It’s no secret that I’m not a fan of the Oilers’ eight-game pre-season schedule, and that sentiment gets even stronger when you see that they’re rolling with a lineup filled with prospects and bubble guys. Even though we all know these games aren’t really for the fans and are meant for evaluation, it’s not much fun knowing the Oilers will likely lose before the game even starts. Final Score: 6-1 Jets.
When you compare the lineups for both sides, it’s no surprise that the Jets dominated the bulk of Wednesday’s game. Instead of running lean on NHL regulars as the Oilers did, the Jets had 15 NHL regulars in their lineup, and it didn’t take long for it to show on the ice. Winnipeg was the better team from the opening draw until the final buzzer, and nothing about how the game played out surprised me. Edmonton never had a chance unless the Hockey Gords felt like doling out a pre-season miracle.
Unfortunately, we didn’t get a miracle in game four of the pre-season schedule but rather a 60-minute beatdown by a veteran team that will win that matchup 1o times out of 10. If anything, it’s amazing that the score didn’t get further out of hand than it did. That said, if we’re looking for a bright side, there were a lot of Oilers prospects and tweeners who got a first-hand look at what it’s going to take to compete at the NHL level.
The Jets rolled out most of their big guns, which was a much bigger test than anything they’ve gotten so far. I’d even bet that a handful of players in the Oilers’ room have just found out how much better the opposition is at the next level and use it as fuel to get better. At least, I hope getting thrown in the deep end like the B-squad did at the Canada Life Centre can act as a carrot to chase, you know? Otherwise, that’s a long bus ride to slog through just to get beat down on the road.
Four more pre-season games left. We’re almost there.
OTHER THINGS WORTH MENTIONING…
- WE’VE OFFICIALLY PASSED THE MIDWAY POINT OF THE PRE-SEASON! HUZZAH!
- Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring (1-0) on a beautifully executed passing play after the Oilers got caught on a sloppy line change that basically gave the Jets a free pass into the zone and look on their goaltender. As far as line swaps go, I don’t know that they could have done much worse than they did on this one, and I’m thankful Skinner didn’t rip his groin in half trying to stop the chance.
- Kyle Connor extended the Jets’ lead (2-0) on a breakaway deke after Ty Emberson got caught trying to pinch up ice, creating an odd-man situation in the neutral zone that Skinner couldn’t bail his teammates out for. A tough pinch led to Connor’s scoring chance, and that dude doesn’t miss often when he ends up in those situations.
- Colin Miller put the Jets up by three goals (3-0) with a power goal after his sneaky wrister from the point made its way through traffic and past Skinner on the glove-hand side.
- Neal Pionk scored Winnipeg’s fourth consecutive goal (4-0) on a low backhander near the crease after he took a pass in the high slot and walked the puck right into the slot. The Pionk goal was a tough look for the Oilers’ defenders, as there wasn’t a whole lot of interference standing between him and the net. Even a fly-by stick to his skates would have been nice.
- Next in line for the Jets scoring spree was Brad Lambert who gave Winnipeg a five-goal lead (5-0) with the Jets’ second power play goal of the night.
- I fully admit that I had stopped paying attention by the time Adam Lowry scored to make it 6-0 for the Jets. That said, I did laugh when I heard the goal was a shorthanded marker because why wouldn’t they score when down a man too?
- Just when I thought the game had lost me completely, I heard Cam Moon’s call that Connor Brown had scored to break the goose egg and ruin the shutout. The Oilers were on the board. After 56 minutes of pain, we finally got there. Blessed day.
- Stuart Skinner made his pre-season debut on Wednesday night behind a lineup that was not exactly flush with everyday NHLers compared to the 15 the Jets had dressed, and that had me hoping he got a good nap in before the game started because you knew he was going to be busy. Even though we all know it’s only the pre-season and the results don’t matter, it’s still surprising that they gave their starter his first taste of action behind a lineup that never had a chance of competing. Then again, maybe it’s better to get thrown into the deep end and get more than your share of work instead of standing there doing nothing. Either way, Stu finished his first appearance with 23 saves and a .852 save%.
- I thought there were a handful of moments by Noah Philp that showed me he’s not afraid to make plays against a team with more skill in their lineup. Would it be too bold to think that Philp will play in the NHL sooner than later? In my uneducated opinion, he looks like he has all of the tools you want to see from a 4th line player, and given the way the Oilers are always up against the salary cap, it’s not crazy to think they need players who can contribute on cheap deals like Philp’s. Am I wrong? I don’t think I’m wrong.
- The Oilers went 0/5 on the power play, gave up a shorthanded goal, and gave up two goals in three shorthanded situations. Needless to say, the special teams were a challenge.
- Not only did the Oilers lose the hockey game but they also lost 59.6% of the faceoffs, which I’m taking as a personal attack.
