Of course Kris Knoblauch wants to see more of the same game he watched his Edmonton Oilers deliver in Philadelphia. As the head coach and his players get ready for Thursday night’s 5:30 p.m. MT clash in Columbus, they can look back at their dominant play through much of the first two periods before a third-period saw-off the night before in a 2-1 overtime win over the host Flyers and think of it as something to build on. The Oilers knew heading into the Philly game that they shouldn’t try to force plays given the Flyers’ defensive prowess. “We knew going in that we were going to have to be patient just because Philadelphia is one of the best defensive teams,” Knoblauch told media following Wednesday’s game. “They don’t give up very much, and if you fall in the trap and expect a bunch of scoring chances, you force things, and that’s where they’re going to capitalize and go the other way.” The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App So, rinse and repeat? The wrinkle in Thursday’s game against the Blue Jackets (8-7-1) is that it’s a rematch between the two sides, the Oilers (8-6-4) having come from two goals behind to beat them just three days ago. After licking their wounds following Monday’s loss in Edmonton, the Blue Jackets bounced back for a 2-1 win over the Kraken the next night in Seattle. “We’re a really mature team, (with) a lot of guys that are really confident in their abilities,” said Oilers forward Matt Savoie, who assisted on both Edmonton goals against Philadelphia. “The dressing room is really calm. I don’t think guys get too down on themselves, which is a good thing. Guys play confidently. When everyone’s doing that, we can build off of that.” Projected lineups Oilers Forward Defence Goal Blue Jackets Forward Defence Goal
