The Edmonton Oilers tied the series up at 1-1 as we now head back to Edmonton. The good news is that Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Mattias Ekholm absolutely dominated the Canucks by every possible standard.

The bad news is they were the only combination able to consistently do so.

Knoblauch made a bold move in Game 2 as that combination of 5 players were together almost exclusively. Ekholm and Bouchard played with McDavid for a total of 19 and 21 minutes respectively. The next most minutes of a defender with McDavid was Kulak at 1:46.

It was a recipe for success for Game 2 but I don't see how that can possibly be a sustainable effort for an entire season. Eventually the Canucks are going to find a way to shut that line down for a game or two... and that could very well be the series.

RNH, Foegele, McLeod, Holloway, Kane... someone else needs to step up and drive some offense and force the Canucks to spend their resources on another line. Knoblauch did not have lines doing any particular rushes in practice and its obvious he is trying to hide his forward combinations from the Canucks coaching staff. We won't know until right before puck drop what the combos will be, and even those could change quickly once the game starts.

We do know that Adam Henrique will not play and that Connor Brown will draw back in. Henrique was questionable for Game 2 but did end up playing but now it's looking like whatever was ailing him is enough to keep him out for a game.

If I was to change the lines for this game I would run something like this:

Kane-McDavid-Hyman
Draisaitl-RNH-Foegele
Holloway-McLeod-Brown
Janmark-Ryan-Perry

If Draisaitl is hurting and can't take on the centre responsibilities, have him play the wing with Nuge and be the shooter on that line, leaving the McDavid and Hyman combo to do as they have done. Perry simply has not done enough in these playoffs and I think it's time to run a fourth line as a pure physical and defensive presence and try and get under the skin of the Canucks far more than they have done. Holloway needs to be in a top 9 spot to produce and playing the McLeod and a hungry Brown provides a new mix that could spark into something.

Skinner was good enough in Game 2 to get the Oilers a win but he once again allowed a bad goal from a poor angle. Edmonton has done a decent job at keeping Vancouver to the outside and limiting chances but that only works if Skinner can stand tall and handle those outside shots with ease.

Quick thought on the officiating because it's become a powder keg topic on Twitter. I think it's safe to say that both teams have had calls go for and against them. Look, it's the playoffs and no team is ever going to be happy with the reffing. I feel like there should have been a few more calls against the Canucks, including some diving calls. I am sure Canucks fans will be quick to call out others themselves. Both teams are simply going to have to deal with it and try and press forward.

Should be another interesting game with plenty to discuss later.

Thanks for reading!

Join the Discussion: » 24 Comments » Post New Comment

» Oilers vs Stars Round 3 Game 5

» Oilers vs Stars Round 3 Game 4

» Oilers vs Stars Round 3 Game 3

» Oilers vs Stars Round 3 Game 2

» Oilers vs Stars Round 3 Game 1