Postgame: Puljujarvi Powers Oilers Past Jets

The Edmonton Oilers took on the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place tonight, extending their preseason winning streak to 5-0 with an impressive 6-2 victory over the Jets.

The Jets grabbed an early lead with forward Michael Spacek popping in a power play goal off the backhand at 4:51 in the first period. A few minutes later, Oilers free agent acquisition Jussi Jokinen went hard to the front of the net and tipped in a point shot from defenceman Matt Benning to tie the game at one a piece.

A mere 17 seconds later, Brad Malone buried a rebound past Jets goaltender Michael Hutchinson on a broken play. The Oilers finished the first period in the driver’s seat with a 2-1 lead and a 5-on-3 power play that would stretch into the beginning of the second.

The boys in the orange, blue and white jerseys started off the second period on a poor note, failing to capitalize on the remainder of the 5-on-3. At the 8:33 mark of the period, JC Lipon scored a power play marker for the Jets on a strange ricochet off of net minder Cam Talbot.

Lipon’s goal exposed the inexperience of Oilers defender Caleb Jones, as the youngster failed to clear the puck in front of the net. It was a lackluster period overall for the Oilers, as they got pinned in their own zone for extended periods of time and ended the frame tied at two.

Just 2:21 into the third, Jesse Puljujarvi feathered a dandy area pass to Connor McDavid, who used his other-worldly outside speed to break into the Jets zone and dangle Hutchinson out of his pants.

THE CAPTAIN MAKES IT HAPPEN! pic.twitter.com/HFqhorAeHw

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) September 24, 2017

Winnipeg nearly tied up the game again on a goal that would be called back, as Brendan Lemieux was deemed to have interfered with Talbot. The Jets challenged the call, but the officials upheld their original decision. As a result of the goaltender interference, the Oilers were sent to the man advantage.

Puljujarvi managed to squeak a shot through Hutchinson from in tight on the power play, giving the Oilers a 4-2 lead. Several minutes later, Malone scored his second goal of the game off of another rebound, this time a point shot from Jones.

The Oilers kept pouring it on, with Puljujarvi scoring another power play goal from the net front to give the team a 6-2 advantage. This time, the young Finn bounced a shot off of Jets forward Brandon Tanev and past Hutchinson.

Edmonton managed to maintain their 6-2 lead for the remainder of the third period, taking their preseason record to an impressive 5-0.

Takeaways:

• Jesse Puljujarvi had a really solid showing, especially in the third period after being promoted to the McDavid line, where he had two goals and a beautiful assist. Both of Puljujarvi’s goals came from right in front of the net on the power play. McDavid was in on all three of Jesse’s points tonight. It was nice to see the Finnish international show some flashes of his offensive talent. Whatever narratives may be floating around out there, this kid is far from a bust yet.
• The combination of Jussi Jokinen and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins put in some excellent work tonight, showing their capability on the penalty kill. I could definitely see these two being used as the nucleus of a tough-minutes line that matches up against other team’s top players.
• Journeyman Brad Malone just won’t go away. A veteran of 176 NHL games, Malone continues to insert himself into the conversation for a bottom six role, scoring two greasy goals for the Oilers tonight. I still don’t think he cracks the opening night roster, but he could certainly be a call-up at some point in the season.
• Caleb Jones was a mixed bag tonight with some good and some not-so-good moments. The good included a nice shot from the point that ended up assisting one of Malone’s goals, while the not-so-good included a missed opportunity to clear the puck in front of his own net, resulting in a goal against.
• Matt Benning impressed me with his continued knack for making quick, hard passes and moving the puck up the ice. I’m looking forward to seeing what this player can do with an increased role, especially with Andrej Sekera sidelined by injury to start the season.

Thanks for reading!

You can find me on Twitter @SullivanJLarson