Edmonton Oilers draw first blood, maintain marathon approach to playoffs…What coach Kris Knoblauch says about it

When the Edmonton Oilers took the ice in Game 2 at Rogers Place with a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup opener against the Los Angeles Kings, it was the first time in a long time.Actually.

, you have to go back to May 2, 1990 to find the last time the Oilers opened a playoff series with a win on home ice en route to a 4-2 Campbell Conference victory over the Chicago Blackhawks. final and win their last Stanley Cup.

The Kings’ 7-4 win on Monday meant the Oilers retained the home-ice advantage they earned after finishing second in the Pacific Division. The Kings, who host Game 3 on Friday, as the series goes south over the next two.Given the way the Oilers finished the regular season, it probably came as no surprise that they jumped out to an early lead.

. . .”Obviously, from the beginning of the year, we wanted to make it a tough place for teams to beat us,” Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said after the pre-Game 2 morning skate.

“I thought I did a good job this season. Obviously, I’m going to continue that tonight and continue with the playoffs.”Home is definitely where the Orange-and-Blue bleeding heart of the Oilers went 28. – 9-4 this season (.732) in the friendly confines of Rogers Place and posting a 21-18-2 record (.537).That’s 20 percent better than seven playoff streaks.And that is before factor.

playoff power into the equation.”Obviously the fans — especially in the playoffs — are great, and as we all know, they’ve been incredible for us the last two years,” Draisaitl said “So yeah. I just want to keep it going.”Anyone wondering how many Oilers fans were at the annual postseason game against the Kings needs to look through the Hall of Fame windows to the postgame room at Rogers Place interviews.

Before Jim Hiller took over for the ousted Todd McLellan, the media relationship with the Kings was kept deep in Rogers Place because McLellan refused to be part of the show on the street.This time Hiller brought it. back into the spotlight, but the Oilers were considerate enough to close the blackout curtains on him in the process instead of starting the fire already.

turned on the bloodthirsty fans who lined the barricades outside.And they honestly lived up to their expectations.Before the playoffs, the Oilers hit hard at home, going 11-1-2 (.857).But since this first of the season the opener should feel a little different, especially since the Kings won the opener in each of their previous two first-round meetings.”I don’t know if it feels different, you take it one at a time match in the playoffs, right?” Draisaitl said. “It’s definitely a good start for us.

“I think if we can find a way to consistently work hard and play like we did, we’ll give ourselves a good chance to win hockey games.”But it doesn’t always matter who gets off to the fastest start, whether it’s a streak or a game, but which team finds more consistency in a best-of-seven series.”The goals are big. The first goals are big, Draisaitl said.

“But I think you have two very mature teams looking for whoever strikes first, the other team is just trying to find their game and go to the next one.”The same goes for winning. special teams tackle. meaning no biting Kings’ post-whistle baits.”That’s definitely part of maturity,” Draisaitl said. “In the playoffs, things get tougher, everything seems a little faster and situations seem bigger than they could be.

“But just staying calm and taking unnecessary penalties is key in the playoffs. We did a good job with it in the first game, but it’s a marathon. We have to do that every game and every night.