Oilers' coach Knoblauch gives a hefty demotion to two players
PUBLICATION
Ryan Hall
December 15, 2023 (1:14 PM)
As the Oilers resurgence continues with their winning streak standing at nine games in a row, newly minted head coach Kris Knoblauch continues to evaluate his lines and try to find the balance that every head coach is looking for.
As the old saying goes, you need to roll 4 lines if you want a long run in the playoffs. Knoblauch seems to be pushing his players into new positions including Evander Kane who is now sitting on the third line along with Ryan McLeod and Connor Brown.
This line in particular needs to fire up as Brown and Kane were brought in to the Oilers for scoring and to provide that offence to help balance things out. Brown has seriously disappointed so far this season, and Evander Kane hasn't been effective lately while dealing with a nagging injury.
Normally a third line is a checking line however with these two players flanking Ryan McLeod, it's possible they could break out in scoring as they would be facing the lesser talented players against the opposition.
Oilers fans will also see if Bouchard can continue his streak as he continues to rack up the points in his quest to be the best point getting defenseman in the league.
It's clear that the Oilers have dialed into his system and are thriving. These are the Oilers that we were expecting at the beginning of the season but sometimes a change is needed and now they have the results to show for it.
POLL |
Are you happy the Oilers made the coaching change? |
Yes, Woody had to go. | 499 | 48.8 % |
No, This is a temporary bounce. | 524 | 51.2 % |
List of polls |
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