What’s becoming increasingly obvious early on in the 2017 post-season is the importance of generating offence from across all four lines. While star players are fully expected to lead their teams in scoring, making a deep run in the playoffs often requires a group of supporting players that can contribute on a consistent basis. We’ve seen already the importance of depth players in the Leafs-Capitals series, and we’ll likely see more of that across other series as the playoffs go on.

After two games, the Oilers have received scoring from an array of players, at different game-states, which will need to continue if the club expects to have success in the playoffs. While the first two lines have plenty of talent and experience, and the third line featuring Letestu, Caggiula and Kassian had shown well in game two on Friday night, it’s the fourth line that might be the team’s weakest area. And it’s the play of David Desharnais in particular that the team may need to address, and fast.

In game one when the Oilers could only generate 31 shot attempts, and allowed 54, Desharnais was on the ice for one shot attempt for, and seven against in just over five minutes of ice time at even-strength. This didn’t seem so bad considering the whole team, except for Talbot, was dreadful in that overtime loss. But in game two when the Oilers outshot the Sharks 47-21, and really dominated the game, the team was again outshot when Desharnais was on the ice, this time going 2-5 in six and a half minutes of ice time.

It’s clear the coaching staff doesn’t really trust the 30-year old centerman, as Desharnais’ ice time in the first two games of the playoffs is well below the 10.73 minutes he averaged in his 18 regular season games with Edmonton since being acquired at the deadline. He’s not a powerplay or penalty kill option either, making him a fairly one dimensional player that the coaching staff typically deploys against the other team’s third and fourth lines.

Desharnais’s poor showing after the first two games isn’t all that surprising. In the 18 regular season games he played with Edmonton, he scored four points (2 goals, 2 assists), all coming within his first six games. Over the remaining 12 games, he mustered nine shots and not much else, which is disappointing considering his nice start and the fact that he often played the weakest competition.

 
Full article is at The Copper & Blue.