Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have long been the engines of the Edmonton Oilers.
Now the rest of the roster is rolling, too, as the team pushes for another deep playoff run.
Twenty-two different players saw ice time over Edmonton’s first 11 games of the post-season. Sixteen have scored. Three more have assists. Two goalies have backstopped the Oilers to wins.
“It’s amazing. I think for our group, obviously coming to the playoffs, we’ve got a lot of belief in each other,” veteran blue liner Darnell Nurse said Wednesday after the Oilers edged the Vegas Golden Knights 1-0 in overtime.
“Guys really care about the team as a collective. … When you through the playoffs, guys are going to have their moment where there’s an opportunity to step up.”
The victory gave Edmonton a 4-1 win in the best-of-seven second-round series and secured the club’s place in the Western Conference final for the second year in a row.
It’s the first time in 33 years the Oilers will play in the conference finals in back-to-back campaigns.
“It’s another chance for us, another great opportunity for us,” goalie Stuart Skinner said of the feat.
WATCH |: Oilers beat Golden Knights to advance to Western Conference final
Oilers grind out OT win to finish Golden Knights series
Kasperi Kapanen played the hero against Vegas, jamming a rebound in at the side of the net seven minutes and 19 seconds into the extra frame.
The Finnish forward — picked up off waivers by the Oilers in November — was a healthy scratch for the first nine games of the playoffs.
Wednesday’s game winner was proof of the group’s commitment to one another, he said.
“It doesn’t really matter who scores as long as somebody does,” Kapanen said. “The goal is important, yes. But I think without [Skinner] and other guys putting their bodies on the line and making the little plays and sacrifices, we wouldn’t be here. So it was a team effort, for sure.”
Skinner, too, has been sidelined for part of the playoff run.
The Oilers’ No. 1 netminder for much of the regular season was named starter ahead of the team’s first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings, but gave up 11 goals on 58 shots across the first two games as the Oilers fell behind 0-2 in the series.
He was replaced by Calvin Pickard and the 33-year-old backup led Edmonton to six straight wins before getting injured in Game 2 against the Golden Knights.
Skinner returned to the net and earned back-to-back shutouts to finish off the second-round series.
“Being able to come back in, no matter what the scenario is and being able to have that resiliency in me is something I can be proud of,” he said after stopping all 24 shots he faced on Wednesday.
“So much has to do with the guys are playing in front of me. The way that they’ve played ever since I came back in has been impressive.”
Depth throughout the lineup has given the Oilers an ability to win a variety of games this post-season, said head coach Kris Knoblauch.
There have been high-scoring affairs where Draisaitl and McDavid have led the way, tight defensive battles where one team’s goalie has outperformed the other and games where bottom-six forwards have come up with clutch goals.
“I’m very happy with the way everyone’s contributed,” he said. “Hopefully we’re only halfway through this. And we’re going to need contributions from everybody again.”
After grinding their way to the Stanley Cup final last season, only to lose Game 7 to the Florida Panthers, the Oilers know exactly how much their depth will be tested as the playoffs wear on.
This year’s team has learned from its past experiences, though, Nurse said.
“I would say we’re as deep as a team as I’ve played on. You go through the lineup, guys can score, guys can check,” he said. “I would say we definitely have the pieces. Now it’s just continuing to hammer away.
“With two series away, I would say we’re still far from a finished product.”
Next up, Edmonton will face the winner of a second-round series between the Winnipeg Jets and the Dallas Stars.
The Stars held a 3-1 edge in the matchup heading into Game 5 Thursday in Winnipeg.
