The Edmonton Oilers suffered a 6-1 defeat to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night at the Canada Life Centre, as the Jets iced a lineup stacked with NHL veterans while the Oilers opted to rest most of their regulars including superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Without their top talent, Edmonton’s coach Kris Knoblauch said he wasn’t at all surprised by a lopsided game.
“They were a much more veteran team, almost their NHL lineup, which is a good test for our guys,” Knoblauch said. “When you’re in a situation like that, you find out if you’re NHL ready or not.” Brett Kulak said, “That’s exactly what you want in the pre-season. You want the challenge, you want to get the feeling of pace and the puck movement those guys have at that level.”
Winnipeg, which dressed 15 NHL regulars, quickly took control, with Neal Pionk leading the way with four points. Adam Lowry, Brad Lambert, Colin Miller, Kyle Connor, and Nikolaj Ehlers each contributed goals to give the Jets their first win of the preseason.
For the Oilers, Connor Brown scored the lone goal. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made his preseason debut, stopping 23 of 27 shots before being replaced by Collin Delia for the third period. Delia made eight saves on 10 shots.
Expect the Oilers to Start Playing Veterans in Preseason More
After making nine cuts on Wednesday, the Oilers might make more cuts after the next preseason game. Knoblauch hinted that his veterans will be playing more games as the team plays his last four preseason games. He mentioned that the line of Leon Draisaitl, Jeff Skinner, and Viktor Arvidsson could get at least 2-3 games together before the start of the season.
Despite the loss, the game gave Edmonton’s young players a chance to prove themselves as the team continues to evaluate candidates for key roster spots, including the battle for the fourth-line center role. The testing of prospects might be in the rearview now. The focus will shift to working on line chemistry and narrowing down the roster to those who have a legitimate chance to make the team.
The Oilers will look to regroup as they move closer to finalizing their opening night roster for the 2024-25 season.
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