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The Edmonton Oilers have one forward spot up for grabs and are most likely to fill it with a centre.
No one has stood out and grabbed it yet. Brandon Sutter and Brad Malone struggling most in Edmonton’s 5-2 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. But Lane Pederson have his best game for the Oilers in pre-season, making numerous sharp passes with the puck, and showing far more mobility than either Sutter or Malone possess.
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In this game review, I’m focusing on the players on the bubble, not the Oilers regulars.
Ben Gleason. The best of the bubble boys this game. I would call him a tower of power this game, but he’s not tall. He looked sharp and smart out there, putting a hard wrister on net in the second that almost got cashed in on the rebound. He blocked a shot in the slot in the second. He’s not big, but he can read the game and move the puck at the NHL level.
Brad Malone. Yikes! After his overtime heroics in Calgary, he was off this game. The primary culprit on two goals against. He was slow on his skates and let Quinn Hughes penetrate for a backhand shot and goal. Stuart Skinner didn’t look great on that one but he was screened. Malone got drawn out of position on the 5-on-3 early in the third, leading directly to Andrei Kuzmenko scoring.
Philip Broberg. Solid game marred by one major error. Some strong passes and good pinches on his first shift. He shut down a slot chance by Elias Pettersson, then stole the puck from him in the first. His late line change after he lost his stick led to a goal against. He blocked a Pettersson snipe on the 5-on-3 He showed off his wheels and rushed the puck up ice to set up Raphael Lavoie’s snipe in the third. He pushed in hard a moment later to help set up another chance.
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Brandon Sutter. Hmm. He does not yet look ready for prime time. Maybe a few months in the AHL will change that. Fighting the puck. He missed a rebound attempt that Erne gobbled up and scored on a moment later. He got deked by Elias Pettersson and tripped him, leading to a second Vancouver 5-on-3. He failed to clear the puck on a subsequent PK and the Canucks scored a moment later.
Lane Pederson. Good game. He was the best of the bubble forwards. A functional piece of an exceptional Oilers power play early in the game, put a hard shot on net that Kane almost rammed home on the rebound. He pounced on a Canucks’ turnover in the first and almost scored. He took a wicked hit from Pettersson. He won a puck on the forecheck and set up Erne for a slot shot in the third. He’s not yet scoring and his defence is unproven, but he took a step forward.
Adam Erne. Made some noise. His forecheck caused a turnover, leading a Grade A shot in the first. He did his job, going to the net and stopping there, to spin and slam home the rebound shot of a Mattias Janmark break in, all of it set up by a great stretch pass by Darnell Nurse. He’s put himself in the running for that final forward spot.
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James Hamblin. He showed well, playing with some hustle. He made a fine read to pick off the puck in the n-zone in the first, streaking in for a chance and drawing a penalty.
Markus Niemelainen. A major step back. He made a bad read in the n-zone in the first, biting on a pass, that led to a Canucks break, where Seth Griffith had him covered. He might have been a step or two faster coming on the ice to replace Broberg on Vancouver’s first goal. Next he lost position on his man Andrei Kuzmenko in front of the net, with Kuzmenko almost scoring. Next, he took a slashing penalty on the PK, leading to a 5-on-3. He also fought the puck, failing on a clearance on the PK early in the third.
Xavier Bourgault. He showed off his high level puck skills, picking it off the boards in the first and setting up Lavoie for a slot shot. But he’s not yet asserting himself, or able to do so.
Seth Griffith. Some good moments but some iffy ones too.
Raphael Lavoie. He used his body smartly to win a puck battle in the second. He took a pass from Broberg and fired in a wicked outside shot in the third, the kind of Klim Kostin moment Lavoie needs if he’s going to make this team. It was a helluva shot, top shelf where Momma keeps the cookies.
Vincent Desharnais. He looked snarly and was effective in this one. He blasted Anthony Beauvillier with a face shot late in the game.
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