Back to the win column the Edmonton Oilers go.
And they should feel good about it with a strong performance Thursday night in their 3-2 overtime win over the Montreal Canadiens, playing what might’ve been their best game since the 4 Nations Face-Off break.
While news broke of the Oilers picking up defenceman Jake Walman hours before the game, it was another recent acquisition who made their mark quickly: Max Jones.
He got his first point in the Copper and Blue, sending a stretch pass up the ice to Corey Perry on a partial breakaway, as the two former Ducks connected on the game opening goal.
“I was thinking back and that pass isn’t usually something a fourth line should be making coming out of the zone like that, but I saw him skating so fast, I didn’t even know if it was Pers,” he said with a smile. “I was joking with him, I was like ‘I don’t remember you skating that fast in Anaheim,’ and he’s like ‘Come on, give me a break.’
“But he was flying. I just flipped it over there and got lucky.”
The Oilers would show some cracks as with just under five minutes left in the first, Cole Caufield would get Montreal on the board, cashing in on his own rebound. Leon Draisaitl would get Edmonton’s lead back early in the second, and once again, Montreal would respond, with Joel Armia scoring halfway through the frame.
The game would head to overtime, where a tight back and forth affair continued. Until, that is, Connor McDavid sent a cross-ice pass to Evan Bouchard, cashing in and securing two points for the Oilers.
“I think the first period was really good up until the last five minutes of the first, then obviously we were a little discouraged on that,” Knoblauch said. “But the Carolina game, Florida game and tonight, I thought we had good efforts, I thought we competed well.
“The execution is not where it should be, but I think that’s just guys feeling tight, not feeling confident. When things aren’t going well, you’re losing games, the execution lacks. We’ve been pushing the guys to work harder, win the battles, skate more, simplify their game, and I think three of the four games we’ve done that. When you’re doing that regularly, then you feel better about it, then you’re making better passes, executing a little bit better.
“I think we’re in the right direction right now.”
The good news for the Oilers is that reinforcements are coming. They’ve addressed the forward group, picking up Trent Frederic and Max Jones earlier this week, and the blue line swinging for Jake Walman, who nobody really knew was available based on various trade boards.
All signs point to them being out of the market for a goaltender, but that doesn’t mean they can’t nibble around the edges for some additional help. Oilers radio man Bob Stauffer said during the first intermission of Thursday’s game the team is likely looking for a forward with speed, which makes sense as a point of contention all throughout the season.
Time will tell if the Oilers are able to swing more with the trade deadline six hours from the time this article went live. Is there room for a forward with higher upside than just a depth piece?
That might need to be the case with the Colorado Avalanche picking up Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders, and word coming out late Thursday that the Dallas Stars were in the process of swinging a deal for Mikko Rantanen.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
