Oilers’ Resurrection Line exorcising its demons
Given their woeful starts (and middles) this season, adding Benoit Pouliot and David Desharnais to the end of the Edmonton Oilers season almost felt like the strategy of a team preparing for the draft lottery, not the playoffs. Force of habit, maybe? Desharnais had nothing going in Montreal and Pouliot had even less in Edmonton before an injury in practice shut him down for 10 games.
So fans weren’t expecting much when the Oilers traded for the Habs centre, re-inserted Pouliot and put both on the same line.
And by “weren’t expecting much,” we mean bracing for the worst. This wasn’t tempting fate, this was giving it the middle finger.
Desharnais, a former 60-point man turned press-box regular, had just 10 points in the 31 games with the Canadiens (slightly better than Eric Gryba’s offensive output, if you’re looking for perspective). But that actually looked Connor McDavid-like compared to Pouliot’s 10 points in 51 games with the Oilers.
Yeah, sounds like the makings of a great line.
Well, four games into the experiment they’ve combined for four goals (two each), helping make the Oilers look as deep and as dangerous offensively as they have all year.
And by “all year,” we mean the last two decades.
“Things have been going pretty well,” understated Pouliot. “The chemistry is good; we’re finding each other.
“It’s only been a couple of games, we have to keep it going, there’s a lot of work left to do, but things right now are going well.”
Pouliot doesn’t have to tell anyone to pump the brakes on any glowing declarations. Four games doesn’t fix five months, but seeing signs of life in both of them is already better than most of their critics expected.
“Pou is getting his confidence back,” McLellan said of his unfortunately nicknamed winger. “And Davey is comfortable here now. He’s understanding how we want to play and he fits our group well. And Kass (Zack Kassian) has speed and physicality, so the three ingredients make a pretty good line.”
Supplemental scoring is an element the Oilers have lacked for some time, so if the Resurrection Line turns out to be for real, it could be a difference-making addition at just the right time.
“It’s important to have a third line that can click,” said McLellan. “Often that’s where the mismatch comes. The top two lines play against each other and if you ever get ahead in that situation, you likely win. But the game-breaker can often be that third line.
“We’re fortunate to have one now that seems to be producing.”
All Desharnais was ever looking for when things turned sour in Montreal was a fresh start and an honest chance. So when the Oilers offered him exactly that, he attacked the opportunity.
“I know I can bring offence to this group and some third-line depth,” he said. “I’ve done it in the past and I know I can do it. I just need a chance and that’s what I have right now.”