Oilers Thoughts: Everyone is showing up for Edmonton

A 1-0 overtime winner from Kasperi Kapanen sent the Edmonton Oilers to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years Wednesday night.

Pair it with a 24-save shutout from Stuart Skinner, who hasn’t allowed a goal since the dramatic game-winner in Game 3 against Vegas, and everything is going right for the Oilers. That’s exactly how we all drew it up, right?

They’ve advanced to the third round in one fewer game than last season, when they beat L.A. in five but were taken to Game 7 by the Vancouver Canucks. People have joked that Jim Hiller changed the series with his challenge in Game 3, but more credit belongs to Kris Knoblauch and his coaching staff.

His lineup changes — bringing in Calvin Pickard, John Klingberg, Troy Stecher and Kapanen — were decisions that swung both series in the Oilers’ favour. Line-matching Leon Draisaitl with Jack Eichel, who he shut down, and adjusting the style on the penalty kill sent the Golden Knights packing, too.

So, while other coaches aren’t finding ways to win, it’s because they’re getting outcoached by Knoblauch. That should give you every belief that Edmonton can continue on this run. Of course, the players need to perform — and they have. The depth has shown up significantly more than last season.

Edmonton scored 46 goals heading into the Western Conference final last season — the most heading into the third round — with Draisaitl, McDavid and Bouchard leading the way. Draisaitl contributed points on 52 percent of the goals, McDavid 46 percent and Bouchard 43 percent. It’s been a completely different tale this time. They’re still contributing and are in the top three in team scoring, but now McDavid is at 40 percent, Draisaitl is 37 percent, and Bouchard is down at 28 percent — a drastic change, but a positive one.

Instead of those stars dragging the Oilers to success, they’ve had a strong supporting cast. Along with Bouchard, Mattias Ekholm, Brett Kulak, and Cody Ceci were among the top 10 in team points at this stage last year, which showed how poor the depth scoring was. Now, it’s filled with forwards who’ve already outscored themselves from last season. Evander Kane, Connor Brown, Vasily Podkolzin, Adam Henrique, Mattias Janmark, and Kapanen last night all stepped up when the team needed it.

“Tough to compare. I know we have a good team — we’ve shown it. We’ve beaten two really, really good teams — L.A., Vegas, obviously — and we’ve done it largely grinding through special teams,” said Connor McDavid following the Game 5 win. “The PK’s been battling, the power play struggled all series long, and that’s a new story for you guys to write, too. Five-on-five, we’ve been really, really good.”

The superstars have also showcased their eliteness, showing up in the clutch. Draisaitl has two overtime winners and an assist in the extra frame, McDavid has two game-tying goals, and Bouchard led the way in Game 3 versus L.A., a huge turning point for the Oilers. We haven’t even mentioned the strong goaltending that Pickard and Skinner have shown throughout.

Edmonton is only halfway there, but this year’s team feels like it’s on another level. We all wait to see who they’ll face in the final four. Frankly, it doesn’t matter — they will find a way to bring this city back to full glory.