the Chiefs’ first-round pick.Simmons’ injury timelineThe Chiefs believe they got a steal in former Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick. Simmons was once projected as a top-10 talent, but a non-contact knee injury that sidelined him from mid-October through the end of the Buckeyes’ national championship run hurt his draft stock.AdvertisementSaturday, Simmons showed progress toward the return the Chiefs felt confident in when they drafted him. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons was dressed on the practice field and participated in position drills with the offensive linemen. He did not participate in 11-on-11 or […]
Mozart justifica expulsão e lamenta derrota de virada do Coritiba
Treinador comemorou importância de triunfo do Coxa (Foto: JP Pacheco | Coritiba) O Coritiba perdeu boa chance de subir na tabela do Brasileirão Série B ao ser derrotado de virada para a Ferroviária, em Araraquara, na última sexta-feira. Um resultado marcado tanto pela atuação um tanto irregular do time paranaense como pela expulsão de Mozart. O treinador do Coxa, nos acréscimos finais da segunda etapa, acabou levando o cartão vermelho depois de fazer uma reclamação com forte veemência à arbitragem. Após o jogo, justificou o tom da reclamação e evitou críticas mais contundentes à arbitragem PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Eu só queria que o árbitro explicasse a falta que ele deu do Brumado. É impossível fazer a falta naquele lance ali, eu joguei e posso te garantir. Foi minha segunda expulsão na carreira em 300 jogos. Ninguém tem sangue de barata. Ali […]
How NBC handled the 2025 Kentucky Derby broadcast: ‘Sovereignty to rule!’
With Sovereignty handling the slop at Churchill Downs to win the 151st Kentucky Derby, we offer seven takeaways on NBC’s Derby coverage from the dry comforts of our home.1. Race caller Larry Collmus, the first person to call the Kentucky Derby for 15 straight years, delivered the goods down the stretch. Here are the words he chose — incredibly precise:“Journalism and Sovereignty, nose to nose, down to the last 1/16 of a mile. Sovereignty has taken the lead! Journalism is second toward the inside! Baeza is third! It will be SOVEREIGNTY TO RULE THE KENTUCKY DERBY!”Advertisement2. Something I wish NBC did on Saturday was hold the leaderboard graphic for additional seconds, which would have given viewers a better feel for Sovereignty roaring to catch the field. We got a split-second graphic showing Journalism moving into fourth and that was it […]
Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman rebounds with brilliance after brutal 53-pitch inning in last start
TORONTO — Kevin Gausman’s final pitch was a 97.8 mph fastball at the bottom corner of the zone. It was a called strike to freeze Nolan Jones, earning Gausman his ninth and final strikeout.That was the pitch that eluded Gausman in his last outing — the start where his day ended with a historic 53-pitch inning and an ejection. On Saturday, in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, the misses were gone and the innings were efficient. Rebounding from the longest inning in Blue Jays history, Gausman was nearly perfect. More importantly, he was healthy.Advertisement“We weren’t expecting a diminished version of Kevin today,” manager John Schneider said. “What we do know is how much we trust these guys and how much communication we have with them and how they’re feeling. So I thought it was a […]
Sovereignty wins 2025 Kentucky Derby as trainer Bill Mott sees his first horse cross first in iconic race
Getty Images Trainer Bill Mott has won the Kentucky Derby without his horse crossing the finish line first. In 2019, the Mott-trained Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security was disqualified for interference. Up until Saturday evening, that remained the only Kentucky Derby win for the Hall of Fame trainer. This year, the 71-year-old Mott was able to see his horse finally cross the Derby finish line first when his late-running Sovereignty leaves the starting gate.As expected, Sovereignty stayed towards the back out of the gate and let the frontrunners set the early pace on the sloppy track on a rainy Saturday at Churchill Downs, but an off track didn't stop him from his customary late charge to the front. Junior Alvarado picked the right time to have Sovereignty make his move coming around the final turn and […]
Related
Felipe Melo sinaliza time como “vítima” da arbitragem no Brasileirão: “Tem que parar”
Felipe Melo, em jogo no Maracanã (LUCAS MERÇON e MARCELO GONÇALVES / FLUMINENSE FC) Felipe Melo, após o triunfo do Fluminense sobre o Sport, desabafou ao ressaltar mais dois erros de arbitragem envolvendo o Tricolor. Além do pênalti sofrido por Arias, alvo de revisão do VAR, o ex-jogador avalia que o árbitro “ignorou” uma falta para expulsão que deixaria o time pernambucano em desvantagem numérica. Neste cenário, houve um apelo para que novos equívocos, capazes de prejudicar o clube carioca, não sejam cometidos na sequência do Brasileirão. “Mais um pênalti, ao meu modo de pensar, claro para o Fluminense que não foi marcado pelo juiz. O VAR foi lá e tirou. O juiz marcou e o VAR tirou. A camisa do Arias faz assim (dobra). Para mim, é pênalti. ‘Ah, mas a bola tinha passado’. Para mim, é pênalti.”, disse […]
