Can the only thing going right for the Edmonton Oilers continue to roar?

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This from Bob Stauffer of the Edmonton Oilers, tonight’s lineup against the Chicago Blackhawks, with an indication that the only thing going well for the Oilers: the veteran control line of Adam Henrique, Connor Brown and Mattias Janmark, get back together:

RNH-McDavid-Hyman
Skinner-Draisaitl-Arvidsson
Janmark-Henrique-Brown
Podkolzin-Ryan-Perry

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Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Dermott
Kulak-Emberson
Stecher

Pickard
Skinner

my take

1. The veteran control line of Henrique, Brown and Janmark has its critics. They point to some issues, namely the trio was not together during the playoffs, playing just 53 minutes together, and in those 53 minutes while outscoring the opposition 2-1, they went 15-25.

2. Critics will also, quite reasonably, mention that in a combined 142 regular season games last year, Brown and Janmark combined for just eight goals. Not much third-line production, is it? He’s barely good enough to be in the NHL, right?

3. For all that I remain optimistic about this line. Perhaps this is motivated reasoning on my part. On the one hand, throughout the McDavid era I have longed for the team to develop a line of control, a line of solid, shut down defenders that the Oilers can match up against tough offensive competition, the first or second line of the opposing team, and still get the job done.

Such a useful control line would allow the Oilers to play the McDavid and Draisaitl lines against less punchy competition, giving them more space and time to make good plays.

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That’s the theory, but it rarely works. And I want it to work, so maybe I’m getting to my analysis.

4. Despite these concerns, the line of scrimmage was the only thing that worked against the Winnipeg Jets in the season opener, a 6-0 loss. Janmark, Brown and Henrique were solid. In 10:40 minutes, the trio outscored the Jets 6-3 to tie the score at 0-0. The Draisaitl line was -1, the McDavid line -2.

5. Most of his ice time came against Mark Scheifele, Kyle Connor and Gabe Vilardi, so that part of Edmonton’s strategy went as planned, with the Vets keeping off the scoreboard a top line of winnipeg.

Connor Brown directed three Grade A shots into the net. He made an error on just one Grade A counterattack. Janmark and Henrique kept a clean sheet, without any major errors on an even strength Grade A counterattack throughout the game. They were three of only six Oilers to do so, along with Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman and Derek Ryan. For most of the Oilers, especially the poorly-read, light-control forwards, the game was a Gong Show of mistakes.

6. The Oilers have no shortage of question marks right now, from the play of the second defense to the team’s lack of speed and physicality up front.

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Right now, the colossal failure of Oilers management, from Ken Holland to Jeff Jackson, to get Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway to sign reasonable contracts is an ugly cloud over the roster. But that third line could help Edmonton limit some of the damage.

All are strong defensive players with a lot of experience, 520 regular season NHL games for Brown, 558 for Janmark, 913 for Henrique. They are all old and wise enough to know what it takes to win and sacrifice any selfish desire to rack up big points to play a crucial role. They also have the ability to score from time to time, even in a control role. I’m really looking forward to seeing them against Connor Bedard tonight.

7. Ideally, the Oilers will gain enough confidence in the trio to start using them to close out each period and shut down teams at that point. That last minute of each period has been a problem for the Oilers, as they haven’t always put their defense first. Brown, Henrique and Janmark can and will, which will be a boost.

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