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Kris Knoblauch wins his Edmonton Oilers coaching debut

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The Edmonton Oilers were victorious in Kris Knoblauch’s debut as the hockey team’s head coach, scoring a 4-1 win over the New York Islanders Monday night at Rogers Place.

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“It feel amazing to get that first win,” Knoblauch said after the game. “I liked how we stayed patient and stayed the course — didn’t take unnecessary risks.

“There’s definitely things we need to tighten up, but I think the most important thing is we didn’t get desperate when things weren’t going well.”

The Oilers were sloppy early and fell behind after 40 seconds on a goal by Matthew Barzal. Leon Draisaitl was strong in the first period and put the Oilers on the board with a shot from the right wing with 5:43 on the clock.

“It’s been a crazy couple of days,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said.

“It was everything we’ve been missing. Special teams were good — we’ve definitely missed that. Third period offence — we’ve been missing that — and I thought (goaltender) Stu (Skinner) played really well. He was there when we needed him.”

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The second period was scoreless.

The Oilers took control with two power-play goals 1:58 apart in the third. Zach Hyman swatted in a pass from McDavid. Later, Draisaitl sent McDavid in on a partial break down the left side. His shot squeaked through Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin to end an eight-game goalless drought.

“It’s nice to see one go in,” McDavid said.

“Offensive guys like to score goals and I’m no different.”

Oilers forward Evander Kane added a shorthanded empty-netter.

Draisaitl finished with a goal and three assists. Skinner was solid in goal with 32 saves.

“When you have a guy playing like that who’s backing you up, it gives you a chance,” Hyman said of Skinner’s performance Monday night.

It’s the first time this season the Oilers have won two in a row. It’s also their first win at Rogers Place after going 0-4-1 in their first five tries.

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Oilers forward Dylan Holloway left the game in the second period with a lower-body injury.

The Oilers (4-9-1) will host the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday. You can listen to the game live on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 5 p.m. The actual game starts at 6:30 p.m.

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