October 7, 2022 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Edmonton Oilers concluded their preseason with a thrilling 5-3 win over the Seattle Kraken. The Kraken gave the Oilers all they could handle, but the Oilers ultimately found a way to win.

This was more of a true test of what the regular season will be like. The Kraken dressed a roster that will likely not be much different than their opening night roster. Kailer Yamamoto, Warren Foegele, Philip Broberg, and Markus Niemelainen didn’t dress for the Oilers who otherwise had their full NHL roster on the ice.

Call Outs:

Darnell Nurse fumbled a puck at the offensive blue line and then made an awful panic pass that led to an odd man rush the other way. Brett Kulak went down to a knee to try to block a pass on a scrambly play in front of the net, and the puck bounced to his man (Daniel Sprong) who put it home. James Hamblin failed to see a wide open Ryan Nugent-Hopkins when he got the puck near the offensive blue line. Nugent-Hopkins would’ve been in alone had Hamblin been able to get him the puck.

The team as a whole needs to start the game with more urgency. They looked complacent and disinterested for the first forty minutes of this game. That effort won’t cut it once the regular season rolls around.

Standouts:

Jack Campbell was unbelievable tonight. He kept the Oilers in this game through the first two periods. He made the routine saves look easy and he made several ten bell saves on grade A chances. The boys can thank Campbell for this win. He should’ve at least been one of the three stars in the building tonight, but he was snubbed.

It’s extremely rare to not lead a section like this with the man that got four points. Leon Draisaitl had a monster third period. He got a lucky break on a goal where Philip Grubauer shot it in off Draisaitl’s shin pad. He made an unbelievable pass from the right half wall to Evander Kane for a quick shot and a goal. He also deftly played a puck to Connor McDavid in the neutral zone to earn an assist on the empty netter. He added a powerplay assist in the first period by setting up Tyson Barrie for a one-timer from the point.

Shout Outs:

Jesse Puljujarvi played a solid game, less his last two shifts. He made a soft return pass to McDavid on a give and go that led to a McDavid chance in the first period. He got a quick, hard shot off on a good cross ice pass from Kane in the second period. He made a smart pass back into the high slot for a trailing Evan Bouchard on a rush in the third period rather than forcing it to McDavid. He had a shift in the third period where he took a shot then kept the puck alive and went to the net. He was rewarded by finishing off a ridiculous passing play initiated by Barrie and continued by McDavid.

However, he inadvertently blocked a Kane shot in a scramble in front of Seattle’s net and took a bad tripping penalty in the neutral zone late in the third. The Kraken tied the game on the resulting powerplay. 

Dylan Holloway was creating all sorts of chances early in the game. He snuck a pass through two Kraken defenders to spring Zach Hyman for a golden scoring chance. That was just one of several good chances that he had a hand in creating in the first period.

Barrie made several nice plays with the puck including his bomb from the point for his powerplay goal and the great back door pass to McDavid that led to Puljujarvi’s goal.

Ryan Murray was steady tonight. He was the one defender that had little go wrong when the play was around him in his own end. He also got involved in a couple of nice passing plays in the offensive zone. He understands how to move around the offensive zone and how to complement skilled players at that end of the ice. He’s going to be a fantastic addition to the back end.

The Oilers ultimately found a way to snatch victory out of the jaws of defeat in this game, but they will need to be more tidy when the regular season starts. They’ve got until Wednesday when the Canucks come to town for the Oilers home opener to figure it out.

I think I speak for everyone when I say I’m looking forward to watching some meaningful hockey!