Don’t worry about that Saturday night loss. It was a tough one to swallow, but winning six of your last seven in the playoffs is a terrific run.
The Oilers had a great start, then stopped playing after finding themselves two goals up. Believe it or not, the loss wasn’t Stuart Skinner’s fault, despite what a portion of the fan base will tell you. Especially the gentleman behind me in Game 3 who tried to start a “F*** Skinner” chant. Thankfully, that was shut down quickly.
It was a chaotic moment in those final seconds of Game 3. Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse sold out to make the block on a potential Reilly Smith shot, which didn’t come, leaving Skinner one-on-one with the shooter, whom he pushed outside. The shot wasn’t going in the net. The positioning was unconventional, but the strategy worked until Leon Draisaitl knocked the puck into the net, an unfortunate play for Draisaitl. The problem started when Draisaitl overcommitted in the neutral zone, and chaos ensued.
Either way, the goal was scored, and Vegas won the game. The good news is Edmonton still holds a 2-1 series lead and hasn’t lost back-to-back playoff games at home since the Western Conference Final versus the Colorado Avalanche in 2022.
It’s looking like head coach Kris Knoblauch is making a few adjustments ahead of Game 4 tonight. Troy Stecher is coming in for Ty Emberson, and Kasperi Kapanen is replacing Viktor Arvidsson. Both Stecher and Kapanen will make their first appearances with the Oilers in the playoffs this year, but both players come with previous experience. Stecher played games in the postseason for Vancouver and LA with his longest stretch coming in 2020 with the Canucks, playing 17 games on that run. Kapanen has 38 playoff games to his name, mostly with the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, he hasn’t played more than seven games during a playoff run.
The question that continued to pop up in the Oilersnation Everyday chat was why Kapanen over Jeff Skinner? The storyline upon Skinner signing in Edmonton was that he’d play playoff games after playing 1000 regular-season games with no postseason action. He played in Game 1 versus the LA Kings in the first round, finishing with an assist but also a minus-two rating. Knoblauch has opted to sit him out since then. A comment from Knoblauch’s interview this morning would suggest the Oilers are looking for more speed, which Kapanen is bringing more than Skinner.
“This is a fast series,” said Louie DeBrusk on Oilersnation Everyday. “Kapanen has shown when he wants to ratchet up, and he’ll be fired up to play tonight, he’s one of the fastest guys on the team. You’re injecting that speed into you’re lineup and a little size. I expect him to get in on the body tonight. Edmonton as a whole can get on the body more. You know some guys on the Golden Knights are banged up, so they should be looking to finish those checks.”
The rest of the forward group was jumbled. It does look like McDavid and Draisaitl will centre their own lines, though, which means more opportunities for the offence to pounce. The depth has played great, but the team needs to see McDavid or Draisaitl dominate a game and drag this team across the line.
It’s a huge game tonight. The Oilers must keep exposing Adin Hill, which means they must generate more than 20 shots. A strong performance, and you’re up 3-1 in the series. Another close to what they put together on Saturday, then you’ve allowed the series to get away from you.
