Latest news with #Kapanen
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Can Stan Bowman's Mystery Men power Edmonton Oilers to Stanley Cup?
Article content First off, no one imagined Bowman would bring in such players. Second, no one imagined any of them had it in them to be such key components of this deep and grinding Oilers team. But here we are about to start the Final, with the Oilers having ruthlessly and forcefully dispatched two powerhouse teams, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars, and Bowman's four Mystery Men acquisitions are helping to lead the way. They have all been vital players at even strength in the playoffs, Podkolzin and Kapanen with aggressive hitting, strong board work and industrious backchecking and forechecking, Klingberg and Walman with exceptional puck-moving and sound positional defence. Coach Kris Knoblauch has trusted Klingberg and Walman so much they've been his most used defensive pairing. As for Podzilla and Kapanen, they've regularly been bumped up to play with star forward Leon Draisaitl.
New York Times
17-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Five Edmonton Oilers players who have stepped up during this playoff run
Kasperi Kapanen waited patiently for his chance to impact the Edmonton Oilers' postseason. When he got the opportunity, he scored a huge goal and will go down in Oilers lore because of it. Kapanen also checks off the 'Oilers haven't won a Stanley Cup without a Finnish player' box, making him handy in multiple areas. Advertisement Kapanen isn't the only player who didn't make the cut in Game 1 of the playoffs who found a way to make a difference. Here's a look at some key players who increased individual playing time despite being on the sidelines for Game 1, plus a couple of candidates who could get a look in the third round to come. The big winger's first game of the 2024-25 NHL season came on April 23, Edmonton's second playoff game. He had been gone so long the memory of his impressive skill set had faded into the background for some. It didn't take long for Kane to remind everyone of what he can do in a hockey game. He scored his first goal to tie Game 3 of the L.A. series, and is 4-3-7 (all at even strength) through his first 10 games this season. That only tells a portion of the story. Per Natural Stat Trick, he's averaging 10.7 hits per 60 at five-on-five; those hits pack a wallop and softened opposition defencemen over the length of each series played so far this spring. Kane's five-on-five outscoring (60 percent) and expected goal share (65 percent) are among the best on the Oilers and across the entire NHL. In fact, his expected goal share ranks top five among NHL forwards who have played more than 100 minutes during this year's postseason. A healthy Kane is a massive difference-maker for these Oilers. Pickard dressed as the backup for Game 1 against the Kings on April 21. Stuart Skinner held the net for the entire game despite a disappointing result. Pickard did get into game action during the second game, then started and won Game 3. From there, he led the Oilers to a fantastic six-game winning streak: All numbers via Natural Stat Trick Pickard's save percentage and quality starts percentage (33 percent) were not strong, but in this case, the numbers do not tell the entire story. He calmed the waters for a reeling Oilers team that was down two games to zero in the opening series against Los Angeles. Advertisement The only reason he came out of the net was injury. The time Pickard spent in the net allowed Skinner a chance to reset. In this way, the two men delivered in the same roles as one year ago, except Pickard held the net for longer this time. After two consecutive shutouts to close the series against the Vegas Golden Knights, it's likely Skinner gets the nod to start the next round. No one should forget about the strong and important performance by Pickard, who delivered a quality five-on-five save percentage (.914) before his injury. The puck-moving defenceman entered the series the same night as Kane. Klingberg was the defensive replacement for Josh Brown, who was used sparingly in the Game 1 loss. Since then, Klingberg has delivered as one half of an exceptional defensive pairing. At five-on-five, he and Jake Walman have a 4-2 edge in goals in almost 100 minutes of play. The tandem has taken on some tough assignments and proven worthy of the minutes afforded them by the coaching staff. He has played so well for Edmonton that it's uncertain he will come out of the lineup when Mattias Ekholm returns. A midseason signing by Stan Bowman that appeared to be much ado about nothing blossomed into a significant defensive fix after the playoffs began. A legendary goal that will live forever in the hearts and minds of Oilers fans. Kapanen joins the likes of unlikely heroes such as David Desharnais, Brad Winchester and Mark Lamb in Oilers lore. Kapanen's presence on the Edmonton roster came via a waiver claim from the St. Louis Blues in mid-November. At the time of the claim, Oilers fans were still smarting from the dual offer sheets that saw Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway leave Edmonton for Missouri. At the time of the claim, there was plenty of online commentary about the irony of the Oilers having to take on a waiver player from the Blues. Advertisement The Oilers valued Kapanen's rambunctious style and relentless pursuit