The Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars are tied 1-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference final, but the Oilers have raised concerns over the lack of power-play opportunities they’ve been awarded in the series. Head coach Kris Knoblauch suggested that the standard of officiating may have changed in the playoffs, making it more difficult to draw penalties. In Thursday’s series opener, the Oilers went on the power play only once, compared to 10 minutes of power-play time for the Stars. Through the first 58 minutes of Game 2, each team had one power play, with a few late calls on either side when the outcome was all but decided. In their previous two series, the Oilers had a much higher success rate on the power play, scoring six times on 18 chances against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round and nine times on 25 chances against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. However, their success rate has dropped to 34.9% in the conference final, with only one goal on 13 power plays dating back to Game 5 against Vancouver. Knoblauch acknowledged the Oilers’ struggles, stating that it’s unfortunate that it’s tougher to draw penalties in the playoffs than in the regular season. Edmonton averaged over four minutes of power-play time per game in the regular season but has only earned a total of 4:42 in the series against Dallas. Knoblauch emphasized that the standard should be the same for both teams, and the Oilers would like to see the same level of officiating as in the regular season. Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm was more blunt in his assessment, saying that he had no idea why the Oilers weren’t getting more power plays. He pointed to an instance where he was cross-checked in the same spot where Darnell Nurse had drawn a penalty earlier in the game. Ekholm acknowledged that it’s physical playoff hockey, but he believes the Oilers need to work harder to draw more penalties. Oilers forward Connor Brown suggested that the Stars’ discipline, as evidenced by their league-low three minutes short-handed per game in the playoffs, may be a factor. He believes that the Oilers need to hold onto the puck better and create more momentum to force the Stars to chase them around, which could lead to more penalties. Despite the Oilers’ concerns, Knoblauch remains confident in his team’s ability to generate scoring chances, even if they don’t get many power plays. He pointed out that Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the playoffs, are still getting their chances against Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger. Knoblauch stated that the Oilers had enough opportunities to score more than they did in Game 2 and that they will make some tweaks to improve their performance. McDavid, Draisaitl, and their Oilers teammates will need to find a way to generate offense and draw penalties if they want to take a lead in the series, especially if the officiating continues to keep the whistles largely silent.
Oilers Lament Lack of Power Plays in Conference Final, Knocking on Playoff Officiating
