Edmonton Oilers coach Knoblauch gives great response to question about reffing
The Stanley Cup Playoffs are a few weeks old now, which means one thing: Edmonton Oilers fans are not happy with the officiating.
It may seem cliche to hate on the refs in the playoffs, but it isn’t without some merit this time around. The penalties doled out during this opening-round series between the Oilers and L.A. Kings have been far from even. Through five games, the Kings have had 18 power plays while Edmonton has been limited to just 12.
That is despite the Oilers controlling the bulk of play at five-on-five.
In the leadup to Thursday night’s pivotal Game 6 that sees the Oilers on the brink of eliminating the Kings, head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked about the officiating.
It appears he isn’t quite as angry about it as the fans are and had some fun with his answer.
“There are some certainties in life: death, taxes, and you being upset with the refereeing,” Knoblauch said to laughs. “Whether you’re a coach, you’re a fan, or a player, you’re always upset.
“Throughout the series, there are always going to be missed calls… Overall, I think the officiating has been doing a tremendous job.”
"We just handle it as any other game in the playoffs where we don't get too fired up, too complacent, too stressed if things aren't going well. It's a very mature group."
Coach Knoblauch on the #Oilers playing in a potential elimination game.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/KLVJnUDE4N
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 1, 2025
It’s a smart move from Knoblauch to go around the question and not voice his concerns. If he had, there would more than likely be a fine with his name on it coming from the NHL. Oilers fans have every right to be a little ticked off at the officiating, especially after a moment in Game 5 that could have swung things in favour of Edmonton earlier than it ended up being.
After a mad scramble in front of the L.A. net in the second period, Kings forward Quinton Byfield covered the puck in the crease with his hand. Usually, that would result in an automatic penalty shot for the Oilers; however, it was missed by the refs and went uncalled.
Mikey Anderson and Quinton Byfield team up to keep the puck out of the net#GoKingsGo pic.twitter.com/KKVMhuxc46
— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) April 30, 2025
Though the Oilers coach gave credit to the officiating, he did expand on his answer. As mentioned, analytics have Edmonton being the clear winner of the five-on-five battle through five games.
The fact that the Oilers are lagging so far behind in power plays despite controlling most of the possession puzzled Knoblauch.
“I am a little surprised that we haven’t had a power-play advantage in any of these games,” Knoblauch said. “Overall, I think the officiating has been good, but you’re always expecting more.”
The hope is that the Oilers can continue to play at the level they established in Game 5. They dominated every area of the ice during that game, and it was only a close game due to Darcy Kuemper’s heroics in the Kings’ net.
If Edmonton can put in a repeat performance, they will have that much better of a chance at drawing more penalties.