May 30, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The wonderful thing about how the Edmonton Oilers roster is constructed is that head coach Kris Knoblauch has a lot of options when it comes to lineup configurations. That means that Knoblauch has many decisions to make prior to any given game. A part of coaching is knowing which buttons to push and when to push them. Knoblauch has shown a penchant for ably controlling the buttons throughout the season, but he has done so at an even higher level in these playoffs.

Game 1 of the first round saw Adam Henrique on a line with Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman. The trio was used in the final two games of the regular season, both Oilers losses with depleted lineups dressed. Knoblauch stuck with the trio for Game 1 though, and the line produced three even strength goals in the first 25 minutes of the game.

Knoblauch also decided that Dylan Holloway needed to be in his playoff lineup after scoring five points in six games after being recalled from the Bakersfield Condors. Holloway rewarded the coach with two goals in Game 2 of the first round.

Warren Foegele had a fantastic regular season, but his performance has waned in the playoffs. It started with a tough night in Game 2 of the first round. Foegele started the playoffs on the second line, where he had spent most of the season. He was demoted to the fourth line for Game 5 of the first round. Evander Kane was bumped up to the second line, and Holloway was elevated to the third line. Both players had outplayed Foegele in the series and deserved their promotions. The Oilers won Game 5 and advanced to the second round.

Henrique injured his ankle in Game 5 of the first round, which meant that there was a hole to fill in the lineup. Mattias Janmark was elevated to Henrique’s spot on the top line. Janmark did not record a point in Game 1, but the line did score a goal.

Henrique gave it a go in Game 2 against the Vancouver Canucks, but was clearly hampered. He took on a limited role for that game. Leon Draisaitl left Game 1 briefly with what appeared to be a back injury, but he was able to return. The impact of that injury on Draisaitl was unknown at that point, so Knoblauch moved Draisaitl to the wing on the top line line McDavid and Hyman. That line was dominant in a Game 2 overtime win.

Notably, Foegele was moved back into the top six for the first three games of the second round. Foegele made an atrocious giveaway in the first period of Game 3 against the Canucks, and his ice time was cut dramatically after that.

Game 3 is also where we saw Knoblauch pull Stuart Skinner in favour of Calvin Pickard. Pickard entered the game in the third period and made three saves. Skinner had started every playoff game for the Oilers in 2023 and 2024 up until Pickard got the start in Game 4. Pickard was fantastic in a Game 4 win.

Game 4 is also where Knoblauch reunited McDavid and Hyman with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. Another notable change that Knoblauch made in that game was moving Holloway into the top six with Draisaitl and Kane. Each of the two new top lines contributed a goal in a 3-2 Oilers win in Game 4.

Knoblauch also deployed new defensive pairings in Game 4. The pairing of Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci had been struggling to keep pucks out of the Oilers net. Knoblauch put Nurse with Vincent Desharnais to create a massive pairing. Ceci was paired with Brett Kulak. Those decisions seemed to settle the team defensively.

Related: Deep Dive: Nurse’s 2024 playoff struggles

Pickard got the start again in Game 5 and played great, but the Oilers fell just short thanks to a late game winner by JT Miller. Knoblauch went back to Stuart Skinner with the Oilers’ season on the line in Game 6. Skinner delivered with fourteen saves on fifteen shots in a 5-1 drubbing.

Knoblauch also made the difficult decision to take Corey Perry out of the lineup in favour of Sam Carrick for Game 6. Perry had not registered a point in the playoffs at that time, and he had not been mucking it up like we’ve come to expect from him over the years. It was certainly an interesting decision to remove a veteran with Perry’s experience and championship pedigree from the lineup, but it paid off for the rookie head coach.

Another development from Game 6 was that Holloway scored a fantastic goal while playing in the top six. Holloway looked like he truly belonged in the top six in the second round. It was a gamble by Knoblauch, but Holloway had earned the spot and he did well with it.

The Oilers took that same lineup to Vancouver for Game 7 and played clinical hockey for sixty minutes less a five minute stretch in the third period where they almost coughed up another three goal lead.

Henrique made his return to the lineup in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. Knoblauch decided to pull Ryan McLeod from the lineup. McLeod had been on the ice for a five-on-five goal against in four consecutive games prior to Game 3, including a terrible giveaway that led to a goal in Game 7 of the Canucks series. Henrique scored a big goal to tie the game late in the second period, a period that saw a 2-0 lead turn into a 3-2 deficit prior to Henrique’s goal.

Related: Is McLeod’s defensive play compensating for his lack of offence?

Finally, we get to Game 4 of the third round where Knoblauch made three notable lineup changes. McLeod and Perry returned to the lineup. McLeod scored a goal from a dirty area that was set up by Perry. Foegele and Carrick were removed from the lineup.

Desharnais struggled in the first three games of the Stars series, and he was healthy scratched in favour of Philip Broberg, who hadn’t played a playoff game since Game 5 of last year’s second round series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Broberg had never played in a Western Conference Final game before Game 4. Broberg had a clean stat sheet in 14:21 of ice time, which blew his previous high mark for ice time in a playoff game out of the water. His previous high for ice time in a playoff game was only 9:49.

That switch meant two new defensive pairings for Knoblauch. Nurse was paired with Kulak. The pair had a tough start to the game, but Nurse was unbelievable afterwards. The Ceci-Broberg pair wasn’t on the ice for a goal against.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shoutouts: Oilers score five unanswered to even series with Stars

I should also acknowledge Connor Brown here. Brown played in Game 1 of round two, was pulled for Henrique in Game 2, and reinserted into the lineup for Game 3. Brown has been great in these playoffs since entering the lineup for good. It looks like his legs are back. He has points in his last three consecutive games. Brown was elevated to the third line for Game 3 of the Stars series, and he has a point in each of the last two games since that change was made.

Knoblauch was sure to point out that he talks to a number of different people before any lineup decisions are made, but he is the man that gets the credit when those lineup changes pan out. The vast majority of his lineup changes, whether they happen mid game or pregame, have panned out. He has made bold decisions like starting Pickard and removing veteran regulars like Skinner, Perry, McLeod, and Foegele from the lineup at varying points. Those decisions have all worked out positively. That’s a testament to Knoblauch’s ability to read and understand his team.

Every one of those veterans has responded with improved play after getting back into the lineup (except for Foegele who has not yet had that opportunity). That’s a testament to the coach’s communication skills.

Knoblauch deserves a ton of praise for his work with the Oilers this season. He has brought improved defensive tactics that have turned the Oilers into a fantastic defending team. He has also pushed all of the right buttons at all of the right times. It’s hard to believe that he’s a NHL rookie head coach based on the results that we’ve seen this season.