'Everyone's contributed': Roster depth key to playoff success, Edmonton Oilers say

Gemma Karstens-Smith · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 16, 2025 4:07 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl person agelong been the engines of the Edmonton Oilers.

Now the remainder of the roster is rolling, too, arsenic the squad pushes for different heavy playoff run.

Twenty-two antithetic players saw crystal clip implicit Edmonton's archetypal 11 games of the post-season. Sixteen person scored. Three much person assists. Two goalies person backstopped the Oilers to wins.

"It's amazing. I deliberation for our group, evidently coming to the playoffs, we've got a batch of content successful each other," seasoned bluish liner Darnell Nurse said Wednesday aft the Oilers edged the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 successful overtime.

"Guys truly attraction astir the squad arsenic a collective. ... When you done the playoffs, guys are going to person their infinitesimal wherever there's an accidental to measurement up."

The triumph gave Edmonton a 4-1 triumph successful the best-of-seven second-round bid and secured the club's spot successful the Western Conference last for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row.

It's the archetypal clip successful 33 years the Oilers volition play successful the league finals successful back-to-back campaigns.

"It's different accidental for us, different large accidental for us," goalie Stuart Skinner said of the feat.

WATCH |: Oilers bushed Golden Knights to beforehand to Western Conference final

Kasperi Kapanen played the leader against Vegas, jamming a rebound successful astatine the broadside of the nett 7 minutes and 19 seconds into the other frame.

The Finnish guardant — picked up disconnected waivers by the Oilers successful November — was a steadfast scratch for the archetypal 9 games of the playoffs.

Wednesday's crippled victor was impervious of the group's committedness to 1 another, helium said.

"It doesn't truly substance who scores arsenic agelong arsenic idiosyncratic does," Kapanen said. "The extremity is important, yes. But I deliberation without [Skinner] and different guys putting their bodies connected the enactment and making the small plays and sacrifices, we wouldn't beryllium here. So it was a squad effort, for sure."

Skinner, too, has been sidelined for portion of the playoff run.

The Oilers' No. 1 netminder for overmuch of the regular play was named starter up of the team's first-round bid against the Los Angeles Kings, but gave up 11 goals connected 58 shots crossed the archetypal 2 games arsenic the Oilers fell down 0-2 successful the series.

He was replaced by Calvin Pickard and the 33-year-old backup led Edmonton to six consecutive wins earlier getting injured successful Game 2 against the Golden Knights.

Skinner returned to the nett and earned back-to-back shutouts to decorativeness disconnected the second-round series.

"Being capable to travel backmost in, nary substance what the script is and being capable to person that resiliency successful maine is thing I tin beryllium arrogant of," helium said aft stopping each 24 shots helium faced connected Wednesday.

"So overmuch has to bash with the guys are playing successful beforehand of me. The mode that they've played ever since I came backmost successful has been impressive."

Depth passim the lineup has fixed the Oilers an quality to triumph a assortment of games this post-season, said caput manager Kris Knoblauch.

There person been high-scoring affairs wherever Draisaitl and McDavid person led the way, choky antiaircraft battles wherever 1 team's goalie has outperformed the different and games wherever bottom-six forwards person travel up with clutch goals.

"I'm precise blessed with the mode everyone's contributed," helium said. "Hopefully we're lone halfway done this. And we're going to request contributions from everybody again."

After grinding their mode to the Stanley Cup last past season, lone to suffer Game 7 to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers cognize precisely however overmuch their extent volition beryllium tested arsenic the playoffs deterioration on.

This year's squad has learned from its past experiences, though, Nurse said.

"I would accidental we're arsenic heavy arsenic a squad arsenic I've played on. You spell done the lineup, guys tin score, guys tin check," helium said. "I would accidental we decidedly person the pieces. Now it's conscionable continuing to hammer away.

"With 2 bid away, I would accidental we're inactive acold from a finished product."

Next up, Edmonton volition look the victor of a second-round bid betwixt the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars.

The Stars held a 3-1 borderline successful the matchup heading into Game 5 Thursday successful Winnipeg.