Unlikely trio critical in Oilers’ chances in Battle of Alberta
One of them regularly struggled as a centre at even strength in his own zone and was moved to the wing three years ago.
One of them was seen as a bust halfway through the 2021-22 season, another of the bets made by Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland that had failed to pay off.
And one of them missed most of the season due to heart inflammation after getting COVID, while also refusing vaccination, earning the ire of many pro-vaxx Edmonton Oilers fans.
All three of them are smaller Nhlers, hardly the Big Bobby Clobber type.
Ryan Nugent-hopkins, the centre-turned-winger-nowback-to-centre, Derek Ryan, who was busted down to fourth line halfway through the year, and Josh Archibald, he of COVID infamy, were indeed an unlikely trio if you were to pick three players who would step up to form Edmonton’s all-important third line in the playoffs.
But RNH, Archibald and Ryan had done so.
They came together in the final games of the Los Angeles series and were a big part of the reason that Edmonton was able to hold Los Angeles to just 12 Grade A shots overall in the final two games.
Edmonton was desperate to finally get it together on defence and the RAR trio helped lead the way.
In the heat and tension of Game 7, and speaking only for myself now, I was calm the second I saw RNH, Archibald and Ryan take the ice.
Ryan is a quick and smart player, with a strong hockey IQ. He’s not a hitter or an offensive flash, but he stays on the right side of his check and makes solid plays with the puck. Archibald isn’t great with the puck, but he was great without it against Los Angeles, tormenting their defence with his forechecking and torpedoing hits.
As for RNH, I’ve never had more admiration for his game than I do now. He raised every aspect of his play. His puck carrying was strong. He threw hits and lifted sticks to win pucks like never before on the forecheck. He was the team’s best penalty killer. And his play at even strength in the defensive slot was superlative. Where before he would often be overpowered in the slot, or lose position on his check, now he was won numerous battles in the corners and in front of the net, now he was glued to his man, invariably in position.
In the series, RNH had by far the lowest rate of major mistakes on Grade A shots against of any Oilers centre, with just two, with Mcdavid at seven, Mcleod eight and Draisaitl 11.
Not only that, he won 59 per cent of his 61 faceoffs. Not bad for a career 44 percenter.
RNH had given some inkling he might be able to play this kind of solid and intense two-way hockey at centre in Edmonton’s Game 4 loss to the Winnipeg Jets last year, where Nuge was one of the best players on the ice. But against Los Angeles, he took that high level of play and replicated it game after game.
Archibald and Ryan were also stellar on defence, with Archibald making just one major mistake on a Grade A shot against at even strength in the series, and the clever and determined Ryan not making even one.
But it was RNH who drove this line’s success with his slot play, puck carrying and forechecking prowess.
Does everyone agree with this highly positive assessment of RNH? And of this line? No, there’s some who believer the line did poorly, pointing out that it was outshot 12 to 17 in 38 evenstrength minutes. The Corsi Police would give the trio a ticket for poor shot shares. But when it came to scoring, the trio did not give up a goal against.
And, most importantly, hardly a one of them made a major mistake on a Grade A shot against the entire series.
I’m not a shot shares guy when it comes to rating individual players. I don’t blame or credit them necessarily for when they’re team gives up or creates a shot. Instead, I care about how many times they individually make a big play to create a Grade A shot and how many times they make a big mistake to give up a Grade A shot.
The Grade A shot is at the heart of hockey, and those who kick ass when it comes to creating them and defending them, like Connor Mcdavid against the Kings, are the real drivers of the team, whatever the team’s short shares are when they’re on the ice.
Folks are free to differ with me and to make their own case, but I’m seeing a line in RNH, Archibald and Ryan that solves a major headache for the Oilers.