It’s only been 90 days since game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals, but the Edmonton Oilers are finally back on the ice tonight.
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The Oilers take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight in the first of eight preseason games, as prospects and depth players on both teams try to make their case for a spot on the opening night roster. These two teams will open the regular season against each other in Edmonton on October 9th.
The Jets fell to the Minnesota Wild 5-2 in their preseason opener last night. Minnesota goaltending prospect Jesper Wallstedt — who the Oilers passed over in favour of Xavier Bourgault at the 2021 draft — made 38 saves on 40 shots to shut down the Jets.
While the Oilers have yet to announce their roster for tonight’s game, it’s fair to assume it’ll be prospect-heavy to kick off the preseason. NHL rules stipulate that teams must dress at least six veterans — players with 30 NHL games or more — for each pre-season game. Thus, expect the roster to include PTO invites Mike Hoffman and Travis Dermott, as well as depth pieces such as Josh Brown, Derek Ryan, and Lane Pederson.
As for prospects, the big one to watch is Matt Savoie. He, along with fellow youngsters Jayden Grubbe, Noah Philp, and Raphael Lavoie, all have a chance at making the Oilers out of camp.
They’ll be facing an equally young Jets squad, headlined by NHLers Logan Stanley, Rasmus Kupari, and Jaret Anderson-Dolan. Edmonton native Eric Comrie will get the start in net after Kaapo Kahkonen played last night against Minnesota.
As with all the games in the NHL’s overlong preseason schedule, this game is about seeing which prospects can hang with the big boys and prove they’re NHL-worthy. Facing an NHL goalie in Comrie, a good offensive performance could go a long way in earning those prospects that NHL spot.
The puck drops on the Oilers’ season at 4:00 this afternoon at Rogers Place. You can stream the game on Oilers+.
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