The Edmonton Oilers didn’t look sharp in the pre-season. They allowed six goals four times and four goals twice. And outside of the home game v. Seattle, where they scored five goals, the offence sputtered, producing 13 goals in the other seven games.
However, it is pre-season, and Leon Draisaitl was quick to point out there is no reason to panic
“I personally don’t put a lot of stock into it,” said Draisaitl. “Do we have to be a lot better than we’ve shown? Of course, but it is fair to say that it is tough going from game seven of the Stanley Cup Final to a pre-season game on a Wednesday night. I’m not saying you aren’t trying, but it takes you a bit longer to find your game and your legs. There shouldn’t be any motivational issues on Wednesday.”
I’ve seen teams dominate the pre-season and miss the playoffs, while others have struggled in the pre-season and had very strong regular seasons. Edmonton won five of eight pre-season games last year, but then started the regular season 2-9-1. I don’t think there is any carry-over to the regular season, but Draisaitl is correct in that they do need to play better. And I suspect they will.
The Oilers’ new second line didn’t do much in the pre-season, and Kris Knoblauch opted to change his middle two lines Monday. He was quick to point out after that we might see Jeff Skinner back on Draisaitl’s line Tuesday, but then added he thinks having Skinner on the third line at times gives them three scoring lines.
Skinner had no 5v5 points while Draisaitl and Viktor Arvidsson each had one assist. Knoblauch might have been trying to give his team a jolt, although he did show us last season that he likes trying different combinations at times. Skinner needs to play better, but Draisaitl also mentioned his own game could be better.