GENE'S BLOG: Principe Playoff Primer

The Edmonton Oilers were on the bus headed to the Denver airport after a season finale against Colorado when a final night of NHL play came to an end and did so in dramatic fashion.

While Edmonton was talking about potential first-round opponents in the locker room after game 82, that's all it was. Just chatter on whether they would face Vegas or Los Angeles in the opening round. As to be expected, both Corey Perry and Darnell Nurse said it didn't matter to them if it was the Knights or Kings. I believe them.

In case you hit the sack before the evening was over, the Knights hit the loss column against the Anaheim Ducks. With that opening, the Kings scored late on the power play at 18:39 of period three vs. Chicago. That point was all they needed to finish third. For good measure they won it in overtime and won the right to face off against Edmonton in the post-season.

It's not like these two teams haven't been down this road before, but first a look at the road traveled for the Blue & Orange through this 2023-24 season.

It started with great expectations and ended that way as well, but along the way there were some big bumps to navigate around. The biggest came after a loss to San Jose and a record that stood at 2-9-1. While Edmonton would go on to a win against Seattle in their next action, they lost a coach in Jay Woodcroft – a man who had squeezed the most out of the team during his tenure.

A conference final and a second-round series were accomplished. A trip to the Cup Final and a Cup victory were all that was left to fill out the expectations checklist. With that seemingly getting further away than closer, a good man with a great winning percentage was relieved of his duties. In a results-driven business, that was the final result. Jay Woodcroft was out and Kris Knoblauch was in.

When he was hired, Knoblauch was best known as Connor McDavid's junior coach in Erie. It was the single biggest decision made this season. In strode the pride of Imperial, Saskatchewan. A former junior and university player in the Alberta capital, he was now back in Edmonton where he met his wife on the U of A campus to further his coaching education.

His grade would be an A+ for what the 45-year-old bench boss set in motion with the help of his current staff. They worked well together and the one-time player for the WHL's Edmonton Ice looked liked he had that running through his veins.

It was not uncommon to see Knoblauch in complete command of himself and his bench. It didn't seem to matter what the score was or what the latest call had been, he kept his composure and so did the team. They proceeded to have the best record in hockey from November 13 and beyond, leading to a push for first place in the division and home-ice advantage to start the playoffs.

If we're talking playoffs, we have to start with Connor McDavid and follow up with Leon Draisaitl, and then I wouldn't forget Stuart Skinner or Zach Hyman, not to mention Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse or Evan Bouchard and his defensive partner Mattias Ekholm.

There are so many others like Evander Kane and Corey Perry who also have important roles once the results can lead to elimination. This is no longer a bunch of kids who are learning lessons that they hope will lead them to earning the toughest trophy to win in sports.

I think the time to say that was a great effort but not the greatest result has left the building. This is a team built to win now. They know it, the entire NHL knows it.

The core is at the age where they can't go much longer being a favourite and not ending their season with a win and a Stanley Cup. The building blocks have been put in place for the last decade and the belief is i'ts time to finish the project.

They did finish the season on April 18. That's it but that's not all for the Edmonton Oilers. The Cup Final has to be finished by June 24. Thanks for reading and enjoy the playoffs.