Mike Babcock iced a lineup heavy with AHL talent Thursday night, and the Edmonton Oilers still walked away with a 2-1 win over the Vancouver Canucks, who, in contrast, iced all of their big guns. The Oilers outworked their much more experienced opponent on the road and improved Babcock’s preseason record to 3-0.
Babcock said, “Coming in, obviously we were undermanned and obviously outmatched, but our guys played with determination.” He added that when you come in with the lineup they did, and you’re not sure what’s going to happen, it can go a number of ways. In this case, it was good to get through the opening five minutes, pick up the pace, and eventually the win.
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Playing with pace is the Oilers’ mantra. They’ve focused on it in practice and on-ice sessions. It’s clear they’re starting to work that pace into their games.
A Steady Jarry Thought “The Kids Played Great”
In net, Tristan Jarry looked sharp, stopping 25 of 26 shots and moving fluidly in the crease. Despite his poise, he credited the young guys. “I thought the kids played great tonight; they worked their butts off,” Jarry said after the win. “Everything we’ve been going through in practice, they really implemented tonight.”
When asked what it’s like to play behind a group that’s putting in that kind of effort, he responded, “It’s awesome to stand back there and see that effort… They were working hard.”
With Jarry, Max Jones, Spencer Stastney, and Ty Emberson the only established NHL regulars in the lineup, the group still showed a clear defensive identity. It was genuinely an encouraging sign, even in a preseason game.
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Edmonton pressured the puck throughout the game, especially on the penalty kill. The kill was aggressive, pouncing on the puck carriers from multiple angles. It’s a bit of a gamble if not done properly, but this is the style the Oilers want to play. The goal against showed where things can go wrong, but the non-NHLers did a solid job applying the coach’s teachings, and you can see what they’re trying to do. The veterans will have to keep that trend going on Saturday.
While Jarry had a solid game in goal, Isaac Howard was the standout of the night. After a quiet start to camp as he pushed for a top-six role, Howard opened the scoring by pouncing on a bouncing puck, then added an assist. His game visibly shifted after the goal, as if a weight had been lifted, and he played much stronger over the final 50 minutes.
This was the kind of game he needed to have as the jury was out on him thus far in camp. Babcock said earlier in the day that they liked how Howard had been preparing, but they wanted to see him in a game where he got to possess the puck.
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As for why he’s the only player to play all of the team’s preseason games, it’s about opportunity. As a player trying to cement himself on the roster this season, Howard needs the looks.
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Vancouver Is Going to Struggle This Season
Vancouver pushed for the equalizer in the third period and controlled more of the puck late, but Edmonton’s counterattacks generated the better scoring chances down the stretch. Vancouver did not look strong. The fact that such a loaded lineup struggled to generate anything remotely dangerous is not a good sign for a Canucks team that had no excuses.
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Meanwhile, this was the last game that most of Thursday’s lineup will play this season. Babcock said of the guys who the team will send down, “The hardest thing about this league is that no one is giving their job to you.” He said they should all feel good about themselves.
Now, the roster will be narrowed down to an exclusively NHL roster and the team will be get ready for their final exhibition game on Saturday.
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