EDMONTON — It’s amazing when you think back to the last time we gathered at Rogers Place to watch the Edmonton Oilers play three months ago. That Game 6 was a hair-on-fire, everything-on-the-line 5-1 victory that forced a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.
On Sunday, the Oilers regrouped for their pre-season opener, with a new GM (Stan Bowman) looking down from the press box and the same coaching staff behind the bench from the Cup run.
On the ice, however, it was the Manitoba Moose versus the Bakersfield Condors, with neither the Oilers nor the Winnipeg Jets icing more than three players each who will make their respective Opening Night rosters. And all of those were nearer the bottom of the lineup than the top, with names like Vasily Podkolzin, Josh Brown, Logan Stanley and Rasmus Kupari dotting two decidedly pre-season lineups.
Ty Emberson skated for the Oilers, looking just fine after an early giveaway. Defenceman Cam Dineen had an assist and scored the OT winner for the Oilers, and Raphael Lavoie ripped a power-play one-timer home in the third period — a skill that he truly has, but one that this Oilers team really does not necessarily require.
Big Noah Philp caught our eye numerous times, a right-shot depth centreman who could have a future in Edmonton, though not before he seasons a bit more in Bakersfield. And Vasily Podkolzin started the OT goal in the defensive zone with a solid body check that erased the Winnipeg puck carrier and gave the Oilers possession.
Here’s a spin through what we saw Sunday, as the Oilers opened their pre-season with a 3-2 win over the Jets.
Noah’s Arc
Philp, a former University of Alberta Golden Bear, looks like a guy who may help down the road, a six-foot-three right-shot centreman with nice hands who won nine of his 12 faceoffs on Sunday. He played one year with Bakersfield, took last season away from the game, and returns as someone who could be the future 4C in Edmonton.
“What we want from him is kind of what he provided today. Faceoffs are a huge part of it, especially being a right-handed centerman,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “He’s big, and for his pedigree and what I was expecting, he’s a much better skater (than Knoblauch thought).
“A lot of respect for him,” Knoblauch continued. “For a guy that has not played a game in 16 or 17, months to come into an NHL exhibition game and play as well as he did tonight, that’s a good first step.”
“I thought it was good,” the 26-year-old said. “I thought as it went on, I got more comfortable just working some kinks out, not playing for so long. But I thought it progressed as it went on in a positive way.”
Bison King
How smooth does Jesse Puljujarvi look with Pittsburgh right now, scoring on all three shots on goal he took in a 7-3 pre-season win over Buffalo?
The word from Pittsburgh is he’s put on some size and is the strongest he’s ever been, after a healthy summer unaffected by hip surgery or any of other injuries that have dogged him through his career.
Here’s a look at his hatty.
Sam I Am
Sam O’Reilly, whom the Oilers made a trade to secure with the 32nd pick in the June draft, looks like a solid two-way centreman. He showed a nice burst and some finish, scoring on the Oilers’ first shot of the game on Jets goalie Eric Comrie.
It’s always a big deal for an 18-year-old to play his first NHL pre-season game.
“Just going out there, seeing all those people, you get a little nervous. But you have to shake it off and just play hockey,” he said.
Let the record show, O’Reilly scored on his first NHL shot as an Oiler, something you can never take away from him. It slowed the game down for him.
“Yeah, it did. A little confidence,” the London Knights centreman said. “Obviously, getting that first one pretty early in the game feels good.”
Who else did Knoblauch like on Sunday?
“The defence corps, I liked all six of them, played really well, highlighted by Dineen,” Knoblauch began. “He made some nice plays in the first period, especially highlighted with overtime goal.
“Up front, Podkolzin, I thought he had a good game. Starts that overtime goal (with a) defensive play, then he drives the net. I thought he got a stick on a lot of pucks, breaking up plays. Wasn’t shy in using his body, something that’s going to be important for us.
“(Matt) Savoie, I thought he played really well tonight. He was part of the overtime goal, but I thought he made some nice plays too.”
Lots of vets skating tonight as the Oilers and Flames play split squad games in each city. Both clubs will likely save their top players from travelling, with Connor McDavid expected to suit up in Edmonton with linemates Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
Kane Update
The Oilers will likely issue a news release Monday following Evander Kane’s surgery to repair what Kane listed as a pair of adductor tears, two abdominal tears and two hernias.
Elliotte Friedman reported that Kane’s surgery Friday in New York went well, and he’s on the shelf until at least “January or February.” Oilers GM Stan Bowman hadn’t had in-depth conversations with his medical team on Sunday, but he thought a four- to six-month time frame was probably fair.
Five months takes us to late February, six months to late March, and then there’s the unknown surrounding Kane’s fitness after core surgery of this magnitude. It’s sounding more and more realistic that he could possibly miss the entire season, but be ready for the start of Round 1 in mid-April.
The NHL Trade Deadline is March 7.