Jack Roslovic finds new home on Oilers second line

It’s safe to say that Jack Roslovic has settled into life as an Edmonton Oiler.

Early in his time in Edmonton, he got a taste of the line blender as Kris Knoblauch and co. tried to find the right fit for the winger. Consider it found, as Roslovic has seemed to find a home on the Oilers’ second line alongside Leon Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin.

The trio have now played 52 five-on-five minutes, outscoring their opposition 5-0 in those minutes, controlling 55 percent of the shot attempt share. While some of the other metrics, such as their 47.7 percent expected goal share and 45.7 percent scoring chance share leave room to be improved upon, their goalscoring has been undeniable.

Roslovic, specifically, has found his own stride over his last five games, taking 26 shot attempts and 14 shots on goal, scoring two goals and adding a pair of assists, too.

“Five games is great to… play those games well in a row,” he said Monday ahead of the Oilers visiting the St. Louis Blues. “But like I said, I think it’s about the team identity.”

That team identity has shifted positively for the Oilers, and Roslovic’s play has landed him a spot — at least for now — on the Oilers’ top power play unit, where he found himself Saturday night against the Chicago Blackhawks, scoring with the man advantage.

His mantra there? Keep it simple.

“There’s one puck and two posts, so stay by those three things,” he said. “It’s funny, but, you know, a little bit stay out of the way.

“It’s hard to find those right spots, be in the right positions around the net. So you’re not in any shot lane… you’re always an available option.”

His ascent to the top power play spot came not only from his play as of late, but from him being a right-shot forward, Knoblauch said Monday.

“We want somebody preferably right shot. That’s why those two got the nod,” he said, referring to Roslovic and David Tomášek, who has totalled 35 minutes of ice-time on the top power play unit this season. “Last game, we felt Roslovic had been playing so well and giving him an opportunity to get a little more ice time and possibly a goal, and he delivered there.

“But not only the goal, but he did make some nice plays, even on the entry. On the Leon Draisaitl goal. He had a big role in that goal, even though he didn’t get an assist on it. I think the biggest thing is just when a player’s feeling well and playing well and they’re a good player, you know, he should be able to help contribute.”

The Oilers have seemingly settled in with the new look lines they’ve been running in recent games, and if Roslovic, Draisaitl and Podkolzin continue to produce as they have, it’ll be hard to split them up.