Perlini is definitely making things a little more difficult for the Oilers
By Jim Lynch
Brendan Perlini came to Edmonton this offseason looking for an opportunity to be back in the NHL with the Oilers.
Throughout the entire preseason, Brendan Perlini has been one of the more fun players to watch with the Oilers as he has constantly impressed and managed to score some great goals along the way.
With a roster spot on the line, there is no question Perlini has the most to gain from playing well. It seems like every game he has played in he has managed to score a goal, he has five goals in five games and he has been giving the Oilers that depth scoring the team needs.
Obviously, there are more physical options out there, Perlini is not that typical physical fourth-line guy the Oilers probably want, but he is making their decision rather difficult. In an ideal world, the Oilers probably don’t run with Perlini in the bottom six. The Oilers probably want to go with a Devin Shore, Kyle Turris, and Ryan McLeod lineup on the bottom pairing, with a guy like Colton Sceviour as the 13th forward to play when some extra physicality is needed.
But how do you justify sending down a player desperate to get back into the NHL who has scored five goals in five preseason games? He has played in every preseason matchup and he has done what he has needed to do to get back into the lineup.
The Oilers have been a team that can get goals from their top six with guys like McDavid and Draisaitl, but it has been that bottom six contributions that has been lacking. Last night showed the importance of the bottom six in fact.
The Oilers were down early in the game and when they were down by three goals in the second period it was Brendan Perlini who opened up the scoring for the team. After that, the team’s big guns like Jesse Puljujarvi, Connor McDavid, and Leon Draisaitl scored the goals to flip the script and get an Oilers comeback win, but it was that first initial push by Perlini that changed the tide in this one.
So why Perlini might not be as physical as some of the other options in the bottom six he definitely has earned the roster spot for the season. Now whether or not he can continue to contribute goals during the regular season remains to be seen, but the preseason has shown he earned the opportunity to be there on opening night.