EDMONTON — There was a prevailing idea surrounding the Edmonton Oilers as they navigated this season – sometimes appearing moderately engaged, other times seemingly quite unfocused – that they were saving themselves.
The understanding was that their 25-game, two-month push for the Stanley Cup a year prior, which fell short by just two goals, imparted a crucial lesson to the roster: preserve more energy for the playoffs, because you`ll require greater reserves left by late June than you had the previous year.
Now, I personally never fully endorsed the notion that players could consciously regulate their output during the regular season with the intent of somehow leveraging energy accumulated over six months.
However, was it perhaps unavoidable on a subconscious level?
Deep down, could a team whose championship aspirations ended just one period shy in Sunrise, Florida, last June simply have played the season with an unintentional, involuntary—yet possibly inevitable—degree of restraint?
“I know for myself,” commented head coach Kris Knoblauch, the only team representative available during Friday`s player off day, “getting behind the bench at the start of the regular season and exhibition games, I had the thought, `Wow, this is nothing like Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.`”
“And that`s just me standing behind the bench, wearing a suit. Compare that to the players who put on their equipment, hit the ice, and are involved in the action every single night.”
