Game planning for the Edmonton Oilers these days is kind of like game planning for a snowball fight with an octopus.
They can come at you from every conceivable angle and almost always — 12 times out of the last 15, anyway — they’ve got you outgunned.
If you want to play some high-octane hockey, they have the four-headed monster of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman combining for 176 goals.
You want to throw them off their game by taking a few liberties? They have the most lethal power play the NHL has ever seen.
You want to choke out a low-scoring trap game? They just got through beating Los Angeles at the very game the Kings perfected.
You want to reduce things to a battle of will and physicality? Say hello to Evander Kane, Darnell Nurse, Vincent Desharnais, Mattias Ekholm, and Nick Bjugstad.
This is not a fun team to play anymore.
“Edmonton used to be a team that, OK, they can score, they have a couple of guys who can score,” said Anaheim Ducks coach Dallas Eakins.
“Now, if you want to show up and play a skill game against them, they’re like ‘OK.’ If you want to meet in the back alley and play there, they’re OK with that, too. They’re really well built right now.
“It’s certainly impressive what they have in their lineup. They score seven against Vegas because Vegas wants to play that way and then, against what I think is the best checking team in the West, they do what they did against them (2-0 win over L.A.).
“I watched the first period (against L.A.) game before our game in Seattle and I was impressed with how physically Edmonton came out. They can put on a number of different hats, that’s for sure. They’re going to have a real chance to be in it and to win it.”
The Oilers could always score, but their physical evolution adds another very strong arm to the octopus. Calling up six-foot-six lumberjack Vincent Desharnais in January, getting Kane, the master of gamesmanship and intimidation, back six days later and trading for six-foot-six worth of Bjugstad and 215 pounds worth of Ekholm at the March trade deadline has changed the entire complexion of the team.
“It’s a bigger team now, harder to play against,” said Nurse, adding the important thing is that the big guys can play. “We’ve gotten bigger without detracting from our ability to put the puck in the net. It’s a testament to management; they’ve put together a pretty good formula here.”
At just the right time. No matter how much skill a team has, success down the stretch drive and into the post-season comes down to strength and toughness.
“We’re coming to the time of the year where you want to make sure you have enough size in your lineup because it’s the grind time of the year,” said Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft. “You see fewer and fewer rush attacks and entry-type goals, you see more down low, cycling grinds that are finding the back of the net. We’re a big team and we’re going to look to press our advantage.”
Defenceman Evan Bouchard says it’s a good feeling to know their team has the personnel to succeed in any environment.
“It showed in March (franchise record 12 wins) that we can win a lot of different ways, which is what you need in the playoffs,” said Bouchard, adding big bodies make a big difference. “The more you can wear on teams in a long playoff series, the more it benefits your team. With the guys we added that’s what we can do.”
Nobody is going to out-skill the highest-scoring team in the NHL, and now the alley doesn’t look quite so inviting, either.
“I like where our team is at right now, I think we’re getting really close to being ready for the playoffs,” said winger Kailer Yamamoto. “We didn’t start the year the way we wanted to but we’re finishing the way we want to. We’re playing our best hockey right at the exact time we want. If we keep heading the way we’re heading right now we’ll be a dangerous team in the playoffs.”
Asked what style he prefers to see his team play, Woodcroft says it’s a moving target.
“Both games that we played against Las Vegas and Los Angeles, we won in different ways,” he said. “It showed the pliability or flexibility of us being able to win different types of games. That’s encouraging. Part of winning games in the NHL comes down to you and your execution, what you’re trying to do, but it’s also an understanding of what it’s going to take to beat the opponent in front of you.
“I want to be a team that’s ultraprepared and willing to bring our game to the other team, but we might have to adjust in order to win. If you are going to ask about the secret sauce of the Edmonton Oilers it’s that understanding — we feel we can win games in different fashions.”
E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @Rob_Tychkowski
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