Under-equipped Edmonton Oilers have no power-play pop, sink 3-0 to Seattle: Cult of Hockey Player Reviews

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An understaffed Edmonton Oilers team stayed with the Seattle Kraken for 2 periods, beating them 19-12 but trailing 2-0.

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Edmonton had a few chances to get back into the game. And the PK was a perfect 0/6. But the Oilers Power Play, without all but Tyson Barrie of his usual setup, fired a fairly predictable blank on 4 attempts.

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In the end, Edmonton lost 3-0 to the Kraken, who had twice as many NHL players as the Oilers.

Here’s the story of the band…

Edmonton Oilers Player Reviews

OLIVIER RODRIGUE. Rodrigue did pretty well. Gave it up 1-0 on a world class shot, short side, although I thought Rodrigue committed a split second before Matty Beniers released the puck. He is the only one who beat Rodrigue in 8 attempts. Notable saves on Donato from the slot, a quick pad save on Beniers and a later trick on Wennberg. Not bad.

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RYAN FANTI. Beaten. He was beaten to a wrap-around by Donato which Fanti didn’t read particularly well. But Donato also cut him off in passing, making it nearly impossible for Fanti to get to the other post. The other goal was not on him. Fanti stopped 16 of 18 games, including McCormick on a breakaway shortly after the 2-0. A big point-blank save on Donato in the 3^rd.

DEREK-RYAN. I mean no disrespect to people like Derek Ryan, Devin Shore, Benson, Janmark and Griffith. But it would be unusual for either of them to take a single shift on the man advantage. Yet all 5 played more than 4 minutes on the PP tonight. Ryan was good on OK, face-offs (60%) and had 2 shots. Didn’t hurt his chances of sticking.

RIVE DEVIN. Skated well and was an important part of an effective PK. I had a considerable sugar time on the PP (5:07). He hasn’t experienced this since junior hockey. One hit, 3 blocks, a neutral zone takeaway. Whistled for a minor. He was fine.

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GREG McKEGG. He’s kind of Brad Malone-lite. Doing well, playing with some grit, decent in the draws (75% tonight) But he didn’t show as well as Malone did the night before. And they are fighting for the same job.

Tyler Benson. A tougher assignment in the second straight streak and higher up the lineup, Benson delivered another solid effort. Led the Oilers in strokes with 5 including a breakaway that couldn’t find the 5 hole. Notable: After James Hamblin’s headshot, it was Benson who rushed to defend his young teammate. Seems a half step faster. Displays well. But there is a traffic jam in front of him.

JAKE VIRTANEN. Showed some flashes. An intoxicating back-check at the start of 1^st helped save a goal against. An effective defensive stick in the neutral zone. Seemed to have jumped more in this game than the night before. But just one hit and one miss from the top of the slot. He will only have a limited number of such opportunities.

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SETH GRIFFITH. Griffith jumped in and did a decent job of helping create in Power Play times. But didn’t land a hit in 6:09 PP work and finished the night -2. Maybe just a really good AHL player.

MATTIAS JANMARK. Janmark had a very up and down performance. He has consistently demonstrated that he still possesses the speed of the NHL. Had 2 shots on net. But also missed both the puck and (more critically) his man on the offensive blue line, allowing a 2-on-1 the other way with Kailer Yamamoto (!) the only man back. Do it 3-0 Kraken.

Noah Philip. Stolen from a crease-foot goal which was recalled by the referees for interference with a goalkeeper. The replay clearly showed the puck was on the way before any contact. But there is no revision in the pre-season. He jumped early again, passed out a bit late.

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LUC ESPOSITO. Took a penalty. A shot. A tube. He’s playful enough but doesn’t have the skills or the size to compete for an NHL job.

REID SCHAEFER. Played 14:26, including ample Power Play time (such was the Oilers lineup tonight). Sent back to Junior after the game. Although since it’s Seattle, he may have gone home to his foster family. It will be fun to watch it evolve.

KAILER YAMAMOTO. Played a serious and involved game. Effective in 3h25 of work in shorthandedness including a nice flight and without fault in the 1st. I got half the power play time from lower players, which was a bit of a mystery to me. 0 shots, though he just kissed a good tip on a Barrie drive. . Set up Benson for an early chance, as well as shorthanded Neimelainen. . A few takeaways. The man alone returns to the goal of 3-0. It’s hard to fault him for much. Led all Oilers forwards in TOI at 18:31.

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JAMES HAMBLIN. Blindfolded by Jacob Melanson, who is rightly given a 5 minute and one game match penalty. Hamblin returned to play. One of the players I thought had the wear and tear of playing back-to-back showed up a little early, as Hamblin took 2 batting violations. Has skills, however, and landed 3 hits.

TYSON BARRIE. I thought Barrie was fine tonight. Played 24:28, to lead all Oilers. This included 7:12 on the PP. Had 4 hits. He just wasn’t passing on the quality of offensive players he’s used to sharing the ice with. A nice setup for a chance from Ryan at 2nd. Up-ice on the 3-0. For Barrie, it’s a chance to get his legs back and get up to speed.

MARCUS NEIMELAINEN. Led both clubs with 5 hits. Added 2 blocks and was pretty efficient in 4:02 of shorthanded work. Most of his 5v5 time was also with young Max Wanner. So it wasn’t like Neimelainen was riding in the wake of a veteran on 2^n/a back to back. Make a case for himself.

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MICHEL KESSELRING. Played an active game and joined the game lots. Had 3 hits. Ringed a post. But he was too passive on the 1-0, giving Berniers ample opportunity to score.

Philip Broberg. At 1^st paired with Tyson Barrie, most likely a regular season preview. This allowed him to play a lot (22:18) and in all 3 disciplines. Had 3 net shots and a few shot blocks. Broberg’s skating is still a plus, but he doesn’t seem to have reached his cruising speed yet.

MAX WANNER. The staff were careful where and when they played it. Its 1:13 Pk time was the lowest on D-core. Closed straight on Danato on the left side, but when he stopped moving his feet, Donato took advantage of it for the loop.

CHRIS PETERS. Great defensive play early on as he broke up a play in the defensive zone and then moved the puck to safety. Almost an assist in the goal denied by Philp. Beat wide by a Kraken charging hard in the 1st. There’s something about this kid.

Next up for the Oilers preseason skate, Calgary Wednesday.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

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