In an Edmonton Oilers news and rumors update, two top-six forwards for the team were missing from practice on Friday. Are they dealing with serious issues? Or, is this just about letting them get rest while they wait for the next series to start? Meanwhile, the Jack Adams finalists were named on Friday and head coach Kris Knoblauch wasn’t a finalist. Is that an oversight? The Oilers’ defense has been steady in the playoffs, yet Cody Ceci is taking a bit of heat. Why?
Kane and Henrique Miss Practice for the Oilers
Jason Gregor of Sports 1440 writes that a couple of key Oilers were not on the ice for practice on Friday. As is, it’s not a huge reason for concern, but it might be a storyline to keep an eye on. Both Adam Henrique and Evander Kane sat out practice, likely just resting.
Gregor notes:
“Henrique got banged up in game five. Had lower body discomfort. He and Kane not skating today. Oilers don’t play (until Tuesday most likely) for a few days and can use days off to rest anyone who is banged up. Janmark and Brown filling in on top six in practice.”
The hope is that the injury is not serious and Henrique is just taking a couple of days off to rest and rehab before the next series against either the Vancouver Canucks or the Nashville Predators. Kane’s absence is not shocking considering he chose to rest and take maintenance days and then let the media know he was dealing with a sports hernia issue that had been bugging for a good portion of the season. This is likely more of the same kind of rest he took before the Kings series.
Knoblauch Snubbed for Jack Adams Award
Despite an impressive season by Kris Knoblauch as coach, he was excluded from the finalists for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award announcement on Friday. The three finalists – Rick Bowness (Winnipeg Jets), Andrew Brunette (Nashville Predators), and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks) — were all worthy of nomination, but it feels like a snub that Knoblauch wasn’t a finalist. He took over the team after a 3-9-1 start and proceeded to take the Oilers to the winningest record in the NHL after his arrival.
Related: 3 Keys to Series as Oilers Eliminate Kings in 5 Games
Under his guidance, the Oilers posted a record of 46 wins, 18 losses, and five overtime losses. They had a league-leading points percentage of .703 and an impressive goal differential of +72. Their goals for per game (3.72) and goals against per game (2.68) positioned them second and fifth respectively. The Oilers’ power play continued to be a dominant weapon at 26.9%, but their penalty kill was incredible, jumping up to 81.7%.
Why Is Cody Ceci Getting No Love?
Despite the Oilers playing sound defense against the Kings and limiting them to less dangerous scoring chances, Cody Ceci is taking some criticism for his play. People always jump on Darnell Nurse because of his overinflated contract, but a recent post by Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille of The Athletic wrote that the Oilers’ blue line — except Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm — needed to be better in their next series.
They wrote:
While Nurse and Ceci were on the ice at five-on-five, the Oilers were outscored 4-2, outshot 54-37, out-attempted 110-72 and they lost on expected goals, 3.3 to 2.1. Given how soundly Edmonton beat Los Angeles in all of those areas, Nurse and Ceci’s performance gets even more impressive.
source – ‘NHL Power Rankings: Who needs to step up for each playoff team?’ – Dom Luszczyszyn and Sean Gentille of The Athletic – 05/03/2024
I believe Ceci is dealing with the consequences of two particular plays in the series with the Kings. In Game 1, he had his stick shatter and he tried to swipe at the puck, giving it directly to a Kings player for a goal. The second play came when he missed a wide-open net from a beauty pass from Mattias Janmark.
To jump on Ceci isn’t necessarily a fair criticism. He’s been steady and reliable, even if there were times in the series with Los Angeles that the Oilers were hemmed into their own zone and the Kings held decent possession time. Ceci made several smart plays he doesn’t get a lot of credit for.
Having said all that, there is rightfully some concern about how the defense will pair up against a potent team like Colorado, should the Oilers and Avs meet in the playoffs.
