Oilers’ depth ponies up to eliminate Kings

As CTV Edmonton's Connor Hogg reports, the Oilers beat the Kings in Game 6 to advance to the second round of playoffs.

Pink Pony Club has been cranked on the sound system in the Edmonton Oilers’ dressing room after each home win this spring.

It’s fitting the players have chosen the earworm pop anthem as a victory song of sorts because the National Hockey League club, too, has evolved into an enduring phenomenon that just sticks around for more action the same way Chappell Roan’s popular song has become a streaming staple on millions of Spotify playlists.

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It’s the fourth season in a row now that the Oilers have advanced past the first round of the NHL playoffs following Thursday’s elimination of the Los Angeles Kings – also their initial round victims the previous three years – in six games.

And while stars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl deservedly have been the fawned-over front men of the group, their supporting cast has stepped into the spotlight as well to shoulder some of the offensive load.

Just like last year, when this band of brothers took their show all the way to the seventh game of the Stanley Cup final.

“It’s great. You need that. You need different guys stepping up,” McDavid told media after the 6-4 win. “I thought Brownie had his best game as an Oiler maybe. He was fantastic. Picks obviously. You go down the list. We’ve had guys step up.”

‘Brownie’ and ‘Picks’ are depth forward Connor Brown, who led the Oilers in scoring Thursday with a goal and two assists, and goalie Calvin Pickard, who backstopped the team in goal for their fourth win in a row while stopping 23 of 27 shots he faced in a wide-open, turnover-laden contest while making saves at key moments.

• Draisaitl adds to banner season as Hart Trophy finalist

“Brownie’s confident. A lot of guys have confidence,” McDavid said. “You need that at this time of year. You need everybody feeling good about themselves, and everybody should.”

McDavid, with an assist, and Draisaitl were held to a single point between them in Game 6, and three points between them the last two games. Draisaitl’s personal 17-game postseason point streak against the Kings ended on Thursday.

No matter.

The likes of Brown, power forward Trent Frederic, top-sixers Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and defenceman Darnell Nurse each had multi-point games.

Linemates Brown, Frederic and Adam Henrique each scored a goal.

“We have a lot of guys who want the puck on their stick in big moments,” Brown said after the game.

“Arvie (Viktor Arvidsson) showed that. Janitor (Mattias Janmark) showed that time and time again. Rico (Henrique) showed that. You can go through every line ... guys aren’t shying away from any type of limelight or any type of adversity. That’s huge. When you see the guy next to you hungry and wants to be the difference, it carries through. It gives each other confidence.”

And the Oilers need those players to shine in the postseason “if we’re going to have success,” head coach Kris Knoblauch said.

“We’re fortunate to have the depth that we have, last year as well” he said. “It’s nice as a coach to have a lot of weapons at my disposal, whether we need more offence, more grit, a little more speed.

“I think we’ve got a lot of options.”

Brown, the 31-year-old who joined the Oilers in 2023 following a year recovering from a torn knee ligament, said getting more ice time allows players to get into more of a rhythm.

“I was able to be relied upon offensively, so building off that has been big,” said the winger and penalty-killer who logged 16:12 in ice time in Game 6, up from Game 5’s 12:29.

“The biggest thing, I think, is I’ve been having fun. I feel back to my full self, so I’m just enjoying it.”