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The Edmonton Oilers got the better of the Vancouver Canucks for the second time in as many games.
Edmonton iced a lineup filled with more star power than Vancouver so the result wasn't all that unexpected, albeit not the result John Tortorella wanted in his first game behind the bench.
Sam Gagner, David Perron, Ryan Smyth, Nail Yakupov and Will Acton (empty net) scored for Edmonton while Jason LaBarbera and Tyler Rimmer combined to make 18 stops in the win. Mike Santorelli and Jannik Hansen scored for the 'Nucks.
Game notes
- I thought Santorelli played very well. He showed good speed and hockey sense finding space before scoring the first goal of the game. He also did some good work in the defensive zone - particularly on the penalty kill - and even created a couple chances when down a man. Santorelli was positionally sound and blocked a couple of shots, too, which Tortorella surely appreciated.
- Yannick Weber played a very strong two-way game. He looked poised with the puck and made several good outlet passes to get the puck out of the zone. He also made a great diving poke check to prevent an Oilers goal after Eddie Lack misplayed the puck and was caught out of position. Weber finished the game with an assist and three blocked shots in over 20 minutes of play.
- Andrew Alberts looked old, slow and was caught out of position several times. Several Oilers stepped right around Alberts and generated scoring chances after doing so. He had a good hit on Taylor Hall in the 1st period, but he took himself out of position and gave the Oilers a mini 2-on-0 in order to make the hit. I don't think that was the kind of effort he was looking for.
- Brendan Gaunce made a very nice defensive play in the 2nd period preventing Ales Hemsky from scoring, but he was pretty quiet besides that. He didn't have a shot and failed to generate any sustained pressure in the offensive zone when he was on the ice. I'd say as preseason goes on his chances of making the team continue to dwindle - especially with the play solid play from Santorelli.
- I wasn't impressed with Bo Horvat. He was fine defensively, but he didn't generate any offense at all. He didn't register a shot and, like Gaunce, didn't create many opportunities for his teammates, either. Horvat is a good player and the future looks bright, but at this point I haven't seen enough to warrant the Canucks keeping him around to start the season.
- Hunter Shinkaruk showed some good flashes, but he didn't really stand out against the Oilers. If he wants to crack the opening night roster at 18, he'll need to show a little more in the upcoming games.
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Eastern Conference playoff predictions.
Western Conference playoff predictions.
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