As the Edmonton Oilers roster prepares for their first home game of round two of the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs, they have a decision on their top line. Do they keep Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together in game three? Short answer, yes. They’re too productive. Long answer, let’s check it out.
The Edmonton Oilers Roster Depth’s Impact on the Canucks Series
The Edmonton Oilers have a complex roster, as evidenced by their ultimate lack of a Stanley Cup championship for Connor McDavid at this point. The Oilers have some of the best players in the NHL. And we saw in game two especially, the Oilers were constantly double-shifting the McDavid and Draisaitl tandem. Is this game strategy model sustainable? It helped the Vegas Golden Knights gameplan for last year’s run. They simply proved having a four-line team can make a huge difference.
After All, Defence Wins Championships
One reason the Edmonton Oilers may have what we consider a strong depth roster, is on the blueline. And this is the NHL, that matters. Some recent cup winners with stellar defencemen include the St. Louis Blues and the aforementioned Vegas squad.
And why do we mention all this? Leading up to the game-winner of course. McDavid finally had a normal rest at 2:27. On McDavid, he is a career 23:27 ice time in the playoffs, and a 1.64 PPG. He doesn’t take shifts off. Therefore, when he got the tap he was able to find the top gear more easily. If you watch the play, the zone entry with Draisaitl shows their dominance as attackers. The eventual winner was an Evan Bouchard attempted pass backdoor to Zach Hyman, which went off Ian Cole‘s stick. So, when the top players are rested for the Oilers, take note.
Possible Offseason Questions for the Edmonton Oilers Roster
One possible difficult balancing act for the Edmonton Oilers is the role of Evander Kane. Kane needs to be a top-six player, because he is so good at it. In the regular season, he had 24 goals and 20 assists in 77 games. However, his ability to be impactful on a game, even with third line minutes, is very interesting. But big picture, why is he not playing top-six minutes? He’s very talented. Do the Oilers move him in the offseason for high return to Utah?
The proof that the Oilers lack depth upfront, came in the third period. Sam Lafferty hit the crossbar on a tremendous backhander. Next, the Canucks net drive ends with the puck in the air and almost went off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and in. Suffice to say, just enough to combat the oncoming Canucks attack, but not prevent it. Even though the Oilers top-end talent may have carried them so far, it may become more noticeable as the post-season grinds along. As long their defensive players get regular enough action to stay in rhythm, their play should be sustainable. However, this will mean their players need to be efficient. This continues to be something to watch for as the Oilers host the Canucks for game three tonight.
Main photo credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
