Coach Knoblauch proved he's too soft on Oilers after blowout loss
The Edmonton Oilers have felt like they're in a funk for the last few weeks, and last night things boiled over in a blowout loss to Dallas. Coach Knoblauch did nothing to adjust, and the media is calling him out.
On OilersNation Everyday today, analyst Tyler Yaremchuk called out Knoblauch for the lack of accountability during the game. Instead of trying to shake up the team with some changes, which he often does anyway, Knoblauch trotted out the same lineup for most of the game.
Knoblauch has often changed the lines even when the team has been successful, so it's bizarre to see him stick to the plan even when things go wrong. When it was clear the Oilers weren't bringing their best game, there could be some accountability to the players by reducing ice-time if they're making mistakes - and if there's any time to send that message, it's when the game is out of reach. It still should be an opportunity to demand more from the team going forward, but Knoblauch may have been too soft here.
Knoblauch's post game press conference was uncharacteristically short last night, but his overall message was that the Oilers will learn from this blowout. It actually may not be the worst timing for the Oilers to get a kick in the butt, and motivate them heading into the playoffs.
In the playoffs, we can only hope that Knoblauch has the guts to roll with a player that gets hot, perhaps elevating them in the lineup and demoting those who aren't performing. Playoff hockey can be decided by these types of coaching decisions, and we'll need to see if Knoblauch can hold his own.
| POLL | ||
Should Knoblauch reduce ice time for top players if they aren't performing? | ||
| Yes, have to hold team accountable | 277 | 73.7 % |
| No, stick to what made you successful | 78 | 20.7 % |
| See Results | 21 | 5.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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