The Edmonton Oilers are beginning to pull themselves out of their slump since the 4 Nations Faceoff tournament, and Coach Knoblauch has identified the game they hit rock bottom and began building back.
Tonight, the Oilers were able to nab a great win against the New York Rangers where their supporting cast and their goaltending shined after taking some doubt lately.
Coach Knoblauch identifies turning point in Oilers latest slump
The Oilers lost their first four games coming back from the 4 Nations Faceoff, including blowout losses to Philadelphia, Washington, and Tampa Bay.
They lose the fourth against the playoff rival Florida Panthers, but Knoblauch believes that was the game that turned their play around.
I think we've been building ever since the Florida game. That Florida game I thought was a good effort, a good game. We didn't win it, but since then I think we've been building our game up. I think our rock bottom was three games after the break.- Coach Knoblauch
Since that Florida game there's been some tough losses to poor teams like the Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres, but the Oilers have now strung two wins in a row and are clearly on the track to a better game.
However, it makes sense that it took a game against a playoff rival like Florida for the Oilers to wake up after the 4 Nations break. Playoffs are now just around the corner, and the Oilers got another reminder of what they're playing for this spring.
Oilers supporting cast steps up to help in win over New York Rangers
The stars of tonight's game were the few players who needed to answer the bell the most.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a three point performance in a season his scoring his down, Viktor Arvidsson and Jeff Skinner performed well in top six roles, and Stuart Skinner outduelled the opposition for a win with a save percentage above .900.
If the Oilers can replicate that effort continually down the stretch of the season, and continue to get dominant performances from McDavid and Draisaitl, they could start looking like a Stanley Cup contender again soon.
Tonight's win over the Rangers was a great performance for the team, and now they'll head back to Edmonto not gain even more momentum with a home stand. Now's the time to pick up speed before the playoffs.
