HC Kris Knoblauch quips about questionable officiating against Edmonton Oilers as special team woes continue

By Zachary Roberts

Modified Nov 05, 2024 14:17 GMT

The Edmonton Oilers haven't gotten a lot of favorable penalty calls this season. The team hasn't had very many power play advantages through 13 games in the 2024-25 season. Head coach Kris Knoblauch has acknowledged that but he's not sure about the reason behind it.

A reporter noted that the Oilers are having a tough time even drawing penalties, let alone taking advantage of the numbers on subsequent power plays. Knoblauch joked (5:02):

"Um, I don’t know, the referee's out for us? No, I don’t know. I have no answer for that."

The question came after another disappointing Edmonton loss. The Oilers were shut out by the New Jersey Devils 3-0, dropping their record to 6-6-1. The team that was so close to a Stanley Cup win last year has not played like it thus far.

Knoblauch also said that power plays win hockey games in the NHL. The coach said the Oilers' power play will get better, and they know their penalty kill will improve as well. He noted it's all about "just finding the execution."

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Edmonton Oilers coach gives update on Connor McDavid

It is a little bit harder to do anything in the NHL without a team's best player. When that player is Connor McDavid, it's a bigger challenge. Right now, the struggling Edmonton Oilers are without one of the best players in the sport.

The Oilers are without Connor McDavid (Imagn)

Thanks to a lower-body injury, he is in the throes of a two or three-week absence. Kris Knoblauch revealed a couple of days ago that that hasn't changed, but that it might speed up a little bit.

Via The Hockey News, he said:

"Not much has changed, maybe it speeds up a little bit. It's still going to be that two, three weeks. Probably closer to two weeks than three weeks."

He also said that McDavid "went on the ice" but he hesitated to call it skating. Despite the absence, Knoblauch believes the struggles are mostly due to a lack of finishing:

"We were able to finish on our opportunities, which is something that we haven't been able to do earlier this year."

The Edmonton Oilers are back in action Wednesday night against the Vegas Golden Knights.