How dangerous are Oilers with everyone contributing?

How dangerous are Oilers with everyone contributing?

All right, talk about this Oiler 3 nothing victory and 3-1 series lead. Here’s our director of scouting, Craig Button. Um, wow, that was a that was a wild game. That was an intense first period. U, that was a fun game to watch. And for Edmonton, what do you think their mentality was going into game four? Get after it and stay after it. And I think they did a great example of jumping out on the Vegas Gold Knights and and they really applied pressure. They never stopped applying pressure and quite frankly it took the Vegas Gold Knights quite some time to get their footing into the game. And even when they did get their footing in the game, they weren’t better than the Oilers. In fact, they probably weren’t really on par with the Oilers. The Oilers were suffocating. They were after the net. They obviously there was some collisions with Aiden Hill and we we see those. But when you’re going to the net and you’re ready to go there and pay a price and make life uncomfortable, not just for the goalender, but for the defenders, that is where it gets testy. But the Oilers were comfortable. They said, “We’re going to make it testy and we’re going to see how you’re going to respond.” And when you have a team now that’s playing so well, like it feels like they’re skating downhill and it feels like they’re really enjoying taking chunks out of the Vegas Gold. They’re they’re taking chunks out of the Vegas Golden Knights and they’re wearing them down because they’re relentless. They never stopped from opening faceoff right to the end of the game. They were full marks for getting after it and staying after it. And a huge part of this, you know, it used to be when you would come on with me and we’d talk about Oiler playoff games, we talk about McDavid dry doing all the scoring and no one else scoring. McDavid and Drytle have three goals combined in this series. the the secondary scoring has been really what’s carried the day for this team. How dangerous is this team when everybody’s working? Dangerous. You know, one of the things that that I’m watching now and and listen, before the playoffs, I I thought that the Oilers were first round fodder for the LA Kings and they certainly looked like a team that was vulnerable. They don’t look anything like that any longer. In fact, Jay, I’m watching this Oilers team right now, and I feel at this point in the playoffs as opposed to this point in the playoffs last year when they were playing Vancouver, I think they look better right now. And and listen, I’m It’s surprising to me. Yeah. But but you have to recognize that this team has has really worked uh as a unit. They’ve worked in four lines. They don’t have Echol, so they getting strong strong play from from their defense group. And when you start to look at a team now that that is really dialed in and really really dialed in, they they look like a team that’s well, we know they’re on a mission, but they look like they’re ready to complete the mission. And the Steu Skinner question, this is something we’ve been talking about all playoffs. Picks up his first win of the playoffs. You thought he had a bit of a shaky start in game three, but he picks up the shut out in game four. Man, he looked good throughout. Yeah, I don’t know if Rafe is watching this. I was at I was at a restaurant picking up some food for dinner tonight and uh a four gentleman really nice. They asked me what I thought about the game and the gentleman Rafe uh he asked me who he thinks win. I said I think Vegas. He goes, “Why would you say that?” I said, “I don’t have a lot of confidence in Skinner.” And he’s a he’s a goalie. So, he defended Skinner. And I said that I will admit that if if if he has a good game because I’ll recognize a goalender when he plays well, but if a goalender doesn’t play well, I’m I’m not gonna duck from it. Steuart Skinner wasn’t very good on Saturday night. He was really good in this game. And Jay, it wasn’t about he was really good. He needed to be good. He had no other option but to be good because if he’s not good, they’re not winning this game. So, I give full marks to Steuart Skinner for getting his game in order and for playing a real phenomenal game. And for Rafe, I told you I would say I was wrong. I was wrong. There you go, Rafe. True to his word. Edmonton’s now won seven of their last eight. Are we talking enough about the job that Chris Knobblock is doing as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers? I don’t think we do. And I think a big part of it is Chris Knobblock has incredible confidence in his own abilities. He he just quietly goes about his business. He doesn’t wave the pompoms. He doesn’t re, you know, celebrate any. He just this is what we got to do. He’s calm. He’s cool. He’s collected. So, he doesn’t draw any attention to himself. He’s a superb coach. He’s one of the NHL’s best coaches. And he’s showing it again in the way that they stif they’re stifling the Vegas Gold Knights right now. The Vegas Gold Knights just don’t have any room. They don’t have any time. Defensively, they are playing strong. you you consider that he doesn’t have echome and that even in this game he switched up the lines. He says, “Hey, I think we can do some different things. Try to get some advantages.” Adam Henrik scores a couple of goals. So to me, Chris Knoblock absolutely does not get enough credit for being a superb coach. Even even the defensive pairings, lots of talk about how much nurse misses Zack Holm, right? And where do you put him? And and he’s even in this game, he mixed up the defensive pairings. just has a great instinct for what his team needs at the right time. You’re so right, Jay. And and and understanding, having a feel for the game and having a feel for his own players and what is needed. He’s got the courage of his convictions, too. He’s not afraid to make changes. He’s not afraid to make adjustments. And some of some of those adjustments can be bold and, you know, sit there. But the biggest thing is he’s earned the trust of his players. So, when he starts in and says, “We’re going to change this up a little bit.” Like you look at who was playing with Leon Dryidle in this game. It was Casper Kain and uh the silly Pod Coulson. Yeah. He knows that Leon can just help anybody and support him and Leon’s just going to go about his business. But why is that? It’s because Leon trusts the coach and Conor McDavid trusts the coach. And when he when you do the right things and you continuously do the right things, you’re going to have the trust of the team. And I think it’s a big reason why they they’re playing so well, so connected. He’s moving defenseman around. One of the defenders that I don’t think is getting enough credit either, much like Chris Knoblock, is Brett Kulak. Yeah. I think there’s regular season Brett Kulak and there’s playoff Brett Kulak and playoff Brett Kulak. I want him on my team. Troy Steter, too, right? Playing big minutes in a tough situation. Game five, Wednesday in Vegas. Edmonton can wrap the series up on Wednesday night. And Craig’s not going anywhere. He’s going to stick around later in the show. We will talk about the Leafs and the Winnipeg Jets.

What was the Oilers mentality coming into Game 4? How dangerous are the Oilers with everyone contributing? What did you see from Stuart Skinner in Game 4? Should we be talking more about Kris Knoblauch’s great coaching? TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins SC with Jay Onrait to discuss.