Oilers’ ‘unheralded’ depth proving a good match with the best

DALLAS — So what is depth, exactly, in a Stanley Cup contender? And who, after four games of this Western Conference Final, has more depth after all?

Is depth what the Dallas Stars entered the series with up front? Four solid lines that can all make real contributions to a win?

Or is it an Edmonton Oilers team that trades out players like hockey cards at the bike racks, who now has 14 game-ready NHL forwards at its disposal in this series, and a 1,000-game veteran like Sam Gagner waiting to be called upon?

Are you as deep on defence as the narrative states when your sixth man — the steady, 32-year-old Alex Petrovic — has played one NHL game in the last five seasons?

Or is it wiser to embark on a playoff run with a six full-timer NHLers and a 7-8 pairing of Troy Stecher (496 games, but possibly injured now), and Philip Broberg, a smooth-skating 22-year-old who has likely seen the last AHL game of his pro career?

And what if Chris Tanev can’t play? What does that third Dallas pairing look like now?

In short, as the Oilers shuffle their deck and find production from beneath the usual sources, does the narrative that Dallas’ depth will win this series for them begin to spring a leak or two?

“I don’t think their depth gets enough credit, to be honest with you,” said Stars veteran Matt Duchene. “I mean, their two big boys up front get the majority of the press, which they should. They’re two of the best players in the world and McDavid might be the best player ever. He’s in that debate.

“But I think their depth is unheralded and we respect it. That bottom six for them has been really good this series.”

What we’re learning about young Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch is that he’s not afraid to flout the accepted norms of playoff coaching.

In Round 2, he “re-set” starter Stuart Skinner for two games, and has been rewarded with a rejuvenated No. 1 goalie and a backup that is ready and waiting to do it again if need be.

On defence, big Vincent Desharnais’ game was slowly eroding. Before it became a real problem, in comes young Philip Broberg, who gave Edmonton 13:51 of clean defensive play in Game 4. He was not on the ice for a Stars goal.

Western Conference Final: Oilers vs. Stars

Keep up with the latest news and analysis as the Edmonton Oilers face the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final. All games can be watched on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.

Full coverage

And up front, Ryan McLeod returned from a game in the press box, shifted from centre to wing and scored a goal, while Corey Perry came in with an assist and an excellent performance after five games out of the lineup.

“Corey is very consistent in his game. He played (in Game 4) a lot like he’d been playing before,” Knoblauch said. “You’re probably asking, ‘Well, why did (you) take him out of lineup then?’ It’s just what we needed, and who we were playing, and who else was playing well.

“How he played (Wednesday), that’s what we were expecting. And we loved it.”

As we get deep into this series, a best-of-three remaining, it would be ironic of it were the Mattias Janmarks and Connor Browns who shifted this series Edmonton’s way, after all that pre-series “expert analysis” that told us the Oilers would never be able to keep up with Dallas’ depth.

“Dallas’s depth is maybe a little bit different,” Knoblauch said. “Their depth are guys that are, maybe, more playing on the power play. Our depth is (more) defensive responsibility, especially on our penalty kill. And lately, they’ve been coming up with some key goals.

“Connor Brown has been part of three goals in the last four games. Janmark has had a lot of good games through these playoffs. (Game 4) was another one.

“Maybe our depth players aren’t as flashy, or don’t have as many points. But for the value of our team, we appreciate them.”

More from Sportsnet

Impressive Oilers tie things up vs. Stars with third-period lockdown

Stars would have big hole to fill if Tanev misses Game 5