The Edmonton Oilers cruised to a 7-3 victory against the Vancouver Canucks last night, but it’s easy to forget that it was a tight game at one point.
After the Oilers built a 3-0 lead in the second period, Vancouver made a strong push for a comeback, scoring two quick goals to make it a one-goal game. Those two Canucks goals came within a minute of each other, and it was clear that Edmonton was starting to sputter a little bit.
Sensing that his team was reeling, Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch called a rare second-period time-out to settle the troops. That turned out to be the perfect choice, as Edmonton could regroup and eventually run away with the game a period later.
“I think the way things had been going, we just need that reset, a refocus, and just have a little message for the players,” Knoblauch told reporters after the game.
“It’s tough to decide when to use [a time-out]. Next whistle, there is going to be a two-minute [commercial] time-out, so you’re not sure if you wanna salvage that time-out because you might need it later.”
“Brownie’s been playing really well & he’s been simplifying his game. He’s been shooting, a lot more shots from the perimeter.”#Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch on Connor Brown’s game as of late. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/cYR5Q2rUex
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 10, 2024
It was a moment reminiscent of a previous strategy employed by Knoblauch during last season’s playoff run in that very same building. During Game 7 of Edmonton’s second-round series against the Canucks, the rookie head coach called a time-out after Vancouver scored two quick goals to cut the Oilers’ lead to 3-2.
It’s an exact copy of that moment, and both had the same result: the Oilers held onto the lead to eventually win.
“There was a lot more stress on that one,” Knoblauched laughed. “There was a lot more going on that time-out than there was this one.”
It’s yet another example of Knoblauch knowing exactly what type of button to push to get this team to the next level. He has had a knack for making the right decisions at the right times throughout his first tenure as an NHL head coach.
This was a big win for this Oilers squad, and one that Knoblauch hopes can lead the team back up the NHL standings.