BLOG: Wednesday content and commentary 02.10.21

MONTREAL, QC - The Oilers held a media availability in Montreal on Wednesday after defeating the Ottawa Senators 3-2 the night before.
The club prepares for the final stop of a four-game road trip, entering Thursday's match against the Montreal Canadiens on a two-game winning streak.
Get all content and commentary from the day below.

Head Coach Dave Tippett on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl not registering a point in an Oilers win since November 2017:

"They're two key players on our team that play in a lot of offensive situations. It's more a credit to them and the amount they impact the game is every game. They go into a game, they're going to get points most nights. If you're talking about a small percentage of games where they don't get points and then the rest of the team chips in and wins. To me, that stat is more about how many games they actually do get points in than if they don't get it and our team wins."

Coach Tippett on the right side of the Oilers blueline:

"We'll just take it day-by-day and when (Ethan) Bear gets back, see how it goes. We're trying to find the right mix there. Even when guys have been out, they've come back in (strong). Like (Slater) Koekkoek came in last night and the area that he can impact was the penalty kill. He had three shot blocks on the penalty kill in the second period that was huge for us.
"We said it at the start of the year, we've got great depth. We've got nine guys here that we feel like we can use. When they all get in there, they all try to do the job the best they can. We'll continue to see if we can find the mix and that might be game-to-game on matchups or certain things we're looking at. And how many people want certain roles whether they're puck-moving, PK or PP stuff. Lots of factors there and we'll hopefully find the right mix."

Tippett on dressing seven defencemen:

"I don't mind the seven D. Depending on a back-to-back or depending on usage of an extra forward and how many minutes they're getting, there are a lot of factors that come into play. The seven D is not a bad option for us. It makes it harder for teams to match up on the forward lines. When you've got (Leon) Draisaitl and (Connor) McDavid that's double-shifting now and then, it makes it a harder matchup for the other team. There are some advantages. Some disadvantages in that you don't get into a rhythm with your D. We'll find the best solutions, hopefully, each night."

Tippett on the importance of the two-goalie system:

"It's a big factor. That was when both of our guys were at their best last year. Getting Smitty back just allows them both to be fresh when they play. Koskinen came in last night and gave us a really strong game. In watching the game, there was lots of talk about shots on goal but the actual chances for and against were not near as lopsided as what the shots were. Ottawa threw a lot of pucks at the net. We weren't quick enough to retrieve pucks and have more puck possession but that being said, Ottawa just dumped a lot of pucks at the net that wasn't really scoring chances and the shot-totals went up accordingly. We needed saves at the right time. If we got a fresh guy going every night, hopefully, they can do that for us every night."

Tippett on the Oilers secondary scoring this season:

"I like our depth better this year. Connor and Leon take up big chunks of the power play. Secondary scoring sometimes is under what it would normally be because those guys take so much time on the power play. We run a power play where those guys run a minute, 1:40-1:45 every power play so the second group doesn't get a lot of time. That being said, we've got some people that are contributing. We like to think our D is part of our defence and they're contributing. We're farther ahead than we were last year but you still want to be a well-balanced team. That's how you become a good team."

Tippett on the Jujhar Khaira, Josh Archibald and Tyler Ennis line:

"They've played very well here the last couple of games. JJ is moving, he's physical. He made one great pass last night on the backhand. I give him credit. He's come back in off the taxi squad and played very well. The two guys beside him, Ennis has come back in and played well and Archie. They look like a fast line. JJ is a very stable player in the middle there. It's a couple of games that they've been really good for us."

Tippett on the upcoming game against Montreal:

"We're playing better now than we were early on. The two games against Montreal, the one we got behind early and the second one was early in the season in three of four nights. We looked fatigued and got behind and chased the game again. They're a good team. They got out to a great start this year. They've got real good balance in goaltending, D and their forward lines. It will be a great challenge for us. I'm looking forward to it. I think we have an opportunity to hopefully play better tomorrow and we'll see how the results go."