Oilers' coach Knoblauch makes a risky decision with the team
Since the Oilers' latest eight game winning streak came to a halt with two tough losses, head coach Kris Knoblauch has already made some significant lineup changes, but now in practice, he's hinted towards making a riskier decision than anything else in his short tenure.
At practice, Knoblauch has divided up the team's previous top line of Nugent-Hopkins, McDavid, and Hyman, sending RNH down and moving Evander Kane to the top line. The move could mainly be seen as giving Draisaitl a more talented winger in RNH, as he's previously been playing with Janmark and Brown.
The risky part of this decision is breaking up the top line, which has been absolutely dominant. Pointed out by the Reddit post below, the previous top line had the highest expected goal share across all lines in the NHL - generating an insane 84.7xGF%.
Hopefully, Draisaitl can rekindle some chemistry with Nugent-Hopkins on his line, and make that combination offensively lethal. All the same, hopefully Kane can show off his offensive skills with McDavid on the top line, as Hyman already has the power forward role on lockdown. It's a risky move by Knoblauch, but if it works, he'll be praised for spreading out the talent throughout the team, and the rotations of lines fresh.
POLL |
DECEMBRE 19 | 604 ANSWERS Oilers' coach Knoblauch makes a risky decision with the team Is it the right decision to break up the top line? |
Yes | 303 | 50.2 % |
No | 157 | 26 % |
Put McDavid and Draisaitl together | 144 | 23.8 % |
List of polls |
|
1 minutes ago | By Ryan Hall Ticket prices for Team Canada and USA 4 Nations Faceoff Final will break the bank for fans |
|
57 minutes ago | By Liam McCormick Nathan MacKinnon teases response to Team USA before rematch in 4 Nations Faceoff Final |
|
2 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Connor McDavid speaks on Team Canada's near collapse vs Finland, final matchup against USA |
|
4 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Swedish source reveals Mattias Ekholm health status and reason for scratch at 4 Nations |
|
5 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Two Oilers surprisingly scratched for elimination game at 4 Nations Faceoff |
|
7 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Team Canada announces starting goalie, lineup decisions before elimination game |
|
7 hours ago | By Liam McCormick Three Oilers veteran forwards may depart team as free agents this offseason |
|
18 hours ago | By Ryan Hall Team Canada forward Brandon Hagel says Team USA planned to play the Canadian way |
Previously on Oilers Daily