BLOG: Stingy down the stretch

EDMONTON, AB - As the playoff race tightens, so must the defence.
The Oilers are spoiled with arguably the two best players in the NHL with the biscuit on their stick, but lately, the team seems to be hitting their stride without the puck.
"As the league narrows, and more and more teams [are falling out of contention], the attention to details and the focus of teams on the defensive part of the game increases," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said. "Every play counts, every rep counts, every shift counts; it becomes harder and harder to score."
So far the Oilers have been up to the task. In the month of April, the Oilers have allowed the third-fewest goals against -- with the 15 markers allowed trailing only the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. In fact, their 1.88 goals against per game is second in the NHL during that stretch.

The emphasis for the Oilers has been on continuing to build on the details every day -- a mantra preached by Coach Woodcroft who knows that the tight-checking and heavily-contested style of hockey isn't going away any time soon.
"You have to feel comfortable in those types of games," he said. "Against Colorado, it was a 0-0 game with some of the best players in the world on the ice. It was a heck of a game and there were numerous good plays by both teams. When you can feel comfortable in those types of situations during the regular season, it prepares you for when it really counts."
Stinginess has been at the forefront under Woodcroft. The Oilers are averaging half a goal less per game under his guidance -- ranking sixth in the NHL since his appointment back on Feb. 10. One of the biggest changes the 45-year-old coach has made is cultivating defenceman Darnell Nurses' team game, and allowing it to flourish. The Oilers rearguard is coming off a season where he scored 16 goals in just 56 games, but this year, his game has evolved through an emphasis on developing a more-rounded toolset.
"I think he is money in the bank in terms of his effort, his leadership, and how hard he plays the game," Woodcroft said. "When we asked him to go into that shutdown role, we asked him to forgo a few other types of opportunities. He's that type of teammate who wants to win and is willing to do what's asked."
"For Darnell to play those key shutdown minutes, to lead our penalty kill, and to relish that role -- I think it speaks to his level of character and his level of work," Woodcroft continued.

The improvement on the aforementioned penalty kill this month may be the Oilers biggest accomplishment. You have to look back to April 5 to find the last goal scored against the Oilers while they were shorthanded when Tomas Hertl of the San Jose Sharks delivered the blow.
Since the beginning of April, the penalty kill is operating at a 95.2 per cent clip, allowing only a single goal in 22 opposing opportunities. More impressively, the Oilers have outscored their opposition by a 4-1 margin while down a man with goals from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2), Darnell Nurse, and Evander Kane.
Forward Zach Hyman, who has logged 124:21 on the penalty kill and has four shorthanded points this season, knows the importance of special teams heading into the post-season.
"Chipping in on the offence and scoring goals [shorthanded] is nice, but it's not the priority," Hyman said. "It's good to find a rhythm and build confidence because, in the playoffs, special teams are huge."
For Woodcroft, he will continue to preach the humble work ethic as he attempts to shape the Oilers roster into a title contender.
"I don't believe we've played to our full potential yet, there is a lot more there," he said. "We're working to be the best we can be on a daily basis."