OILERS’ DEFENCE IS THIN, BUT KEEPS GROWING TOUGHER
If adversity turns teams into champions, Edmonton’s blue-line is ready for the Cup
ANAHEIM, CALIF. At the end of every NHL playoff run, the bushed, bearded and bruised Stanley Cup winners inevitably point to the adversity they overcame en route to the Champagne-soaked celebration.
The Oilers, should they be so fortunate to win Game 7 against the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday and keep rolling, would eventually be able to point at a few watershed moments of adversity: a 7-0 loss to the San Jose Sharks, those goalie interference calls, gagging on a 3-0 lead in Game 5 in Anaheim, and the war of attrition that has taken a toll on their blue-line.
Until Game 5, they had been sailing along, as healthy as any NHL outfit could rightfully hope to be at this time of year, when most players are hiding either injury or ailment. Strangely enough, even the defencemen seemed immune from major discomfort.
The blue-line was a source of strength and consistency all season. Headed up by Oscar Klefbom and Adam Larsson, the corps chipped in 35 goals and 140 points, blocked 902 shots, registered 788 hits and finished a combined plus-51. How would they do against grizzled Sharks like Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture?
They negotiated the first round just fine. And they made it through Game 4 against Anaheim intact, the series even at 2-2. But in Game 5, the corps and the season was under attack. Matt Benning was rocked by a solid check from Nate Thompson. Then Andrej Sekera took a hit from Ryan Getzlaf, crumpled, left the game and was done for the playoffs. That’s adversity.
Then Klefbom took a slapper up high and he was out, too. With just three healthy defencemen on the bench and Benoit Pouliot pressed into blue-line duty for two shifts, Benning rushed back from the medical room.
“It’s hard enough sometimes with six D -men on the bench,” Benning said.
“It wasn’t anything serious. I just wanted to get out there and help our D corps out. They were pretty gassed.”
The game ended in bitter disappointment, the Oilers having blown that 3-0 lead and lost in double overtime, with a missed goalie interference call and botched review in between.
Game 6 came upon them quickly, and Klefbom was a late scratch during warm-up. More adversity. And you wondered, given the absence of Klefbom and Sekera, how many minutes Larsson and Kris Russell would have to log — not that many, it turned out. Eric Gryba and Griffin Reinhart stepped in, the Ducks showed up wholly unprepared to close out the series, and a 5-0 first-period lead allowed the Oilers to spread the minutes around for the rest of the Game 6 joyride.
Reinhart, who spent the season in AHL Bakersfield and hadn’t played a meaningful game for weeks, logged 13:23. Gryba played 13:28. Darnell Nurse 19:25, which was about two minutes more than usual. Russell played 20:35, Larsson 20:02.
“It is adversity,” winger Zack Kassian said. “They’re two great D-men who log a lot of minutes for our team and do a lot of good things. But we know guys can step in and fill roles. We believe in anyone who steps into the lineup, and it doesn’t matter if they haven’t played in a while. If they step in, they’re ready.”
Benning led the corps in Game 6 with a hefty 23:38, including time on the power play. He turned adversity into opportunity and ran with it. The extra minutes and responsibility are a load for any playoff newbie, but he said the biggest adjustment is the intensity of each shift.
“The emotional side of things is heightened and you need to play within your game,” Benning said. “For me, it’s just kind of realizing what got me here.”
The Oilers got to Game 7 because their will to stay alive was stronger than the Ducks’ resolve to end it in Game 6. They got here by way of goaltending, defensive depth, resilience — and yes, by overcoming adversity.
“It doesn’t always go as planned,” Nurse said. “We were missing two real important guys. When that happens, you’ve got to really defend by committee and I thought we were great. Not only the D corps, but our forwards played strong positionally and Cam as always played his game.
“You’re definitely proud, but at the same time, it’s just one game. All that gave us was an opportunity to play on Wednesday.”