EDMONTON — Somehow, the Anaheim Ducks managed to cut off the head of the snake in their playoff debut at Edmonton, yet still, the rest of the Oilers strangled them in a 4-3 win.
For the first time all season, the Oilers won a game in which Connor McDavid didn’t have a point. Talk about a double-edged sword for the Ducks.
“If you're able to shut down some of those top, high-end guys, you typically have a good result,” mused Anaheim’s Alex Killorn. “I'll give credit to their secondary scoring.”
Alas, death by Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen was not on Anaheim’s Bingo card as these playoffs opened Monday. But up north, the entire theme in Oil Country has revolved around getting to games like this one.
In Edmonton, the local hockey team has played eight playoff rounds in two years with nothing but a pair of Western Conference banners to show for it. There have been no banner-raising ceremonies, or hour-long variety shows preceding the following seasons’ home opener.
Just half of a Canadian province, trying to conjure up a solution on how to find one or two more wins in a season of 105 games? How to fine tune one of the NHL’s better teams into the league best team, to build a better base underneath and around the premium one-two punch of superstars in the league today?
And Edmonton does look a little bit different these days.
As these playoffs begin, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — a first-line fixture for years in Edmonton — plays on the third line with Dickinson and Jack Roslovic. Leon Draisaitl’s wingers are not Top 6 staples, but instead a pair of utilitarian forwards in Vasily Podkolzin and Kapanen, whose games are being raised by their proximity to the NHLs most consistent 50-goall, 100 point player.
And at last, the Oilers have a fourth line with an identity, with certified bangers Colton Dach and Trent Frederic flanking one of Josh Samanski or Curtis Lazar, with the injured Adam Henrique out for Game 2.
Their best defenceman in Game 1 was Jake Walman, who comes at you off the third pair.
It’s a supporting cast that played well down the stretch without the injured Draisaitl, and for one game at least, succeeded in the playoffs on a night when McDavid and the power play were silent.
“We have so much experience within our depth,” Nugent-Hopkins said on the off day, “(and) guys understand that sometimes it's their turn to show up and find ways to score big goals. We saw last night with Kappy and Dick — two apiece got us the win. Because the depth that we have, and the experience within that depth that we have, guys are ready to step up in any moment.”
Across the way, Ducks head coach Joel Quenneville walks the line between wanting to win a series, and making sure that every important piece of his promising young roster gains as much experience as possible from this first playoff series in the past eight seasons for Anaheim.
As much as they want to win, it’s more about tomorrow than today in Anaheim, home of the best looking rebuild in the Western Conference.
“We wanted to find out about our guys in the playoffs, and we showed that we're competitive (in Game 1),” Quenneville said. “There are some things we can learn from, and we’ve got to get better as we go along in the series anyways.
“The effort was there, the pace was fine. We expect to get better in order to win and be successful. And that's our challenge.”
Somehow, the Ducks walked into Edmonton and shut down the best player in the world, his entire first line, and the NHL’s top power play — all in one fell swoop. It’s crazy to think they accomplished, what so many other teams have failed at without much post-season experience.
But, can they even dream of holding McDavid pointless for a second straight game?
“That’s a full-time job description for everybody that's on the ice, every guy on our team,” Quenneville said. “We expect him to get his moments … he's going to get his turn, his chances and opportunities. But whether it's the guys who scored last night or one forward, we don’t just have to stop one guy. We’ve got a whole group (to stop).”
A quote like that must be music to Kris Knoblauch’s ears.
A playoff opponent, worried about all the players not wearing Nos. 97, 29, and 2. Dare to dream.
“There's always going to be times where somebody else is the hero,” the Oilers coach began. “Draisaitl, McDavid, they're going to be our heroes many times — but they can't be the heroes every single time. There's nights where it just doesn't happen (for the stars) and you need other guys stepping up.
“Last night … we got the win because our other guys really stepped up big when we needed them.”
If that continues, and the big boys heat up, the Oilers may just find that extra punch they’ve been looking for.
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