Stars shine bright as Edmonton Oilers pound Seattle Kraken - Edmonton Sun

Rabu, 29 September 2021

Stars shine bright as Edmonton Oilers pound Seattle Kraken - Edmonton Sun

Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Jesse Puljujarvi, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto were all unleashed, along with top pairing defencemen Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie

Author of the article:

Robert Tychkowski

Seattle Kraken goalie Chris Driedger makes a save on Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid during first period National Hockey League pre-season game action in Edmonton on Tuesday September 28, 2021. Photo by Larry Wong /Postmedia

While the visiting Seattle Kraken went with a traditional early preseason road game lineup – largely anonymous and not at all threatening — head coach Dave Tippett countered with his most dangerous weapons Tuesday.

Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Jesse Puljujarvi, Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto were all unleashed, along with top pairing defencemen Darnell Nurse and Tyson Barrie.

It was like pitting shotguns against nuclear missiles, and the mushroom clouds started early in a 6-0 Edmonton victory inside a fan-filled 13,627 at Rogers Place.

The Oilers lead 3-0 after 20 minutes and 5-0 after 40 to leave a lasting first impression on the expansion Kraken.

As expected in a situation like this, almost everything went well, from shutout goaltending to the power play (two-for-three before Tippett called off the dogs) to penalty kill (four-for-four) to a dynamic wave of offence from Edmonton’s top players.

“I thought our whole group was solid, we were solid all the way through,” said Tippett. “But there are parts of it where you can tell it’s still exhibition.”

McDavid was in superstar form all night, finishing with a goal and two assists, and could have easily put up three or four more points. If it’s possible that he’s found another gear himself after a full summer of training, he has.

Hyman, who will start the season on the top line, found out early how much fun it is to be on McDavid’s wing as he scored an easy tap in late in the first period to make it 3-0 courtesy of a brilliant touch pass from the Oilers captain.

“I think (the line) will work well,” said Tippett. “Hyman’s goal was a perfect example of it. They got the puck, Jesse made a good play, Connor made a good play and it was a tap in for Hyman. Hopefully that’s a sign of good things to come.”

The newly-signed winger delivered exactly what the Oilers expected of him, hounding pucks, creating turnovers and making deft plays around the net to set up scoring chances, like the Hyman to Drasiaitl to McDavid goal nine seconds into a second period power play to make it 5-0.

“(McDavid) just creates so much space for himself,” said Hyman. “And he’s such an elite passer that if you go to the right spots and you’re open he’ll find you.

“It was a good start, and Jesse was great. As a line I really enjoyed playing with those guys.”

Puljujarvi scored the second goal and helped set up the third as he begins what the Oilers hope will be another step in his evolution. He is quickly emerging as a top power forward in the NHL and seems to fit in seamlessly with the best player in the world.

“There’s definitely another gear he can get to,” said McDavid. “He’s such a big, powerful man, and as you play more games you start to figure the game out a little better, you start to understand where the danger spots are on the ice and how you can get lost.

“There’s definitely a thinking side to the game where Jesse can take another step. That will come with time.”

The game was open to the general public, provided they were double vaccinated or provided proof of a negative test — for the first time since March 11 2020. While it wasn’t a massive crowd, for the pre-season opener on a Tuesday night, it wasn’t half bad.

For the players and coaches, it feels great.

“It’s awesome,” said Hyman. “The fans here are awesome. I hope down the line we get to full capacity, it would be even better. You can’t put it into words how much more fun it is to play hockey in a loud building with passionate fans.”

Darnell Nurse opened the scoring for Edmonton with a seeing-eye shot at 5:50 of the first period and Devin Shore set up Brendan Perlini with a great pass for a sharp angle goal to make it 4-0. Perlini scored the 6-0 goal as well to give him three in two games.

Mike Smith played the first 30 minutes in goal for Edmonton and turned aside all 18 shots he faced. Mikko Koskinen stopped the next 16.

MOSS TRIBUTE

The Oilers unveiled a 3-D plaque of the late Joey Moss on Monday. The former dressing room attendant is memorialized giving a high-five to players as they enter and exit the dressing room.

It’s a little something for all the people who miss his infectious spirit.

“Joe was a special person,” said McDavid. “He meant a lot to the organization and the players. To have a little statue there is a great reminder to us as players and staff.

“The whole city misses him and we certainly miss him as players — just having him around the room and his presence, that energy and life that he would always bring to the room. In a long season there are days where it can be a little boring in there a little dry, a little stale, he would always bring that life and energy and lift guys up. It’s nice to see his face.”

RUSSELL INCHING CLOSER

Kris Russell, who’s been bothered by a neck issue, is shooting for an exhibition game soon.

“Hoping next week. He’s coming along. He feels better. He’s skating a little bit before practice and then practising. Hopefully we’ll be able to get him in a game next week but we’re not going to put him in a bad spot. When he feels comfortable to play we’ll try to get him up and going.”

Tippett would like to get Duncan Keith in three games next week when he comes out of quarantine.

Twitter.com/rob_tychkowski
rtychkowski@postmedia.com

Adblock test (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMidGh0dHBzOi8vZWRtb250b25zdW4uY29tL3Nwb3J0cy9ob2NrZXkvbmhsL2VkbW9udG9uLW9pbGVycy9zdGFycy1zaGluZS1icmlnaHQtYXMtZWRtb250b24tb2lsZXJzLXBvdW5kLXNlYXR0bGUta3Jha2Vu0gGiAWh0dHBzOi8vZWRtb250b25zdW4uY29tL3Nwb3J0cy9ob2NrZXkvbmhsL2VkbW9udG9uLW9pbGVycy9zdGFycy1zaGluZS1icmlnaHQtYXMtZWRtb250b24tb2lsZXJzLXBvdW5kLXNlYXR0bGUta3Jha2VuL3djbS82Y2RlYzA1Ny1jZGRhLTQ5ZDQtYjM5Zi1hY2M3MzY2NDRmY2EvYW1wLw?oc=5

2021-09-29 03:40:03Z
52781908706880

Tinam Polo

Rabu, 29 September 2021