Can Oilers’ penalty kill stay red hot against Canucks’ power play?

As usual, the Edmonton Oilers’ power play is a hot topic. It made mincemeat of the Los Angeles Kings’ second-ranked penalty kill, scoring on 45 per cent of its chances (9 of 20) in the first round.

But the Oilers’ penalty kill was perhaps even more impressive considering its modest success rate during the regular season. That unit, which ranked 15th in the NHL at 79.5 per cent, killed all 12 shorthanded situations it faced against the Kings. The Oilers’ five-game streak without allowing a power play goal is tied for the longest in the franchise’s playoff history. (Edmonton went 16-for-16 over five games in the second round against the Anaheim Ducks in 2017.)

“There was a level of instinct to it, closing time and space quickly,” Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse told reporters. “We weren’t sitting back and letting (the Kings) pick their plays and (get) set and (do) the things they wanted to exploit. … Guys were getting to loose pucks. They were blocking off lanes. I think there was a pretty good cohesion with the group.”

A porous penalty kill, which operated at 70 per cent through the first month of the season, contributed to Jay Woodcroft’s undoing as Oilers coach. After Kris Knoblauch took over in mid-November, the Oilers’ kill improved to 81.7 per cent over the remainder of the regular season — seventh-best in the league.

The Oilers locked down the slot against the Kings, who registered only seven power play shots on net from that area in the first round. That translates to 0.58 shorthanded slot shots against per two minutes — the top mark among playoff teams. (Edmonton allowed an average of 0.92 shorthanded slot shots per two minutes in the regular season — 0.87 in 69 games under Knoblauch.)

It was a group effort; six different forwards and four different defencemen averaged at least one minute of shorthanded ice time per game for the Oilers during the series.

The Vancouver Canucks’ power play was ineffective against the Nashville Predators, going 2-for-13 (15.4 per cent) over six first-round games. Their No. 1 unit, however, is stocked with top-end talent — Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, among others.

Edmonton’s penalty killers will have to be at their best again.

“We’re prepared,” Oilers defenceman Vincent Desharnais told reporters. “We’re structured and we play on our instincts, too. We’re not robots. Sometimes stuff is going to happen, and you just have to be able to react to it.”

All stats via Sportlogiq