How the Oilers can improve defensively against the Stars

The Edmonton Oilers have the early edge in the Western Conference final, using Connor McDavid’s goal in double overtime to outlast the Dallas Stars in Game 1 on Thursday night.

While it is great for the Oilers to have taken home-ice advantage from a no. 1 seed for the second consecutive series, there are some things they can improve on in order to have an “easier” time against a talented Stars’ offensive core.

Edmonton outshot Dallas, 38-33 in the victory, though there were stretches in the game that saw the Stars hem the Oilers in their own zone, including outshooting Edmonton 9-8 in the first overtime period. One of the main concerns about Edmonton’s game is their ability to get caught being too aggressive when they go on the attack, leaving them prone to Dallas using defense to create offense with haste.

On the latest edition of the Coaches Room on Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Jon Goyens joined Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk to explain what the Oilers can do to limit the Stars’ scoring chances in this series.

Jon Goyens: We all know that Edmonton has improved defensively…but the reality is, that doesn’t happen by accident. It’s been a work in progress. They’ve improved a ton. You see their [penalty kill] is no. 1 in the playoffs. At 5-on-5, they do have certain lapses at times because when they go on the rush, when they’re in the [offensive zone], it’s like all-or-nothing. They’re not necessarily the best team at re-loading. They have a hint of hope that pucks can keep in, or bounce over sticks. Then, a team like Dallas will take advantage of that.

You can watch the entire segment, and the full episode here…