Oilers coach Knoblauch explains why he benched Connor McDavid

PUBLICATION

Joshua Deeds
November 17, 2023 (4:59)

SHARE THIS STORY

Edmonton Oilers beat the Seattle Kraken 4-3 in overtime last night in a Pacific Division matchup that appears to be turning into a rivalry.

As opposed to the usual overtime lineup, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard took the ice instead.

It seemed strange, since you would want your best players on the ice during overtime. What was the purpose of sitting McDavid? Was it a careless display of power?

McDavid making the most beautiful moves look EASY

In fact, it wasn't, according to Knoblauch, who explained that if the team lost the face-off, they'd have to defend for a minute.

His best players shouldn't spend a minute defending, rather they should be offensive threats, as McDavid was that night, scoring a breakaway goal.

It still seems strange that McDavid didn't get the first shot, when he would eventually get his chance with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins next shift.

"Hopefully the way that we won tonight makes us a better team."

Coach Knoblauch summarizes tonight's win at
@RogersPlace
.

@Enterprise
| #LetsGoOilers

In the end, Evander Kane scored the game-winning goal, assisted by Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard.

Ultimately, Knoblauch's decision makes sense, since if you lost possession you could defend easily with Ekholm and Bouchard. You could also wear down your opponents and switch out defenders for McDavid when you have the puck.

«You always want to put your best players on [the ice],» Knoblauch told reporters. «But if you lose the faceoff, you are going to spend about a minute trying to get that puck back, and I don't want my two best offensive players having to defend a minute.

«Once you get the puck, then most likely they are changing, so what we wanted to do was win the draw and make that switch right away.»

Additionally, McDavid would face a less challenging Seattle PP2 unit, opening up the ice.

Fans don't often have to consider strategy, but his perspective on the ice is interesting.

As Seen On: dailyhive.com