In the midst of a difficult stretch where the Oilers played the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, and Carolina Hurricanes, he went 10 consecutive games without being on the ice for an even-strength goal against, while blocking a significant number of shots. Already known for his play on the defensive side of the puck, despite being underrated in that regard, he elevated his game to a new level. In terms of the forwards, someone who got a big uptick in defensive play was Draisaitl. Although the playoffs were very crazy in terms of goals for and against, multiple Oilers were playing injured including key defenceman Darnell Nurse. As all the players bought into the change, their goals against per game decreased and they finished the regular season strong. Too many times the Oilers were caught on odd-man rushes against that led to goals, often by the high man. The defensive strategy implemented by Woodcroft ensured everyone backchecked after the puck had been turned over. Mike Smith, Edmonton Oilers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) As for Mikko Koskinen, we saw an uptick in his performance as well, going 11-4-2 with a shutout since he took over. The time he’s spent with his coach will be a major factor moving forward as Skinner is set to be the backup next season for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner flourished under Woodcroft in Bakersfield for a few years and recorded a shutout in his final game with the team this past season. He also posted two shutouts in the playoffs and played pretty well for the most part. During that streak is when he recorded his two shutouts and allowed more than two goals against in just two of the games. Mike Smith recorded back-to-back shutouts near the end of the season and went on a 9-0-0 run to end the season. ![]() The Oilers failed to shut out a team in the first half of the season under former head coach Dave Tippett but recorded four shutouts in the final 38 games coming from all three of the Oilers’ goaltenders. There was a complete change in how things ran on the defensive side of the game after Woodcroft’s arrival with Dave Manson alongside him. Woodcroft Did Wonders for the Defence & Goaltending Though the bottom-six wingers still may not have gotten nearly the same amount of ice time per game as the top lines, they were given a better opportunity to create something offensively. Jay Woodcroft, Edmonton Oilers head coach ( Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)įreeing up that extra spot on forward and running with three of the Oilers’ best players down the middle made for very difficult line matching by the opponent as well as an impactful player always on the ice. He noticed that and made the quick fix so that the team would be able to work with different combinations while Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were able to get ice time with the bottom-six wingers. But running that type of lineup was also due to the injuries on the back-end that the Oilers were dealing with. Woodcroft elected to run with 11 forwards and seven defencemen for a number of games and it worked. A team that has two of the best players in the world with incredible stamina and talent who are able to double shift, so he did just that with the lineup. Woodcroft’s Intelligent Player UsageĪs soon as Woodcroft took over the team, he recognized the weaknesses and strengths of the Oilers. Woodcroft helped take the team from out of the playoffs to the Conference Final after going 26-9-3 to close out the regular season. Having a ton of success for the Bakersfield Condors, the Oilers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, he was given the reins to take the Oilers to new heights as they finally got a young voice with a new school way of thinking. ![]() Woodcroft is one of the most important pieces that the Oilers must bring back, as he did many things behind the bench that fans haven’t seen in a long time. He took over mid-season and turned their season around, taking them to the Western Conference Final for the first time since 2006. Ken Holland and the Edmonton Oilers appear to be closing in on a contract extension for head coach Jay Woodcroft.
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