Edmonton Oilers: Big Names Shine in Win Over Jets
Though the Edmonton Oilers found themselves down 1-0 early on, they came back with four unanswered goals to take a 4-1 win over the Winnipeg Jets Wednesday.
After Nikolaj Ehlers opened the scoring in the opening frame, the Oilers took control early in the second period. Mark Letestu evened the score on a beautiful passing play on the man advantage, and seconds later, Zack Kassian found Jujhar Khaira to give Edmonton a 2-1 lead. Toward the end of the second, Jussi Jokinen scored his first goal with the Oilers off a power-play feed from Letestu and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers maintained their lead through the third period, and Kailer Yamamoto tallied his second of the preseason with an empty-netter to secure the victory.
Who Looked Good?
When it comes to the Oilers standout players, there were many. Nugent-Hopkins racked up three helpers and was vital in creating plays, especially on the power play. However, he had just 38 percent success in the faceoff circle, so he must improve on that.
Mark Letestu was not only solid but an outstanding leader with a lot of skill to offer. He looked fast and offensively aware, and he also finished the night with four shots on goal. If he can keep up the solid overall play, he could see more ice time when the season kicks off.
However, the best player of the night was Jussi Jokinen. The Finnish winger had a goal and two assists, and was active and all over the ice. He made himself a force to be reckoned with on offence and appeared dominant and confident. The Jokinen-Nugent-Hopkins-Yamamoto line also looked good.
Other standout names include Kassian and Khaira, a duo that works incredibly well together. Patrick Russell made himself a physical presence, racking up six hits, and Eric Gryba jumped up on the forecheck, recording three shots. Nick Ellis and Laurent Brossoit were also solid between the pipes.
Overall, it was a solid game for Edmonton, and they got to see a lot of strong performances from many different names.