Knoblauch: ‘Very unfair’ to say Draisaitl played poorly at SCF

Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl has yet to record a point in the Stanley Cup Final, but he has the support of head coach Kris Knoblauch ahead of Edmonton’s must-win Game 4 on Saturday night.

“I’ve obviously seen Leon play better, but to say he’s playing badly, I think, is completely unfair,” the bench coach said. “I think he helps a lot, but like our team, everyone can be a little better. He takes a lot of pride in his game, he doesn’t hide anything, he doesn’t make excuses. … He’s been pretty, pretty good in almost every game I’ve seen him play.

Draisaitl dominated the first three rounds of the playoffs, amassing 10 goals and 28 points in 18 outings. Since then, he’s been blocked by the Florida Panthers and goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, but it’s not for lack of trying. Draisaitl took nine shots on goal and 16 shots at full strength in the series, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Knoblauch called Draisaitl the “catalyst” following Ryan McLeod’s goal in Game 3, even though he didn’t score a point on the play.

“It’s not very often that Leon has stood up to the scoresheet like he did,” he said. “But I think he contributed… Sometimes it’s not fair to judge a player only on his points, his goals and his assists.”

Draisaitl criticized his own play after Edmonton’s loss Thursday that put the team on the brink of elimination, saying he needed to “look in the mirror and try to be better.”

The Oilers’ quest to stay alive will get a little easier if Draisaitl finds a way to break through, but Knoblauch knows they’re in for a “challenge” as they try to climb out of a 3-0 hole.

“If there’s any group of men I want to do this with, it’s the guys in this room,” he said. “From what I’ve seen this season, how resilient they are, their perseverance, their focus, their attitude. I’m really excited for the next 10 days.”

The puck drops in Game 4 at 8 p.m. ET.