Isaac Howard played more than 17 minutes for the Edmonton Oilers against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night and finished the night with no shots in a 2-1 overtime win.
But hey, wasn’t it just a few days ago that Mike Babcock was saying he didn’t particularly like Howard’s game?
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Howard has spent training camp trying to carve out a spot on this roster having already played a year in Bakersfield. He has talked about improving the details, becoming a more mature player and taking his offseason training seriously. One preseason game drew criticism from his new coach, and another gave him very little opportunity to show the offensive game that got him here.
Maybe everyone can relax a little bit.
“It was just a gritty game. There wasn’t a ton of chances either way. I think we just stuck with it,” Howard said. “I didn’t think there was a ton going on that game. It was just a simple game.”
That’s preseason hockey sometimes.
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The Oilers and Jets combined for 41 shots, of which Howard had none, and Viljami Marjala ultimately scored the overtime winner. Howard did, however, spend the night playing with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman.
“When you’re used to playing in a different league and you have the puck all the time — then you get out here and you never get the puck — for young guys, it can be frustrating,” Babcock said. “Then you try to do too much instead of just doing your job and check it back. You’re going to get a chance, then you’ve got to make it count.
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“It’s just a growing experience for Howie.”
Let’s be real here, Howard is 22 years old and committed to being a full-time NHL player. Every now and then, he’s going to have games Babcock likes, games he doesn’t like and probably a few where there isn’t enough happening to have much of an opinion either way.
That’s why taking individual preseason performances too seriously gets a little silly.
Howard didn’t lose his chance to play in the NHL when Babcock said he didn’t like his first preseason game, nor did he secure one Tuesday night either. Babcock’s comments about Howard have largely centred around that process of getting to know your players and where they are best suited to play within your lineup.
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Howard can shoot, score, make plays with the puck, and he’s more mature about the defensive side of his game as well. Zach Hyman said during camp that nobody around the Oilers is particularly concerned about those parts of his game, with the focus instead going toward his physical play, forechecking and the details required to play in the NHL.
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Mike Babcocks First Look At The OilersMike Babcock was pretty clear when he said he needed to see the Edmonton Oilers on the ice before he knew what he had, and Saturday’s 5-2 preseason win over the Winnipeg Jets gave him his first game with the group.
Preseason creates too much noise every September, probably because of the size of camp when it starts compared to when it ends and the expectations fans have for every player. A young player has a bad night and suddenly his roster chances are questioned. He plays well two nights later and everyone starts pencilling him into the opening-night lineup.
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Howard’s camp hasn’t really changed that much.
He came into it with an opportunity to make the Oilers, and he still has one. Babcock has found parts of his game he wants improved, Howard has acknowledged the details he needs to work on, and Edmonton still has time before it has to make a final decision.
The Oilers plan to dress a largely AHL lineup Thursday in Vancouver before using something close to their opening-night roster Saturday against Calgary. Howard will get his answer soon enough.
Until then, one preseason game is still one preseason game, even when the head coach doesn’t particularly like it.
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