“You never want to miss those guys”: Kris Knoblauch stresses on Oilers needing Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid despite depth scoring 

By ARJUN B

Modified Apr 04, 2025 11:00 GMT

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Edmonton Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch stressed the importance of stars Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid despite improved depth scoring after Edmonton's 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday.

McDavid has missed time with a lower-body injury since March 20 while Draisaitl recently returned from an undisclosed ailment. Other key players like Trent Frederic (ankle) and Evander Kane (knee surgery) have also been sidelined.

When asked postgame if he's happy with the team's play minus his top stars, Knoblauch said:

"You never want to miss those guys, you never want your top players not to be playing because every time they're not in, it decreases your chances of winning because they're good players, obviously.

“But what happens is other guys have some opportunities to play, get some confidence, hopefully score some goals, and then because we're going to need them at playoff time," he added.

(from 2:13 mark onwards)

Viktor Arvidsson, Connor Brown and Jeff Skinner all scored for Edmonton while Calvin Pickard made 27 saves in net.

For San Jose, Jack Thompson and Tyler Toffoli found the back of the net while Georgi Romanov stopped 35 shots in the loss.

Game Recap: Oilers 3-2 win against Sharks

Connor Brown opened the scoring for Edmonton at 6:22 of the first, picking up a pass from Skinner and finishing on a breakaway with a shot over Romanov’s glove.

Just under two minutes later, Thompson evened things up for San Jose at 8:10, firing in a one-timer from the top of the right circle off a slick feed from Wennberg.

"You gotta be careful what trap games are, because the NHL is so competitive. It's not that any game is ever easy," Knoblauch said.

But definitely, that's a team that is capable of beating us. We've had two one-goal games against them so far and I think anytime we can be beaten by them," he added.

(from 2:59 mark onwards)

Edmonton regained the lead early in the second when Arvidsson converted on the power play at 2:59 with Draisaitl's assist.

San Jose responded again at 8:48 with Toffoli scoring to tie the game 2-2. Skinner put the Oilers ahead once more at 14:57, tipping in Bouchard’s shot from the point to make it 3-2.

With the victory, the Oilers improved to 44-26-5. They have won three straight and currently sit third in the Pacific Division standings.