DALLAS — Connor McDavid couldn’t explain it.
His head coach, Kris Knoblauch, took a moment to consider why the Oilers have struggled to draw penalties against the Dallas Stars in the NHL’s Western Conference final.
Reflecting on playoff officiating, Knoblauch said, “I’ve heard about the past, being a spectator and not part of the NHL as a coach. Sometimes the standard changes a bit. Referees definitely want to ensure it’s a clear penalty, whereas in the regular season, some things might get overlooked. That’s unfortunate for us.”
The Oilers and Stars are tied 1-1 in their best-of-seven series, vying for a spot in the Stanley Cup final, following Dallas’ 3-1 victory on Saturday. Edmonton won Thursday’s opener 3-2 in double overtime, despite only having one power play—an infraction for too many men on the ice—compared to Dallas’ 10 minutes with the man advantage.
In Game 2, each team had one power play in the first 58 minutes before a couple of late penalties with the outcome almost decided. This is a stark contrast to Edmonton’s previous series, where they scored six times on 18 power-play chances against the Vancouver Canucks and went 9-for-25 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round.
Despite having the league’s fourth-best power play during the regular season, the Oilers’ success rate has dipped to 34.9%, with a 1-for-13 run since Game 5 against Vancouver. They have only had three opportunities in over seven periods of the conference final.
“We have a very good power play and win many games with it,” Knoblauch added. “It’s unfortunate that it’s tougher to draw penalties in the playoffs compared to the regular season.”
Edmonton averaged four minutes and 26 seconds of power-play time per game during the 2023-24 regular season but has had just 4:42 in this series.
“The standard’s the same for both teams,” Knoblauch said about the matchup with the Stars. “I’m not saying it’s unfair to us, but we would like the same standard as the regular season.”
Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm was more blunt when asked about it in the visitors’ locker room at American Airlines Center on Saturday night.
“Great question,” he said. “I have no idea. I saw Darnell Nurse’s penalty, and five minutes later, I get cross-checked in the same spot. It’s tough, physical playoff hockey. We need to work harder to draw more penalties.”
Oilers forward Connor Brown pointed out the Stars’ discipline—Dallas has averaged a playoff-low of three minutes shorthanded per game this spring—as a factor.
“They check with their feet,” he said. “But we can do a better job of holding onto the puck and creating momentum, making them chase us, which usually leads to calls.”
The Stars have also performed well at even strength against McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the top two scorers in the postseason. McDavid scored the double OT winner on Thursday, and Draisaitl had a goal and an assist, but both were scoreless in Game 2—a first for the Oilers in these playoffs.
Despite the close defense on his stars, Knoblauch noted the chances McDavid and Draisaitl still had against Stars goalie Jake Oettinger.
“I’d be concerned if they weren’t getting scoring chances,” he said. “But we’ll review that. We had enough opportunities to score more in Game 2. We can make some adjustments.”
McDavid, Draisaitl, and the Oilers will need to find a way to succeed, especially if the referees continue to keep their whistles mostly silent.
