"Standards get changed a little bit": Oilers HC Kris Knoblauch, Connor McDavid respond to Edmonton Oilers' lack to penalty calls in playoffs

Following the Edmonton Oilers’ 3-1 Game 2 loss in the Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Center, head coach Kris Knoblauch expressed his desire for more consistent penalty calls from officials during playoff games compared to the regular season.

In the post-game presser on Saturday, Knoblauch addressed the lack of penalty calls made during the game. He mentioned that the standard for penalties seems to change in the playoffs, which can be challenging for his team.

"The standard gets changed a little bit. [The NHL] would definitely want to make sure it's a penalty when in the regular season, maybe some things get let go,” the coach said. “That's obviously unfortunate for us. We've got a very good power play, and we win a lot of games on the power play.”

Kris Knoblauch expressed his disappointment with the difficulty his team faces in drawing penalties during playoff games compared to the regular season. However, the coach clarified he doesn't believe the discrepancy in penalty calls is unfair to his team specifically.

“It's unfortunate for us that it's tougher to draw penalties in the playoffs than it is in the regular season. That being said, I think the standard is the same for both teams. I'm not saying it's unfair for us, but we would like the same standard,” Kris Knoblauch said.

Connor McDavid was also asked if he believes his team has struggled to earn more power plays and draw penalties from their opponents in the playoff series. In response, he admitted that he finds the question valid and worthy of consideration but doesn't have a clear answer or explanation for why this has been the case.

“It's a good question. I don't know. Yeah, that's a good question,” McDavid said (at 0:52 in the video below).

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Kris Knoblauch opens up on Oilers missed opportunities

In the post-game presser, the Edmonton Oilers head coach also addressed missed opportunities in the first period. He mentioned that despite the strong start, the Oilers couldn't capitalize on their early momentum to establish a significant lead.

“More goals (in the first) would have been nice and it would have set us up easier to go on from there,” Kris Knoblauch said. “They’re going to make their plays and we can’t dictate the entire story, but I thought our start was real good.” [H/T NHL.com]

He praised the strong goaltending performances on both sides for keeping the score relatively low despite numerous scoring chances.

“I thought the story of the night was the play of two goaltenders. We only got one goal, but the chances we had and the chances they had, it could have been a very high-scoring game. I think we could have come out of here with two games, but obviously, it’s just one.”

Now Kris Knoblauch will be looking to inspire his team to a Game 3 win against the Dallas Stars at Rogers Arena on Monday and gain a lead in the series.