The Edmonton Oilers presented a lot more crash and smash than flash and dash during their 2-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday night. It was a workmanlike effort, grinding out a couple goals and hanging on for the narrow victory as most of the team’s biggest stars watched from the press box. That was more a product of circumstance than anything. While each Oilers preseason game has served as an audition for grinders and fringe NHLers to earn a spot on the Edmonton roster, tonight’s game took on a different tone and significance given Sam Gagner’s broken jaw.
The Oilers’ preseason shifted from laissez-faire to threat level red the moment Zack Kassian’s stick met Gagner’s face. And rather than providing a testing ground for players battling to fill a spot on the fourth line, tonight’s game presented an opportunity to see if guys like Will Acton, Mark Arcobello and Anton Lander can take on significant minutes against NHL competition. The urgency is ramped up because with Gagner on the shelf all three of those centers went from depth-line afterthoughts to primetime players, and one of them will likely have to shoulder significant minutes until Gagner returns.
Of those three, Arcobello impressed me the most on Monday night. He showed more confidence carrying and distributing the puck than he has in previous outings, and led all Oilers forwards in ice-time with 17:25. I would say Arcobello is the front-runner to center the second line at the moment, rather than moving Boyd Gordon up to a scoring line. If that happens, the pixie-sized pivot (at 5’9”, 165 he makes Ryan Nugent-Hopkins look like Joel Otto) will be asked to win faceoffs and move the puck to his more-talented linemates. He’s a stopgap, not a showstopper.
While center depth is the team’s most glaring issue, a number of wingers are also in the running for meaningful NHL work. Jesse Joensuu tapped home a goal from the slot tonight, but it was his work on the forecheck that should have really impressed the coaches. He chases the puck like it owes him money, and knows what to do when it’s on his stick. Perhaps he’ll turn into Ryan Jones once the regular season begins, giving up on the play and shying away from contact, but so far Joensuu has done enough in the preseason to supplant Jones in a third-line role.
Tyler Pitlick also had a surprisingly effective night. He was taking the body with aplomb, driving a heavy shoulder into Winnipeg defenders on a few different occasions and drawing out some oohs and aahs from the hometown crowd. I’m not sure if he’s done enough to earn a shot with the big club, but he should have another opportunity to sell himself to the coaching staff tomorrow night. The Oilers have been most effective during the preseason when they’ve forechecked hard, and if Pitlick can provide it consistently he could prove to be the biggest surprise addition from camp.
One guy who keeps failing to impress is Linus Omark. He had an uneventful 14:23 tonight, ending the evening with a steady string of zeros on the score sheet. No points, no shots, no penalty minutes, and so far no reason to think that he’ll be in Edmonton once the regular season begins. Coming into camp, he was a candidate to add some offensive punch to the Oilers’ depth lines and possible chip in on the power play. He might be the best practice player in the world, but so is Marcel Goc – devilishly talented as long as nobody hits him or tries to take the puck from him.
Speaking of wingers, what becomes of Ben Eager and Mike Brown now that Steve MacIntyre is in town? Both players add some grit but little else, and both already had one foot in the AHL before the big nasty one arrived in town. Their performances tonight were similarly void of passion or panache. Brown’s biggest contribution was taking Evander Kane off the ice for two minutes as part of third period coincidental minors. I suppose that’s better than nothing. However, if MacIntyre is a policeman then Eager and Brown are crossing guards, and there isn’t room for either of them on the Oilers roster.
The Oilers only have two preseason games remaining, tomorrow night against the Rangers and Friday versus the Stars. The stakes are already higher than usual and urgency has been ratcheted up as players both compete for a job and adapt to the expectations that come with it earning one. In a perfect world the flash and dash would take center stage (no pun intended) and the coaching staff wouldn’t be forced to decide between Arcobello and Acton, Joensuu and Jones. But the Oilers find themselves in survival mode early on this season, so bring on that crash and smash.
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