Oilers heighten focus, raise intensity heading into Game 2 vs. Golden Knights

Fans are gathering in Ice District, hoping to see their team extend a series lead against the Golden Knights in Vegas. Jeremy Thompson reports.

When asked how he knows when to switch to a Plan ‘B’ if the fortunes of the Edmonton Oilers aren’t playing out as expected – especially during the playoffs – the head coach is quick to credit the on-ice performers.

“They can make things look like that was a good plan,” Kris Knoblauch told reporters Thursday in Las Vegas after his team’s morning skate ahead of Game 2 of their playoff series with the host Golden Knights (7:30 p.m.)

“In my time here, we’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of guys that maybe haven’t been in prominent roles, and then when we change things up, it gives them a little spark, a little energy,” he said.

“It just changes things up.”

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The chief calling card for the Oilers this season – as much as it was last season, too, when the Oilers made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final before bowing out to the Florida Panthers – is their depth, something team president and chief executive officer Jeff Jackson and new general manager Stan Bowman sought to address last off-season by adding the likes of Jeff Skinner, Viktor Arvidsson, Vasily Podkolzin and Josh Brown, and retaining veterans such as Corey Perry, Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, Calvin Pickard, Mattias Janmark and Troy Stetcher.

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Around the trade deadline, they added Trent Frederic, Jake Walman and Max Jones.

But one of the bigger moves they made was acquiring a player for free, something they’ve done successfully in recent times: the addition of John Klingberg, who the Oilers signed in January – much like the pick-ups of Evander Kane (2022) and Corey Perry (2024) – has translated into a pivotal boost to the lineup these playoffs.

The former star defenceman for the Dallas Stars has looked like his old self – a welcome, timely addition with the Oilers minus top-pairing mainstay Mattias Ekholm on the blueline – as Edmonton roared back to beat the Los Angeles Kings in Round 1 and take the first game of Round 2 vs. Vegas.

“His puck movement, his hockey IQ and understanding of where to find the open guys is as good as it comes in the league,” star Oilers centre Leon Draisaitl said of the play of “elite” addition Klingberg.

High among the standouts, however, is top defenceman Evan Bouchard, who has elevated his game even further this postseason not only with his scoring prowess – he’s second among D-men leading NHL playoff scoring with four goals and five assists for nine points in seven games – but with his strong defensive play, a welcome augmentation given the absence of Ekholm, his usual partner.

“You want the guys bringing their best games when it matters the most,” Knoblauch said.

“You want the guys who like this time of the season. Obviously, McDavid, Draisaitl have done this numerous times, played even remarkably, even better than they have in the regular season. Then there’s other guys, too, who have been doing that.”

When asked about his elevated role and heightened approach during the playoffs, Bouchard said he and his teammates still have “that feeling from last year.”

“We want to get back to where we were,” Bouchard said. “I think we’re on track to doing that. We’ve got to keep playing the way that we can (and) take it one step at a time.”

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Just as importantly, though, is the coming-to-life of role players, of bottom-six forwards and players stepping up to play major roles in victories beyond the usual brilliance from stars such as Connor McDavid aAnd Leon Draisaitl.

Energy-liner Brown has a top-six-worthy four goals thus far. Savvy warhorse Perry, who spent much of the regular season on the third and fourth lines while scoring 19 goals, has played a critical role on the top line. Janmark has further cemented his reputation as a clutch playoff performer with timely goals in the Kings series.

The list goes on.

For Draisaitl, preparing to brace for how the Golden Knights adjust for Thursday’s Game 2 is “no different than (for) any other team, no different than (in) any other series.”

“We always have the belief system of, especially on the road, this is about us. Let’s make other teams adjust to us,” he said.

 “When we’re at our best and everyone’s going, I think we’re really hard to defend and really hard to handle.”