of the puck, and that paid off handsomely on Wednesday night in Las Vegas. Kapanen had to sit through almost the entirety of both series before getting to play, but he made it all count with the goal that sent the Oilers to the third round. Stecher keeps hanging around this Oilers roster and making himself useful. Undersized for the defence position in the NHL, Stecher makes up for it with fearlessness and abandon. His importance to the team showed up once he finally got into the lineup, as his defensive partner, Darnell Nurse, saw his game improve once reunited with Stecher. In the 10 games Nurse played before Stecher's insertion into the lineup, the big man owned a 38 percent goal share. In the first game the duo played together in this spring's playoffs, the Oilers outscored the Golden Knights 1-0 and owned a 65 percent expected-goal share (all numbers five-on-five, via Natural Stat Trick). Like Kapanen, Stecher is an end-of-the-roster player, and with Ekholm possibly returning in the next series, his playing time will once again be in doubt. Based on Stecher's ability to find a way into the lineup (and succeed), don't count him out. The list of healthy scratches from the final game against Vegas has grown. Among the candidates for 'next man up,' there are several who could reasonably be expected to find their way into a playoff game this spring. Ekholm is the obvious name on the list, he'll be inserted into the lineup as soon as possible. He may play depth minutes until ready to slide into the heart of the game, but there's no doubt this team needs his top-flight play. Derek Ryan is a right-handed centre with penalty-killing ability. He's also one of the smartest players in the game. Noah Philp is a similar player who's younger and more mobile. Advertisement A rugged winger like Max Jones might draw in against a belligerent opponent like the Florida Panthers. Josh Brown might see another game in this postseason for the same reason. Names like Ty Emberson, Jeff Skinner and Viktor Arvidsson could also slide back into the lineup in the days to come. Edmonton hasn't enjoyed this kind of depth in a long time. It's important to remember that even among players who dress every game, a quick move up the depth chart can change fortunes and careers forever. Petr Klima's 1990 overtime goal in the Stanley Cup Final against Boston is the ultimate example; Kapanen's is the most recent. (Photo of Evander Kane: Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
National Post
16-05-2025
- Sport
- National Post
Kapanen comes in from the cold to become Oilers hero
Article content How difficult is it as a coach to get a read on players sitting out for an extended period of time, and whether they can help? They can lose their enthusiasm after being a spectator for a month. Article content 'It's a difficult situation for these guys (Kapanen, Stecher, Jeff Skinner, Derek Ryan) where we're going long stretches. It's not like regular season, where a player might miss three games in a row and he's back in,' said Knoblauch. 'In the playoffs, things are going well, there's no need to change things because the next game is so important to win.' Article content 'Right now it's tough to gauge. Are they engaged, involved? We don't really practise and if we do, it's short, and during series it's mostly pre-game skates. We try and keep them engaged to where they stand if we have injuries or somebody's not playing well. It's not like they're forgotten, but the worst part of my job is telling players they're not playing,' said Knoblauch. Article content So why did Arvidsson draw the short straw for Kapanen after Game 3 against Vegas? Was it just losing 4-3 on that last second goal by Reilly Smith? Article content 'There was nothing I saw to take Arvidsson out. It was just to give us more physicality, a guy chomping at the bit. Arvidsson, especially late in the L.A. series and early in the Vegas series, contributed on four key goals. Offensively he was helping a lot in a fourth-line role with Podkolzin and (Mattias) Janmark,' said Knoblauch, who has sat Jeff Skinner for 10 straight games after he started in Game 1 against L.A., and Derek Ryan hasn't played at all. Article content Mattias Ekholm, whose last game was April 11 against San Jose, has gone from week-to-week to day-to-day with his undisclosed injury — a suspected leg or core muscle issue — according to Knoblauch. 'I'm not anticipating him being ready for Game 1 or 2 but we're optimistic sometime in Round 3 he'll join us,' said Knoblauch, who has a solid top six right now with Evan Bouchard and Brett Kulak, Darnell Nurse and Stecher and Jake Walman and John Klingberg, but knows how important Ekholm is to the sturdiness on the back end, even jumping on a moving playoff train. Article content 'To expect that Ekholm will be the Ekholm we saw last year, that's not the case, whether that takes one game, two, five or six. But he'll help us in some aspect immediately after being cleared by our doctors. We're not in dire need to insert him until ready but the biggest part will be on the penalty kill. He's been a mainstay, the best guy there for my two years,' said Knoblauch. Article content Pickard, who's out with an apparent leg injury, won't be up and running for the start of the third round, either. 'But same timeline as Ekholm,' said Knoblauch, who has farmhand Olivier Rodrigue as backup to Stuart Skinner. 