The Edmonton Oilers suffered a close 4-3 loss in overtime to the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night. They showed a solid effort, but with numerous unforced errors, they surrendered many quality chances against. The Oilers were stifled offensively, out-chanced 21-15, including an alarming 12-3 in high-danger chances at even strength.
They weren’t particularly dangerous offensively either, with most of their production coming on the power play. However, that could be due to lineup changes made before puck drop. Head coach Kris Knoblauch made some questionable decisions, especially up front. The bottom six is still trying to find its rhythm, and constant lineup shuffling isn’t helping.
Yes, it’s essential to get players into the lineup because they shouldn’t be sitting in the press box for too long, but there’s a delicate balance to doing this, and it’s important for the coaching staff to recognize when players are playing well and when they are developing chemistry with certain teammates. Knoblauch failed to acknowledge that.
Curtis Lazar Shouldn’t Have Been a Healthy Scratch
Why was Curtis Lazar in the press box? Knoblauch wanted to get everyone into a game during the Oilers’ two-game dad trip, which is understandable. Isaac Howard was the odd man out against the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday, so he returned to the lineup against Nashville. However, sitting Lazar wasn’t the right decision.
Related: Oilers’ Coach Kris Knoblauch Needs to Make Better Decisions
The fourth line with Lazar, Mattias Janmark, and Trent Frederic has looked solid lately. They have developed an identity. It’s a responsible line that’s trusted in the defensive zone, and can get on the forecheck and play a simple cycle game.
According to Natural Stat Trick, that trio played 6:19 together at 5-on-5 against the Blackhawks. When they were on the ice, they outshot their opponents 6-2, out-chanced them 9-3, and had 65.32 percent of the expected goals for. They also had a 3-1 advantage in high-danger chances, while taking three faceoffs in the defensive zone, one in the neutral zone, and one in the offensive zone.
Only the second line had more defensive zone starts. Despite starting most of their shifts in the defensive zone, they still outproduced and out-chanced their opponents. That’s impressive, so it was surprising to see that line split up.
Scratching Lazar also moved Frederic to centre, which was another mistake. Frederic has played much better lately as a fourth-line winger, finding chemistry with Lazar and Janmark. He has struggled all season and had finally found his role before Knoblauch moved him to the middle, a position where he doesn’t thrive. He should remain a winger, and moving him back and forth won’t help because he’s lacked confidence all season, and he needs stability to find success.
Mangiapane Should’ve Been a Healthy Scratch Instead
Andrew Mangiapane has been a major disappointment, and he had another rough game against the Predators. He made a ton of mistakes, especially on Nashville’s first goal. He also took a bad holding the stick penalty in the third period. The 29-year-old finished the game with one shot, two hits, and a minus-1 rating in 10:20 of ice time.
The biggest issue with Knoblauch is that he’s selective about when to hold players accountable. Mangiapane made multiple errors, but still got playing time. Howard made one mistake and was benched, finishing with a team-low 6:14 of ice time. Why is there a different standard for young players vs. veterans?
Mangiapane shouldn’t have played. Lazar should’ve been in the lineup, and Howard should have been on that third line with Matt Savoie and Jack Roslovic instead of Mangiapane. Knoblauch is stuck in his ways and should have managed his roster better against the Predators.
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