The three were put together out of necessity toward the end of the regular season as injuries ravaged the Oilers. The combination worked and they have continued to provide quality minutes during the postseason.
“You never want to go through that, missing players, and it was tough for us to find out what kind of team we had going into the playoffs because there were so many uncertainties,” Knoblauch said. “We didn’t know who was going to be coming back, who could be playing in what spots. But one of the positives was other guys got to play a lot and we got to see some line combinations that we probably wouldn’t have put together and one of them is Podkolzin, Arvidsson and Janmark.
“They were our second line for a good portion of the last couple of weeks of the season and they played really well. They didn’t score at this rate that they have in the playoffs, but there’s a lot to like and I think they felt good playing together and I think you’ve seen that carry over to the playoffs.”
Arvidsson had 27 points (15 goals, 12 assists) in 67 games for the Oilers during the regular season. The 32-year-old signed a two-year contract July 1 after spending the previous three seasons with Los Angeles.
Podkolzin, 23, who was acquired in a trade with the Vancouver Canucks on Aug. 18, had 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 82 games.
Janmark, who is in the first season of a three-year contract signed July 1, had 18 points (two goals, 16 assists) in 80 games this season. Now in his third season with the Oilers, the 32-year-old has been known to elevate his play in the postseason.
The three generated the opening goal for Edmonton in Game 2, gaining the zone and allowing Podkolzin to set up defenseman Jake Walman for his first playoff goal at 11:31 of the second period, with Janmark and Arvidsson creating traffic in front of goalie Adin Hill. Podkolzin scored Edmonton’s second goal, at 15:18, for a 2-1 lead.
“It was a great play by that line and think they’ve been kind of doing it all playoffs so far and it showed up on the scoreboard tonight,” Walman said after the win. “I was fortunate to get a pass in an open lane and I think that just kind of shows the depth of our team and anybody can contribute at any point. And at the end, the big dogs took over.”
Edmonton has won six consecutive games after losing the first two at the Kings in the first round and can take a commanding series lead against Vegas on Saturday.
“Credit to their depth, they found ways to score,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “When I saw the L.A. series, I think Edmonton did a good job of that too, so I think their depth is contributing. That’s how you have runs.”
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