NHL: Edmonton Oilers at Calgary Flames - Source: Imagn — Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch addresses struggles in penalty kill and special teams (Source: Imagn)

HC Kris Knoblauch makes his thoughts on Edmonton Oilers' league-bottom penalty kill extremely clear

Modified Nov 05, 2024 12:55 GMT

Edmonton Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch has talked about the team's penalty kill struggles. Their penalty kill is one of the worst in the NHL right now. During the 2024 playoffs, they had a strong 94.3% penalty-kill rate. However, they have dropped to the bottom of the league in this area during the regular season.

Knoblauch said the problems are not due to a lack of strategy or poor trends. Instead, they come from isolated mistakes that opponents take advantage of.

“It’s not a ‘we’re giving up point shots, it’s off the entry,’” he said.

He also noted that, by several metrics, their penalty kill is strong in key areas.

"A lot of the metrics are pretty good on the penalty kill side of it, on zone denials, shots from the slot, preventing," Knoblauch said. "It's just some mistakes and they're going in. Tonight, one mistake, it went in.

"Usually you say that's on the goaltender, but it came from the slot. It's doing a lot of good things, and there will be a time where we're talking about how good it looks."

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Knoblauch's frustration comes from the Edmonton Oilers' special-teams imbalance. They have been strong on the power play, leading the NHL for six seasons. In their recent playoff run, both their penalty kill and power play were important for advancing through each series.

However, after their 3-0 loss to the Devils, Knoblauch said weaker special teams are now hurting their ability to control games.

"You look at our run through the playoffs," Knoblauch said (via Sportsnet). "There’s no way we’re going to the Stanley Cup Final if we didn’t have an unbelievable powerplay and an unbelievable penalty kill. That got us through a lot of series."

Knoblauch and the team believe that reversing the season's fortunes depends on restoring their success in special teams.

Edmonton Oilers struggle offensively against New Jersey

In their recent game against the New Jersey Devils, the Edmonton Oilers allowed a power-play goal. They struggled to create offense on their own power play, missing their only chance. The Oilers rank 26th in drawing penalties, which makes it harder for them to get in sync.

At even strength, Edmonton had several scoring chances but couldn’t beat New Jersey’s goalie, Jake Allen. Zach Hyman, Adam Henrique and Vasiliy Podkolzin had close chances but didn’t score.

The Oilers led in high-danger chances and overall shots. Natural Stat Trick recorded a 13-6 edge for Edmonton at five-on-five. However, New Jersey held and extended its lead as the game went on.

The Edmonton Oilers faced more challenges with star Connor McDavid missing his third game due to an ankle injury. His absence has created a gap in their offense, and fans are eager for his return. McDavid skated with reserve players in practice, suggesting he might come back sooner than expected, possibly next week.