Adam Henrique Injury – The Edmonton Oilers’ playoff matchup with the Vancouver Canucks in the second round hasn’t been easy thus far. Despite throwing up a three-goal lead in the series opener at Rogers Arena, Kris Knoblauch’s club has been the second-best team; yet, they should arguably still be leading the series going into Tuesday night’s crucial game four encounters.
Whatever the case, the Oilers cannot afford to lose the fourth game at home and risk losing the series three games to one when they return to Vancouver. Whether Stuart Skinner stays as the starter or Calvin Pickard gets a chance, improving play in goalkeeping will be crucial.
The presence of Adam Henrique, who was acquired from the Anaheim Ducks (via the Tampa Bay Lightning) and has since shown to be a great complement to the top six, is another important factor. Regretfully, he hasn’t made much of an impact on the Oilers’ series against the Canucks so far.
During the series-clinching 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in the opening round, Henrique suffered an ankle injury. He has only been able to participate in one of the three games the Oilers have played against the Canucks thus far, and it’s no accident that it was the one that the team was able to win.
The Oilers have undoubtedly missed the 34-year-old’s physical presence since the Canucks have been the more aggressive team, both inside and outside of the lines of what is deemed appropriate. Take into consideration that, with 22, he led all Oilers players in hits during the first-round matchup with the Kings.
But in truth, it was evident from the 4-3 overtime victory in game two that Henrique was not his normal self. He played only 11:38 minutes and made little difference, as shown by the fact that he did not record a hit in the game against the Canucks.
Knoblauch decided not to start him in the third game in response to a question about whether the seasoned forward had experienced a setback. During his Monday afternoon media conference, the Oilers coach stated: “He’s still day-to-day.” I’m not sure if it was a setback, or if he was just not quite as good as we anticipated. I am aware that during game two, we wanted and needed him to play, and he felt at ease doing so. But as the game progressed, you realized that playing the part where there is physicality and contact is a little bit different. He was probably not quite ready, so instead of going out on the ice by himself, he practised some skating drills.”
Of course, this raises the question of whether Henrique will be available at Rogers Place on Tuesday night. “Maybe game four, maybe game five,” Knoblauch remarked. We’ll see.
Fans should not be too encouraged by Knoblauch’s response since the teams are desperate to use any advantage they can to tie the Canucks in the series. Even though the Oilers have probably the best lineup in Edmonton since the days of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, these are critical times for the team.
But, if important players like Henrique are out, it makes no difference how good your roster is; the Oilers can still win, but they have a better chance when he is in the starting lineup. It’s practically a case of now or never for McDavid and company given their salary cap position for the upcoming season, and supporters will be hoping Henrique can still have a significant impact on how this second-round series against the Canucks turns out.
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