The Day After -7.0: Skill shines in Edmonton’s biggest win of the pre-season
By Cam Lewis
9 months agoSeven pre-season games down, one to go.
The Oilers hosted a minor-league version of the Calgary Flames on Wednesday evening and cruised to a 7-2 win.
The Erie Otters connection led the way for Edmonton, as Connor Brown scored two goals and an assist and Connor McDavid buried a goal and three helpers. The Oilers also got goals from Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane, Lane Pederson, and Raphael Lavoie, while Stuart Skinner stopped 18 of 20 shots along the way.
The two goals were Brown’s first as a member of the Oilers. He had a lot of suitors in the off-season but opted to come to Edmonton in order to play with McDavid.
“He’s everywhere, and when he’s on his game like that, he’s got a puck on the string and it’s fun to be out there with him,” Brown said of playing with McDavid for the first time since their days in the Ontario Hockey League. “I think it’s reading and reacting off him. Obviously, he’s making a lot of guys miss and he’s moving quickly, so it’s just trying to build that timing.”
Head coach Jay Woodcroft said that the team has tried to bring Brown along slowly during training camp. His 2022-23 season came to an end after just four games because of an ACL injury and the Oilers want to ensure there aren’t any nagging issues heading into the season.
“We think [Brown] can be a very important player in our forward group, but we were going to be patient because we didn’t know how his injury would respond,” Woodcroft said. “He put in a lot of work, especially in the summertime, to ensure that he was feeling good heading into camp and I think we’ve managed him in the right manner.“I think he’s going to fit our team like a glove.”
THE DAY AFTER IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Things worth mentioning…
- The top line of McDavid, Brown, and Evander Kane dominated the Flames at even strength a 13-to-6 shot attempt differential and a 4-to-1 high-danger scoring chance differential at even strength. The trio of Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn’t fare as well at even strength, as they were outshot by the Flames 12-to-4.
- The Oilers got contributions from a couple of players who are competing for the final forward spot on the roster. Lane Pederson centered Dylan Holloway and Warren Foegele and scored a goal and added an assist. Raphael Lavoie scored his second goal of the pre-season on the power-play in the third period. He played at evens with Mattias Janmark and Adam Erne and the trio looked effective.
- The Oilers have one more tune-up game left before the start of the regular season, as they’re set to host the Seattle Kraken on Friday night.
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