While the Edmonton Oilers were not able to put as strong a performance together as they did on Saturday, they were still able to earn a 2-1 overtime win against the Winnipeg Jets, concluding a home-and-home series with their cross-country rivals.
Here are my four takeaways from the Oilers' win over the Jets.
Six shots in one period is never a good thing, but it could have been worse
Granted, it is only the Oilers' second preseason game, and both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl did not see the ice.
But at one point well into the first period, the Oilers had only a handful of shots; at one point, they had as few as one shot on goal early in the game. At the same time, the Jets scored the first goal for the second consecutive contest.
The shots on goal count did pick up as the game went on, and the Oilers would ultimately outshoot the Jets by a 23-18 margin. But if the Oilers are going to win a lot of hockey games, especially the high-scoring/shootout-style contests, the offense has to be humming on all cylinders from the get-go. No matter who is on the ice.
Defence still has plenty of questions
All six defensemen that took the ice on Tuesday recorded at least one shot on goal during the game against the Jets.
To add onto that, it was defenseman Atro Leppänen, who spent last season with the Bakersfield Condors, that scored the Oilers' first goal of the game.
Outside of the scoring, three defensemen (Connor Murphy, Jake Walman, and Shakir Mukhamadullin) logged over 20 minutes of ice time. But when considering the fact that the aforementioned defensemen were the only three to log at least 30 shifts during the game, it's possible to guess that Mike Babcock is intending on naming those three to the roster.
Add Mattias Ekholm, Evan Bouchard, and Ryan Shea to the picture, and there could be minimal competition for defensive roster spots.
Penalties, penalties, penalties
This is a takeaway that goes both ways.
On one hand, the Oilers did well on the penalty kill, managing to outlast the Jets' numerical advantages.
But on the other hand, the Oilers power play looked lifeless at times. There were occasions where they had to track back to their own end of the ice and partially succumb to the pressure applied by the Jets' penalty kill in order to avoid giving up too many short-handed opportunities.
That said, I will note that the skating is still there, even with a less-experienced roster on the ice. The Oilers did well to move the puck up the ice during the power play, but being able to consistently gain a foothold in the offensive zone and convert those chances will have to be worked on for the opening weeks of the regular season.
Board battles are a sign that Mike Babcock's coaching could have some success
Throughout the game, the Oilers were quite good at not just winning board battles, but remaining fully engaged in those situations even when the puck is firmly held up against the boards. And there were moments where the Oilers were outnumbering the Jets in those board battles.
It's a positive sign for Babcock's coaching style. As long as the Oilers remain capable of winning board battles and doing so with numbers, it's going to be tough to beat this team.
What's next?
The Oilers' third preseason game will see them travel west to Vancouver for a game against the Canucks. Puck drop at Rogers Arena is set for 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
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