The Edmonton Oilers scored 13 goals in two games, and in five of six periods, they dominated the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings. It is a very small sample size, but the systemic changes Knoblauch made had the Oilers playing with better puck support, more pace, fewer stretch passes, and they were less reliant on loading up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.

It is only two games, but the early results looked very promising.

The Oilers roster has more talent than most teams. The regular season can be long, when your main focus is winning the Stanley Cup. The Oilers weren’t losing solely due to their systemic decisions. Individual players made some poor decisions with the puck, while others have struggled with consistency. The first 60 games ultimately won’t matter much when the playoffs begin on April 18th, but certain aspects of how they play will impact playoff success or failure.

The Oilers crushed the Los Angeles Kings 8-1 last night. They controlled the full game, similar to the first 40 minutes in Anaheim. They were quicker to pucks, had better gaps from defencemen to forwards, which led to better support and easier breakouts, quicker transitions and more efficient cycling in the offensive zone. They played poised and handed the Kings their fifth consecutive loss. The way the Kings are playing, it looks doubtful they and Edmonton will meet in the playoffs five years in a row.

The most noticeable change for me was how little McDavid and Draisaitl played together at 5×5. It is only two games — and I know they will play together at times — but I’ve long argued the Oilers are better the more they play away from each other at 5×5.

PLAYERS

TOI

SF-SA

GF-GA

McDavid & Draisaitl

0:18

0-0

McDavid w/o Draisaitl

30:01

16-15

4-2

Draisaitl w/o........

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