Oilers HC urges players not named Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl to step up after 6-5 loss to LA Kings

On Monday, the Edmonton Oilers almost pulled off an improbable comeback victory against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 1 of their Stanley Cup playoffs first round. The Kings emerged victorious 6-5 in a see-saw battle that saw Edmonton score four times in the third period and Los Angeles score in the final minute to win the game.

The Oilers' top superstars, Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Corey Perry, all made significant contributions. McDavid provided two of the three total assists and scored the game-tying goal to tie it 5-5.

Bouchard clocked 28 minutes of ice time and provided three assists from the blue line. Draisaitl and Perry had a pair of points with a goal each, while Zach Hyman and Mattias Janmark rounded off the scoring. Apart from the top names, there was little help from the rest of the offensive lines.

This was pointed out by Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch who talked about the need for other players to step up during the playoffs.

"I think everyone's playing with the same intensity," the head coach said. "I'm not sure that everyone can play with the same level as Connor. Obviously, he's at a different skill, talent than most guys in the NHL—not only our team. We're going to need a team effort. We're going to need contributions from everybody, not just Connor, not just Leon.

"I thought overall a lot of guys did bring it, and just because they don't get on the score sheet doesn't mean they had a poor game. I think we had a lot of guys play well tonight, but we're playing a really good team. We're going to have to play even better."

Kris Knoblauch applauds Oilers resilience in comeback

Despite the loss, the Oilers' head coach pointed out the positives from the loss. He said his roster has the willpower to win from any situation and he would expect the same as the series continues.

"I'd seen it many times last year. They never give up," Knoblauch said. "They're resilient, they stay composed, and they focus on what needs to be done.

"We've seen a lot of adversity over these last two playoffs, and guys stick with it. They're a mature group. They can handle a lot of adversity. They've seen a lot and they don't get too rattled when things aren't going well, and the first 40 minutes, things hadn't gone very well for us."

The Oilers were largely outplayed by the Kings, with only six shots on goal in the opening 30 minutes. Coming back from 4-0 and 5-2 deficits demonstrates their courageous tenacity, which has driven success in recent years, but the Oilers must improve on defense and minimize turnovers in critical places that led to Kings goals.