Scenes from morning skate: Oilers’ core looks sharp, but details need work as pre-season ends

The Edmonton Oilers wrapped up their pre-season on the road in Vancouver with a 4-2-1 record, and while the scores don’t mean much, the past two weeks have offered a useful insight into where the team stands heading into the regular season.

Who is ready for the season? How many rookies should we expect to dress on day one of the regular season? Should we be worried about the special teams?

First things first: Edmonton’s top players look ready. Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl wasted little time finding their stride, with Draisaitl posting two goals and two assists in a win over Vancouver last week. Trent Frederic, to the surprise of quite a few, has fit in well alongside the two number ones, and that first line already looks like it can carry much of the load once again.

That was the expectation of McDavid and Draisaitl, and Frederic helped deliver on it.

Where the Oilers still need work is the special teams department. In a 4–2 loss to Seattle, the Kraken scored twice on the power play and added a short-handed goal. Edmonton’s penalty kill, on the contrary, struggled to pressure the puck, and the power play lacked its usual sharpness.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch was clear post-game, “The overall difference in the game was special teams.” Considering how heavily the Oilers lean on those units, that’s something we can expect they’ll sort out quickly.

Pre-season has also provided a stage for those depth players competing for roster spots. Connor Clattenburg, Viljami Marjala, and James Hamblin, while not making the Oilers lineup, were all brought in from Bakersfield for late looks. But again, none forced their way into a full-time role; instead, they put their name at the top of the Oilers’ call-up list if ned be.

Matt Savoie, meanwhile, scored against Seattle and has had an overall strong pre-season showing, similarly to Isaac Howard. The two young players are among the only ones almost certain to secure a roster spot come the regular season, and the past two weeks have proven that they can offer the Oilers contributions beyond their stars.

Among other new faces was Alec Regula, a waiver pickup for the Oilers whose health was less than optimal, but has taken big strides in his physical and mental game over the course of pre-season.

“Oh my gosh. I mean, I keep saying to the guys, or even when the staff asked me, ‘how’s things going, how’s camp going?’ I’ve just been having a blast, man,” began Regula. “I’ve been having so much fun every day. “It’s just been good to be with the guys again.

“Even today I’m not playing, but I’m travelling to Vancouver, (and) I’m over the moon. It’s awesome. It’s great to be out there and (be) a part of something again. So, yeah, I’ve been having a ton of fun.”

As mentioned, Regula isn’t playing, but the Oilers’ defence tonight is nothing to ignore. They’ve had stretches where players like Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard look like the top-tier defenseman they’re projected to be.

In net, Stuart Skinner looked ok-ish, but how closely Connor Ingram could challenge him remains to be seen.

And while penalties and puck movement weren’t clean at times, it’s still pre-season, right? But those mistakes, while common in September, quickly cost points in October and November.

The Oilers have one more pre-season game in Vancouver before opening the regular season at Rogers Place against the Calgary Flames on October 8. The lineup is essentially set, with only a few roster battles remaining to be resolved.

In the end, Edmonton got what it needed from pre-season. The Oilers’ best players are in form, the areas that need improvement are easy to identify, and the younger players pushing from below have shown signs that they can be part of the solution. The Oilers look prepared to start the season, but how quickly they can address their special teams and tighten their defensive play will say more about where this group is headed.

Lines and Pairings Against the Vancouver Canucks

Draisaitl-McDavid-Frederic
Podkolzin-RNH-Mangiapane
Howard-Tomasek-Kapanen
Henrique-Philp-Savoie
Extras: Jones-Lazar

Ekholm-Bouchard
Nurse-Stecher
Kulak-Emberson
Extras: Walman-Regula

Skinner
Pickard

“Everybody who is healthy is going for forwards. Everybody who’s healthy is going for defensemen,” said Knoblauch at morning skate.

Though the Oilers did recall goaltender Matt Tomkins from the Bakersfield Condors, their AHL affiliate team, this morning at 11:39 a.m.