After a few days spent wading into the frigid waters of preseason hockey, we’re now fully immersed in the Edmonton Oilers’ exhibition schedule. The rookie camp is ancient history and split-squad games are yesterday’s news. From here on out the games take on a different tone and tack. The storylines are drawn up, pretenders are sifted out, and contenders are getting a long look as coaches cut camp rosters and piece real ones together. Some complain about the preseason being too long, but I like it just fine. The soul-crushing sting of the regular season can wait.
The Oilers took some time wading into their own frigid waters Wednesday night against the Winnipeg Jets, limping through the game’s first half before rallying for a 3-2 victory. Blame it on the same-day flight to Winnipeg, which seems plausible enough. Blame it on Tuesday’s Repeated High Intensity Endurance Test, because a dose of RHIET would put me on the shelf for at least four days. Blame it on the rain, if you’re into that sort of thing… weirdo. Whatever the reason, the Oilers looked Goodell-press-conference abysmal during the first 30 minutes, and had a 2-0 deficit to show for it.
Everything shifted at the midway point. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Bogdan Yakimov and Justin Schultz scored second-period tallies to give the Oilers the lead, and goaltender Ty Rimmer turned aside all 10 shots he faced in the final frame as Edmonton salvaged victory. Of course, like red-carpet questions and face-saving apologies, all preseason results are meaningless. However, two stories emerged from Wednesday’s win that should excite Oiler fans, and both involve shots: Vladimir Tkachev embracing one, and Nugent-Hopkins unleashing one.
The Great Slight Hope
Many Oiler fans (myself included) simply saw Wednesday’s game as a chance to confirm whether Tkachev is the real deal. We’ve fallen under Vladdy Hockey’s spell, confused by our feelings for an 18-year-old Russian winger who isn’t big enough to get on half the rides at Klondike Days. Is this true love, or merely infatuation? Does he have substance, or simply style? And finally, this can’t end well, right? I envision either a horrible Zoltar-related incident, or Tkachev’s 141-pound frame splattered on the end boards like a watermelon meeting the bumper of a ’74 Chevy half-ton.
However, despite the disastrous results that await, you can’t blame us for being enthralled. Tkachev is Muggsy Bogues, Eddie Gaedel and Rudy Ruettiger rolled into one, and might be the easiest human to root for since Garry Kasparov took on Deep Blue. Sure he makes Danny Briere look like Joel Otto, but he can really play the game. Plus, just like us, he was passed over by every single NHL team. Personally, I skate like Bambi if you tied a piano to his ass, and never had a shot at the big leagues. Tkachev is living his shot right now, and making the most of it. That’s inspiring stuff.
Just as we started to think the pixie dust had worn off, that the clock had stuck midnight on our Cinderella story, Tkachev sprung to life late in the second period against the Jets. Charging up the ice on a two-on-one, he feathered a perfect saucer pass over to Yakimov for a one-timer that evened the score at two. In the dying moments of the middle frame Tkachev delivered again, finding Schultz knifing through the offensive zone with a nifty feed to set up the game-winning goal. The Oilers could always botch this, but signing Vladdy Hockey seems to be an absolute no-brainer.
Number One with a Bullet
An NHL baptism-by-fire irreparably stunted his development. Propped up by a desperate club, he’s an overpaid, overrated bust. The numbers indicate he could be the second coming of Sam Gagner. That’s a sampling of the unfounded criticism Nugent-Hopkins has faced in the last couple weeks, propagated by people who are either ignorant or woefully misinformed. Bag up those opinions and save them until spring so you can fertilize your lawn with them. There’s no telling the impact injuries have had on Nugent-Hopkins during the last three years, but he seems ready for a monster season.
How could I say that with any degree of confidence? Just look at the man’s shot. Wednesday marked the second straight game where Nugent-Hopkins has scored on a twine-bulging laser beam, indicating that the shoulder injuries are behind him and he can fire the puck with authority. And his two goals haven’t come on back-scratching slapshots or one-timers. Instead, he’s been able to stare down goaltenders and fire off blazing wrist shots with pinpoint accuracy. Scoring on the unscreened wrister is hockey’s equivalent of a hitman taking his mark down with a knife, requiring immense skill and confidence.
While Nugent-Hopkins’ shot quality is impressive, I’m just as encouraged by his willingness to use it. He recorded six shots on goal Wednesday night, twice as many as the next-closest Oilers (Yakimov and Curtis Hamilton). RNH is coming off a 19-goal season, and only had six shots or more in five games during 2013-14. Opting to shoot more often could go a long way toward making Nugent-Hopkins more of a scoring threat, which would open up more space for him as a playmaker. I would welcome that change in approach, and I’m sure his linemates would benefit from it as well.
ryan.garner@hockeybuzz.com
Wrapping up #Oilers 3-2 win over Jets. Talking Shots: Vladdy Hockey Embracing, Nugent-Hopkins Unleashing http://t.co/IVR6RoM0rq
— Ryan Garner (@RyGarner) September 25, 2014