How the Oilers set the tone of their game in the pre-season

During the Edmonton Oilers’ exhibition game against Vancouver on Sept. 24, Filip Chytil collided with an official below the goal line to the immediate left of Tristan Jarry. In other words, deep in Edmonton’s zone. It was an ugly play, and one I’m surprised doesn’t happen more often. Chytil has a history of injuries in the past calendar year: a broken face from taking a shot in practice, and a series of serious concussions.

Certainly no one is wishing ill will toward the young man, who is trying to keep his career on track with the Canucks. The hometown broadcast team recognized this, and it was clear they felt bad for Chytil.

From their perspective, then, it seemed callous that Oilers head coach Mike Babcock was complaining about the location of the ensuing faceoff. A Canuck was hurt, so the faceoff ought to come outside the zone, according to Babcock.

It’s only preseason, opined the broadcast team. A player got hurt: why are you wasting energy on this?

It shouldn’t matter if it’s an exhibition game in September or a stretch-drive tilt in the middle of March in a battle for home-ice advantage. The players feed off this energy. If it matters to the coach, then sure as sugar it matters to them.

And for Mike Babcock, DJ Smith, Paul McFarland, and Misha Donskov, those details matter. Structure matters. Faceoffs matter: more than ever before, faceoffs matter. There are about 60 faceoffs every game, give or take, which means this is the most efficient way for a coaching staff to influence the game. I’ll get into specific plays on wins and losses once there’s a bit more regular-season evidence, but for now, faceoffs are demonstrating the role each line has been assigned.

First line: O-Zone faceoffs

Second line: O-Zone faceoffs

Third line: D-Zone faceoffs

Fourth line: D-Zone faceoffs

This doesn’t take into account the quality of competition, so it’s definitely more complicated and nuanced than this. I mean, I think so. It is, right? Maybe I’m not so sure, and Calgary’s lineup in the final preseason game just isn’t enough to draw conclusions.

For now, this is all the evidence we have. TV timeouts offer powerful insights.

The second line wins the draw, has a dangerous shift, tilts the ice, Zach Hyman almost scores, Ike Howard runs a guy over, and that momentum is followed up by the third line and then the first line. That’s right, the first line doesn’t even come over the boards second after the timeout.

After the next TV timeout, the third line goes out for a defensive zone draw, and here you can see a clear set play. Both wingers sprint into the neutral zone after Owen Michaels wins the draw, and they draw a penalty. And then what happens on the ensuing power play? The big guns do their job.

That’s what I call contributing to the flow of the game. Everyone is involved and playing to their strengths. Just focus on your role, do your job, and it helps the team win. It starts with faceoffs, where they’re located, and who’s out there.

As the second period saw the game even out and more work come to goaltender Devon Levi, there were more opportunities for defensive zone draws. Colton Dach lost a draw at 13:45 of the second, leading to a chance against, but the next time the puck is dropped in the D-zone, Dach’s line is out there again to take it. This is how you build confidence: give them another chance. This is why Jeffrey Viel of the Anaheim Ducks was taking faceoffs in his own zone against McDavid and Draisaitl in the playoffs, because it wasn’t a new thing for him.

Does Dach win that second chance? Watching it right now… taking our time. Oh god, drop the puck already! For gord’s sake, now Calgary’s centre gets kicked out, and … Dach wins it! STRAIGHT into his goalie’s chest! What a rocket. Pay attention, Devon! What about the next one? Wins it again! Perfect win to his defenceman on the inside for a quick wheel around the net and it’s out. Awesome.

What a rollercoaster of emotions.

From lineup changes to breaking trades and must-read analysis, Daily Faceoff Edmonton delivers the insight serious hockey fans rely on—straight to your inbox. Sign up for the Daily Faceoff Edmonton newsletter here!