BLOG: Draisaitl absent Thursday as Oilers regroup ahead of Game 2

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Head Coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t have a whole lot to say to his group on Thursday afternoon when everyone returned to Rogers Arena for practice following their 5-4 defeat the night before in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Vancouver Canucks.

In plain-speaking terms, what could be said has already been said before – many times.

“Obviously a coach has some impact on how the team responds, whether that's responding after a win or after a loss,” Knoblauch said. “But a lot of things that I could say, the players know.”

As a veteran and experienced group with leadership that’s been in this position a few times before down 1-0 in a series, there’s already an unspoken understanding amongst the Oilers players that they’ll need to play better in Friday night’s Game 2 to prevent them from having to head back to Oil Country down two games to none against their Canadian rivals.

“We've been in this position before, not just in-season but in seasons past and different series,” defenceman Darnell Nurse said. “So you take it one day at a time, one game at a time, and you just live in the moment. It's easy to dwell on the past or feel like one game is the end of the world, but at the end of the day, it's about getting back to our game and taking care of tomorrow night.”

During Thursday’s practice, that confidence was reflected in the body language of Knoblauch’s players, who returned to the ice focused on getting back to playing the fast and imposing style that they know they're capable of playing.

The Oilers know they'll need to tighten things up defensively after playing too passively with a 4-1 lead and collapsing over a 22:43 stretch in the second and third periods, giving up four unanswered goals while failing to register a shot in that span, but these are emotions they know how to handle from having gone through this type of experience in previous post-season runs – including in 2022 when they lost Game 1 to the Calgary Flames before winning the next four games.

A 46-18-5 record under Knoblauch in the regular season, along with several gutsy offensive and defensive performances in these playoffs, have shown the Oilers head coach that they can deal with this type of adversity.

“They understand they've been through this, and I just think it's very important whether you're winning or losing to stay even-keeled,” Knoblauch said. “You respond and bring your best the next day, and I think we've done a pretty good job of that throughout the year. Our losing streaks have been short. We've been able to respond after poor games very quickly.

“Last night wasn't our best game, and often you must give credit to the opposition because they usually put you in a position not to have your best game. But we need to step it up and we hadn't played for a while, so we need to find our game and we got to do it quickly.”

DRAISAITL ABSENT

Forward Leon Draisaitl did not participate during Thursday's practice for the Oilers, with Coach Knoblauch updating the status of the German along with Adam Henrique for Friday's Game 2 against the Canucks as day-to-day.

“Leon and Adam are day-to-day, and we'll let you know tomorrow if they're playing or not,” Knoblauch said.

Draisaitl wasn't seen on the Oilers' bench in the second period of Game 1 for a short time before he came back and attempted to take another shift, but it ended only seconds later after he returned to the bench and went back to the dressing room.

Draisaitl returned for the start of the third period and went on to finish with 16:37 of ice time and two assists, with Knoblauch saying post-game that cramping and equipment issues contributed to his temporary absence in Game 1.

But the German's absence from Thursday's practice raises potential concerns about his Game 2 availability along with Adam Henrique, who took part in the skate but didn't take line rushes or compete in any three-on-two drills over the nearly 45-minute practice.

The Oilers could be without two top-six forwards if both are unable to go on Friday, but they've built considerable depth up front for moments like these with options like Sam Gagner and Sam Carrick waiting in the wings for forwards. Connor Brown suited up for the first time in these playoffs in Game 1 due to the absence of Henrique.

Gagner was a placeholder for Draisaitl at second-line centre during the practice, which is encouraging for the German's potential inclusion in the lineup for Game 2, while Warren Foegele's position on the top line in place of Henrique isn't as encouraging for his chances of suiting up for the first time in Round 2 on Friday.

Regardless of how it shakes out for Draisaitl and Henrique, the Oilers are confident in the players they have to help fill any potential void left behind by their potential absences.

“In the playoffs, absolutely you need depth,” Knoblauch said. “And I understand why at the deadline we added those extra pieces, and we pushed some pretty good players out of our lineup. But when you're playing every second day in the high intensity of playoffs, guys get banged up and you need that depth. And fortunately, we have some depth.

"We have Sam Carrick who didn't play the other night. We didn't have Connor Brown previously. So we feel comfortable with inserting those guys that can play a role and play well for us."