The Edmonton Oilers Defensive Growth Shows Stanley Cup Promise

The Edmonton Oilers’ defence has improved drastically in this postseason. They’ve begun defending like a Stanley Cup contender. All this in the absence of their best defensive defenseman, Mattias Ekholm, who is still sidelined. However, they’ve been wonderful overall. While the bad moments, like Game one, have been there, Edmonton’s improved defense is why they’re ahead in Round 3 against the Dallas Stars. They’ve been much better than the struggles we saw against the Los Angeles Kings. It’s a sign of growth from the Oilers.

It’s not just the defensive unit that has improved. Everyone on the roster has been better. While having good individuals is key, it takes a team to win in the playoffs. Edmonton has everyone buying in and doing the right things. That’s a sign of good leadership and good coaching. It’s a sign of maturity for a team that wasn’t so mature last season. We’ll see where it goes, but it’s been the entire lineup.

Edmonton Oilers Defence Showing Growth

Edmonton’s blueline has been a driving force behind the playoffs’ success. It’s a stark turnaround from their first two games of this postseason. The Oilers defense has shone, with John Klingberg‘s comeback leading the way. His turn-around since arriving in Alberta has been massive for the Oilers. Primarily an offensive defenseman at his peak, Klingberg has reworked his game to become the Swiss Army Knife defenseman the Oilers lacked. Klingberg has begun to shine, getting his plaudits at both ends of the ice. He’s become an essential cog in this Oilers machine.

That pairing between Klingberg and Jake Walman has transformed the Oilers’ season. According to Moneypuck, the Walman-Klingberg pairing has the second-best expected goals percentage (xGoals%) of any pairing to play at least 90 minutes this postseason. That’s impressive because number 1 is Brett Kulak – Evan Bouchard. The Oilers’ backend transformation with those two has put them just two wins away from venturing back into the Cup Final. The Oilers’ entire top four has been sensational in the postseason. They’re on the brink of greatness.

Reinforcements Are on the Way

The reinforcements coming to help this roster, too, are overwhelming. With Mattias Ekholm and Calvin Pickard still day-to-day, the Oilers aren’t at their best. The guard will change as the players return from injury, specifically with Ekholm. Edmonton’s best two-way defender hasn’t played a minute of hockey this post-season. He’s an essential part of that defensive unit, and if he comes back, the Oilers will only get stronger.

It will be harsh on whoever sits to make room for Ekholm, but that is the situation for the Oilers. They are not yet in a position where they require Ekholm. If he can rest and continue to get closer to 100-percent, that’s a massive difference-maker down the line. When the Oilers can perform like this defensively, it’s a positive—especially when they can do it without their best defensive defenseman, who is still coming back from injury. It’s ridiculous. It’s a good sign for the Oilers defense.

What It Means

They’ve got everyone pulling on the rope right now. Edmonton are besting the Western Conference. They’ve made life much easier for their goaltenders, who have rewarded them with wins. The Oilers must keep playing this way. When they insulate the netminder, they give themselves a great chance to win. They’re winning games by keeping the opponent from scoring. They score at the other end, which enormously impacts confidence and momentum. The series is far from over, but the Oilers’ defense is going the right way.

The Oilers defense will need more from their group ahead of the remainder of this series, but things are trending the right way for a team that must continue to play a good two-way game. If the Oilers are defensively solid, they’ll give themselves a chance to win. If the Oilers can do that, especially in this series, they’ll get a shot at redemption. One bad period in Game 1 has been the only blemish on this remarkable performance so far.