Chiefs rookie minicamp: Josh Simmons’ injury timeline, standout playmakers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Rookie minicamp has begun for the Kansas City Chiefs’ seven NFL Draft picks and a flurry of other undrafted rookies looking to earn their shot.Here are four observations from the opening day of minicamp, beginning with injury timeline news for the Chiefs’ first-round pick.Simmons’ injury timelineThe Chiefs believe they got a steal in former Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick. Simmons was once projected as a top-10 talent, but a non-contact knee injury that sidelined him from mid-October through the end of the Buckeyes’ national championship run hurt his draft stock.AdvertisementSaturday, Simmons showed progress toward the return the Chiefs felt confident in when they drafted him. The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Simmons was dressed on the practice field and participated in position drills with the offensive linemen. He did not participate in 11-on-11 or […]
Mozart justifica expulsão e lamenta derrota de virada do Coritiba
Treinador comemorou importância de triunfo do Coxa (Foto: JP Pacheco | Coritiba) O Coritiba perdeu boa chance de subir na tabela do Brasileirão Série B ao ser derrotado de virada para a Ferroviária, em Araraquara, na última sexta-feira. Um resultado marcado tanto pela atuação um tanto irregular do time paranaense como pela expulsão de Mozart. O treinador do Coxa, nos acréscimos finais da segunda etapa, acabou levando o cartão vermelho depois de fazer uma reclamação com forte veemência à arbitragem. Após o jogo, justificou o tom da reclamação e evitou críticas mais contundentes à arbitragem PUBLICIDADE PUBLICIDADE “Eu só queria que o árbitro explicasse a falta que ele deu do Brumado. É impossível fazer a falta naquele lance ali, eu joguei e posso te garantir. Foi minha segunda expulsão na carreira em 300 jogos. Ninguém tem sangue de barata. Ali […]
How NBC handled the 2025 Kentucky Derby broadcast: ‘Sovereignty to rule!’
With Sovereignty handling the slop at Churchill Downs to win the 151st Kentucky Derby, we offer seven takeaways on NBC’s Derby coverage from the dry comforts of our home.1. Race caller Larry Collmus, the first person to call the Kentucky Derby for 15 straight years, delivered the goods down the stretch. Here are the words he chose — incredibly precise:“Journalism and Sovereignty, nose to nose, down to the last 1/16 of a mile. Sovereignty has taken the lead! Journalism is second toward the inside! Baeza is third! It will be SOVEREIGNTY TO RULE THE KENTUCKY DERBY!”Advertisement2. Something I wish NBC did on Saturday was hold the leaderboard graphic for additional seconds, which would have given viewers a better feel for Sovereignty roaring to catch the field. We got a split-second graphic showing Journalism moving into fourth and that was it […]
Blue Jays’ Kevin Gausman rebounds with brilliance after brutal 53-pitch inning in last start
TORONTO — Kevin Gausman’s final pitch was a 97.8 mph fastball at the bottom corner of the zone. It was a called strike to freeze Nolan Jones, earning Gausman his ninth and final strikeout.That was the pitch that eluded Gausman in his last outing — the start where his day ended with a historic 53-pitch inning and an ejection. On Saturday, in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, the misses were gone and the innings were efficient. Rebounding from the longest inning in Blue Jays history, Gausman was nearly perfect. More importantly, he was healthy.Advertisement“We weren’t expecting a diminished version of Kevin today,” manager John Schneider said. “What we do know is how much we trust these guys and how much communication we have with them and how they’re feeling. So I thought it was a […]
Sovereignty wins 2025 Kentucky Derby as trainer Bill Mott sees his first horse cross first in iconic race
Getty Images Trainer Bill Mott has won the Kentucky Derby without his horse crossing the finish line first. In 2019, the Mott-trained Country House was elevated to first after Maximum Security was disqualified for interference. Up until Saturday evening, that remained the only Kentucky Derby win for the Hall of Fame trainer. This year, the 71-year-old Mott was able to see his horse finally cross the Derby finish line first when his late-running Sovereignty leaves the starting gate.As expected, Sovereignty stayed towards the back out of the gate and let the frontrunners set the early pace on the sloppy track on a rainy Saturday at Churchill Downs, but an off track didn't stop him from his customary late charge to the front. Junior Alvarado picked the right time to have Sovereignty make his move coming around the final turn and […]
Be the first to leave a comment