The Edmonton Oilers are finding themselves in a rut at the moment, and Coach Knoblauch may not be helping by returning to the constant lineup of McDavid and Draisaitl.
Oilers fans have see many head coach's fall into the pattern of continually running out McDavid and Draisaitl, a combination that's never worked long term in Edmonton.
Oilers coach Knoblauch trying the same combination of lines shows he's out of ideas
The Oilers didn't enter tonight's game with McDavid and Draisaitl on the first line, but Coach Knoblauch began to turn to the two superstars early on, and fans are very critical of the move.
Not only did the team spend the last few days practicing on entirely different lines just to be shaken up after one goal, the Oilers have tried the McDavid and Draisaitl combination at many times in the past. It's a good short term solution, but never works long term.
In defence of Knoblauch's decision, he's turning to his two best players because they're the only two making a meaningful impact on the ice right now. Many of their forwards, Hyman, Nugent-Hopkins, Arvidsson - are all having down years relative to their careers.
The coach needs to find a longer term, more sustainable solution rather than just loading up McDavid and Draisaitl. Come the playoffs, the Oilers can't be a team with one strong line - they need to be deep.
Hopefully the rest of the Oilers can elevate their game and give the coach some more options beyond just McDavid and Draisaitl every time. It will be completely key to their success in the playoffs.
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