The Oilers seem to have turned things around recently and coach Kris Knoblauch explained that blocked shots have really helped the team get back on track. The Edmonton Oilers finished their East Coast tour on a high note with a 3-1 win over the New York Rangers last night. The win was their second straight victory and <a href='https://www.nhl.com/standings/2025-03-16/wildcard' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>put them in second place in the Pacific Division</a>, ahead of the LA Kings. It was a close one, 1-1 at intermission, but it was Connor McDavid and Viktor Arvidsson who provided the markers to give Edmonton its win. Goaltender Stuart Skinner, who has been under some fire of late, came through with 21 of 22 saves, including a couple of huge ones in the third period. Head coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned blocked shots several times as <a href='https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/arvidsson-scores-winner-as-oilers-edge-rangers/' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>a key to the win.</a> The Oilers controlled the Rangers 19-16 in that category, with 12 of those coming in the third as they protected the advantage. The story in the third period was how many blocked shots we had, Knoblauch told reporters after the game. We had [Jeff] Skinner and [Vasily] Podkolzin, [Jake] Walman had I think five or six tonight. It was just a lot of guys digging in and doing the right thing. <div align='center' class='pl20 pr20'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/EdmontonOilers/status/1901456957984395609'> </a></blockquote></div> <h3>Jake Walman was a shot-blocking machine</h3> Jake Walman led the team with six blocks, and having some of that burden taken off his shoulders was a thing Skinner appreciated. The guys played really well in front of me, Skinner said after the game. Especially at the end where we were six-on-five, up two, with a few seconds to go, we were still blocking shots. That's a huge credit to the guys. They don't have to do that with 10 seconds left so it's huge. Despite Edmonton wearing the offensive tag, their heightened emphasis on defense is starting to reap rewards. Even Ryan Nugent-Hopkins prioritized defense over offense when discussing the team's playing style. The win wrapped up a four-game road swing at 2-2. Playing so well in back-to-back wins in New York, the test now is to carry that momentum North of the border for a four-game homestand.