Coach Knoblauch Wakes Up Edmonton Oilers By Benching Leon Draisaitl
The Edmonton Oilers looked like they may continue their slow start against the Flyers last night, until Leon Draisaitl scored the overtime winner after being benched earlier.
Draisaitl has been struggling to find his groove early this season, and took an unnecessary cross checking penalty out of clear frustration last night - something that he's done in the past as well. It's a poor example of leadership, but Draisaitl was also playing a poor game.
Spittin' Chiclets host and former Oiler Ryan Whitney called out Draisaitl for being absent and a non factor on the play. A few times early this season, the Oilers stars have had passenger type shifts.
Oilers coach Knoblauch has seen the offence struggle in the first few games, but it seemed like when Draisaitl took that selfish penalty, there was grounds to sit him for a few shifts. Draisaitl was benched for a few minutes in the third period, but then when he got back on the ice, made the biggest impact he could.
Star players sometimes need a slight kick in the pants to get going, and perhaps it was that time out from Knoblauch that got Draisaitl to really lock in for overtime. When the opportunity came to him to win the game, Draisaitl made no mistake and fired home the game winning goal. Knoblauch held Draisaitl accountable, and he responded in the perfect way.
After the game, Draisaitl didn't acknowledge his benching much, only saying it would be a question for Coach Knoblauch. Draisaitl himself admitted that his cross checking penalty was unnecessary, and he himself took accountability for the reason behind the benching.
It was a gutsy approach from the Oilers coach, but the player responded in the way a champion would - prioritizing winning above all else.
| POLL | ||
Did you like the move from Knoblauch to hold Draisaitl accountable? | ||
| Yes, it was a deserved benching | 137 | 89 % |
| No, he should always be playing | 13 | 8.4 % |
| See Results | 4 | 2.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
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