ANAHEIM, Calif. — These are the questions we like to ask players who have been here, in the case of Mattias Ekholm and Nick Bjugstad, since the week of the trade deadline. While their relatively new eyes still qualify as a view from the outside.
“You’ve played against this Oilers team for years, and now you are a member of it. After being here for a while now, what are the things that you didn’t know about this team?
“Were there any misconceptions? Any opinions that being here for a while have cemented?”
Ekholm reaches for his prodigious beard, gives it a stroke or two, and thinks: “That’s a good question,” he said.
“Well, the top six and forwards are deadly offensive threats. But I knew that,” began the big Swede. “Maybe the defensive foundation that was there. I wouldn't say 'surprised' — that's the wrong word — but I don’t think they get enough credit for what they do defensively.
“This team is capable of playing defense; this team has a good structure; this team has all the tools to play those tight games that you're going to have to play in playoffs. If I have to bring anything up, I think that defensive side is something that maybe doesn't get recognized enough.”
That, he did not see from afar.
We have followed the Oilers, inch by inch, for years. And we are pleasantly surprised at the defensive posture they have acquired over the back half of this season. (At least I am.)
So, you can imagine that a player who comes from the Nashville Predators — a team the Oilers have absolutely lit up over the past few years — or Arizona, who usually gets the run-and-gun Oilers as an opponent, wasn’t expecting a team that has allowed two goals in its past four games.
When it comes to the nuances of having a front row seat in the Oilers dressing room, it starts where everything starts: With Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
When you’re on the other side, you think you know. Then you come to Edmonton.
“I'm not surprised at the speed of McDavid or playmaking of Leon, but the consistency of it,” said Bjugstad. “The plays they're making at high volume, I mean, it makes sense if you do the math on their points. But just seeing it on a day-to-day basis is ... pretty cool.”
As for his new captain, let’s face it: guys around the league are a little bit intimidated walking into McDavid’s room. Their view of him, mostly through the TV screen in interview situations, does not accurately reveal the Connor McDavid who shakes their hand when their first walk into the room.
“He keeps it light sometimes,” Bjugstad said. “I didn't really know what to expect. I thought he was just more of a quiet guy.”
There is a depth of personality than Bjugstad did not know about. “Yes, that's right.”
One of the areas that is different for incoming players is the speed of the game.
A lot of teams talk about playing “fast.” But in Edmonton, a couple of tenets of the game plan require some adjustments.
“The thing that stands out the most is, you've been out in your own defensive zone for a good 25 or 30 seconds, and you win the puck,” said Ekholm. “Usually, you want to just slow it down. You grab (the puck) behind the net, get everybody off and get new guys on.
“But here, I feel like that's when they thrive. When there's no structure (for the opponent) — nobody really knows what the other one is doing — that's when they really go. When they really create odd-man situations the other way. That's been a thing that has been a little bit different here.”
Edmonton’s 124 second-period goals are far and away tops in the NHL — nearly 20 per cent ahead of second-place Toronto (104). That is the period with the long change, when extended shifts lead to structural breakdowns.
It’s not a fluke that the Oilers took over both games on this road trip in Period 2. That’s when there is more room for creativity, and if it’s going to be a game of ingenuity and improvisation, we like the Oilers’ chances most nights.
“Playing fast” is less about foot speed and more about skill, hockey intelligence, and the ability to move the puck smartly and accurately from stick to stick to stick.
Edmonton isn’t the only team that plays fast. There are others.
But when they’re on, well, there is a reason this Oilers team leads the league in offence.
“I feel like the game was moving at a faster pace. And it’s the same game I've been playing for 10 years,” Bjugstad said of his first few weeks here. “It just seems like we're always moving forward, which is a tough game to play against. We’re not trying to slow things down. It's a ‘go game,’ right in your face, and that’s a hard game to play against.”
It also gets the opposition playing faster, which really ramps things up, Bjugstad said.
“It’s the heightened awareness on the other side — going into the game, teams are talking about how fast we play — that brings another level of speed to the game,” he said.
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