“They’re a very good hockey team,” Knoblauch said. “They have some dynamic players – Kaprisov, Hughes, among others – but those two are among the best in the NHL, and obviously you have to be worried when they’re on the ice. They can make plays, but they’re also getting scoring throughout their lineup. Tarasenko and Foligno, I believe, have five goals in the last nine games each, and that’s from their third and fourth lines.
“So as good as their top two lines are, and they are very good, they definitely have some guys who can score throughout their lineup.”
After Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard scored 2:06 apart in the final five minutes of regulation with the net empty, Zach Hyman scored the game-winner in the extra frame for his 20th goal in his last 25 games – the most in the NHL since Dec. 11.
“I feel good,” Hyman said. “Coming off major surgery takes a little time to get back to feeling good, but I feel healthy now, and I feel strong. Our line’s playing well, the team’s playing well, so it helps playing with 97, and when he’s on a roll like that, it’s fun to be a part of. So just going to continue to press on here.”
The Oilers scored four straight goals from defencemen in the second period of Thursday’s win over the Sharks, and that confidence will look to be carried over into tonight for a big battle between two strong NHL bluelines.
“Obviously, there’s confidence,” Darnell Nurse said. “Guys jumping into plays, wanting the puck on their stick all game. I think that when you have that confidence, the group has confidence, and you want to get out there and make a difference in the right way. It goes a long way, so there’s a lot of skill in our group on the back end.”
