Oilers Preseason Gameday – Vs. Winnipeg

The doors will open at Rogers Place tonight for the first time in the 2018-19 preseason. It’s truly the start of what the Edmonton Oilers hope will be redemption tour 2K19. Tonight’s opponent? A team in the exact spot the Oilers were a season ago, the Winnipeg Jets.

The Jets will bring a young forward group, but will have arguably their top defensive pairing in town tonight. All in all, the Oilers will have a much better lineup and should be able to push their way to 3-0-0 on the preseason. There are some very interesting developments for the Oilers in this one, making the game worth watching.

Last Time Out:

Highlights

Edmonton won their second game of the preseason on Tuesday, doubling up the Vancouver Canucks by a 4-2 score. Cam Talbot played the first two periods of the game and looked terrific, making 22 saves on 23 shots. It was great to see him come out and play well against a largely NHL lineup.

Ty Rattie drove offense on his line with Ostap Safin and Cooper Marody, scoring twice and being the best player on said line. Jesse Puljujarvi, who scored the game’s first goal, was the best player on the ice in my mind for Edmonton. He looked confident and was making plays with the puck he didn’t even attempt a season ago.

Kailer Yamamoto had another solid showing, as did Tyler Benson and 2018 second-round pick Ryan McLeod. Defensively, Jakub Jerabek looked solid in his Oiler debut while Caleb Jones and Jason Garrison showed up in positive ways during the course of the contest. I also thought Matt Benning and Kris Russell were sensational, making up the best two defenders on the ice for either side.

Zack Kassian struggled big time in this game, getting beat out by the three other right wingers fighting for roster spots.

The Lineups:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Connor McDavid – Ty Rattie
Milan Lucic – Leon Draisaitl – Tobias Rieder
Jujhar Khaira – Ryan McLeod – Jesse Puljujarvi
Alex Chiasson – Cooper Marody – Pontus Aberg

Oscar Klefbom – Adam Larsson
Darnell Nurse – Evan Bouchard
Jason Garrison – Ethan Bear

Cam Talbot

We’ll get our first look at the top-six tonight, as the Oilers will go with a mostly NHL lineup. I’m interested to see how the McDavid line looks, but even more interested to see how the Draisaitl trio looks. If Tobias Rieder can hang on the right wing, it will give the Oilers a lot more depth and options in their lineup.

Ryan McLeod will skate with the third line wingers, indicating that the coaching staff believes he can actually make this roster. He’s the player I’m most interested in seeing behind Rieder tonight.

This is a pretty big game for the fourth line too, as Chiasson and Aberg are playing for their Oiler careers, while Marody tries to stick as a rookie pro.

Defensively, the Klefbom-Larsson pair is going for a spin to shake the rust off, while Nurse-Bouchard will link up in what could be the club’s second pairing in a year or two.

Talbot is expected to go the distance in this one.

Winnipeg Jets Lines:

Andrew Copp – Adam Lowry – Brandon Tanev
Kristian Vesalainen – Jack Roslovic – Mason Appleton
Brendan Lemiuex – Seth Griffith – Marko Dano
Michael Spacek – Dennis Everberg – JC Lipon

Josh Morrissey – Jacob Trouba
Logan Stanley – Joe Morrow
Sami Niku – Tucker Poolman

Eric Comrie

The Jets are dressing an AHL and junior lineup, but still have some interesting players in the lineup. Vesalainen, a 2017 first round pick, is worth watching, as is Jack Roslovic. Lemiuex, Dano, Appleton and Spacek are also worth watching, as they should be challenging for roster spots in the next year or two.

Defensively, the Morrissey-Trouba pairing is a legit top-four group, while the rest of the unit is fighting for jobs. Stanley is a top prospect, while Niku is a player that impressed quite a bit in the AHL last season.

Enjoy the game!