Oilers expect coaching change to give potential first-round opponent Golden Knights a jolt

Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse met young fans Monday, signing autographs and reminding them to put down their phones more often.

Nothing in life is certain, especially the final standings of this National Hockey League regular season.

Nine teams, five of them in the Western Conference, are within five points of a playoff spot.

The Edmonton Oilers aren’t one of those teams, nor are the Vegas Golden Knights. Each sits above the playoff threshold in second and third, respectively, in the Pacific Division and is within striking distance of first place, currently held by the surprising Anaheim Ducks.

But none of them are locks for a post-season berth as the NHL schedule winds down.

Which is part of the reason why the Golden Knights on Sunday fired head coach Bruce Cassidy and replaced him with well-travelled veteran bench boss John Tortorella with just eight games left in their regular-season slate.

The other part? Vegas – 3-5-2 in their last 10 games, one of those OT losses coming at the hands of Edmonton – has been sputtering much of this calendar year. Just two-and-a-half months ago, the Golden Knights sat first in the division with a 23-11-12 record, four points up on the Oilers (and nine up on the Ducks). They’ve gone 9-15-4 since then, losing their grip on first to Anaheim early this month.

It was a change that didn’t totally surprise Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch, who himself stepped behind the Edmonton bench in November 2023 to replace Jay Woodcroft to provide a jolt of sorts to energize his club all the way to the Stanley Cup Final that season.

Knoblauch said after Oilers practice Monday, a day before they host the Seattle Kraken, that while Cassidy “is a tremendous coach” with a sterling track record – he did pilot Vegas to a Cup victory three years ago, beating the Oilers along the way that spring – “Vegas (was) not in a position that they liked.”

That position sees the Golden Knights (32-26-16 for 80 points) just four points ahead of the Los Angeles Kings (29-26-18), who sit out of the playoff picture in the ninth Western Conference spot, and five up on the 10th-place Kraken (32-29-11).

The Oilers (37-28-9) have 83 points, the Ducks (41-28-4) have 86.

“They’ll have a lot of urgency to get into the playoffs because, similar to us, the season’s winding down,” Knoblauch told media after practice. “Those games are important.”

The way things are going, though – and again, the NHL crystal ball is as murky as it’s ever been – odds are we will see an Oilers-Golden Knights first-round matchup.

Knoblauch expects the coaching change will shake things up for the Golden Knights, who visit Rogers Place on Saturday.

“I assume they’ll be changing their style up a little bit,” he said. “(With) the amount of time they have in their season, it’s not going to change a whole lot, but it’ll probably give them a boost.”

It could mean a more focused Vegas group, headlined offensively by Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel, that has faltered defensively and in goal this season.

Oilers forward Jack Roslovic, who played for Tortorella with the Columbus Blue Jackets, said ‘Torts’ “really has just one expectation of you, and that’s to work every day.”

“He holds you to that,” Roslovic said, “and he’ll tell you if you’re not.”