'Certainly not Game 1, but some time in the middle of the round.' Article content Article content This 'n that: Corey Perry, who has five goals and seven points in the playoffs, turned 40 Friday, the second-oldest playoff contributor right now behind Carolina's Brent Burns. He's only six years younger than Knoblauch. 'We joked about his speed and skating and he said he never had it so that hasn't changed much, even from when he was 22 years old,' laughed the Oilers coach. 'He's had a great career because he's gritty, he's got fire but most importantly he's an extremely smart hockey player.' … McDavid crashed into the end boards on a backcheck along with Zach Hyman in Vegas in Game 5 and was shaken up a bit, appearing to get a cut on his face, and maybe some other bruises, but Knoblauch says he's fine … If Dallas had beaten Winnipeg Thursday to end their series, Game 1 of the Western final would have been in Dallas Saturday. Now, the Oilers are probably off until middle of next week … It's also Jeff Skinner's birthday Friday. He's 33 … Injured players like Ekholm and Pickard can use the extra time but others get into a playoff routine. Knoblauch is leery of too much rest. 'We didn't play well coming out of the Christmas break or the 4 Nations in February. But at this time of year, health and energy levels is the most important thing,' said Knoblauch … Hyman leads the playoffs in hits with 78 in his 11 games, with 13 in Game 5 in Vegas … The Oilers are rolling now with eight wins in the last nine games but coming off the Game 7 loss to Florida in the finals last June, it was hard for the disappointed Oilers to get ramped up for the regular season, and that included Knoblauch. 'I was standing behind the bench in exhibition and in regular season and I was thinking, 'This isn't Game 7 of the finals.' And I'm in a suit, not like the players in equipment, involved in the play,' he said … Knoblauch on playoff hardness: 'Some guys fade and some guys wilt. We're lucky to have a lot of guys who step up.' Article content
Edmonton Journal
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Kapanen comes in from the cold to become Oilers hero
Article content Kapanen's heroics are somewhere between the out-of-body Fernando Pisani experience in 2006, where he scored almost every game, and the 'where did he come from?' Brad Winchester, who scored a playoff goal in Detroit, also in '06. Kapanen is a former first-round draft pick, but was scratching and clawing to, frankly, stay relevant after the Oilers claimed him on waivers back in November from St. Louis, because the Oilers wanted his speed and tantalizing skill after not matching the Blues' offer sheet on Dylan Holloway. The Finnish winger was skating for weeks as an extra, until he replaced Viktor Arvidsson, measuring being a team guy and the disappointed human being side. 'It's not the most fun job in the world, everybody wants to play but you just have to remember to keep your body in shape and your legs in shape so that when to play comes, you will succeed,' Kapanen told local scribe Jouni Nieminen, who writes for the Finnish website after his hitting in Game 4 here.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Watch: Kasperi Kapanen's overtime winner leads Oilers past Golden Knights, into WCF
May 15 (UPI) -- Kasperi Kapanen wedged his stick into a crowd and poked the puck into the net with his final effort to lead the Edmonton Oilers past the Vegas Golden Knights in overtime and into the Western Conference finals. Kapanen lit the lamp 7:19 into the bonus period of the 1-0 Game 5 triumph Wednesday in Las Vegas. The Oilers will face the Dallas Stars or Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference finals. Advertisement "It doesn't really matter who scores as long as somebody does," Kapanen told reporters, when asked about his game-winner. The Oilers, who lost to the Florida Panthers in last year's Stanley Cup Final, outshot the Golden Knights 32-24 in their Western Conference semifinals finale. Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner made 24 saves for his second consecutive shutout. "I'm really happy I was able to come in and give my team a chance to win," Skinner said. "Obviously, being able to do it in five is huge. The guys' support and the way they played in front of me is massive." Oilers players blocked several shots early on to help Skinner keep it clean between the pipes. The Oilers went on to unleash 18 shots through the first two periods, but could not beat Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill. Advertisement Hill, who totaled 31 saves, stayed strong to keep the game scoreless in the third period. Defenseman Darnell Nurse and forward Leon Draisaitl eventually set up Kapanen's game winner after seven more minutes of scoreless overtime action. Forward Vasily Podkolzin fired a pass to Draisaitl on the right flank to start that sequence. Draisaitl passed back to Nurse, who ripped a shot toward the net. Hill saved the shot, but couldn't trap the puck. Several players attempted to get their blade on the puck before Kapanen used his final lunge to knock it in behind Hill, who was on his back in the crease. The Stars, who own a 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semifinal series, will take on the Jets in Game 5 at 9:30 p.m. EDT Thursday in Winnipeg. Game 6, if necessary, will be Saturday in Dallas. Game 7 is scheduled for Monday in Winnipeg.
