One of the most common phrases in sports, whether in youth sports or the pro ranks, is the idea of doing the little things, because they can pay off.

Often, when athletes are lazy or not fully invested, these are the things that are most easily missed, and this often leads to poor performances and regression. On the contrary, players looking to make a name for themselves or are already well-established are usually the ones doing these little things right.

On Sunday night, an Oilers player looking for another shot did the little thing right, leading to defenceman Cam Dineen scoring the overtime game-winner to beat the Winnipeg Jets 3-2. That player was Vasily Podkolzin.

The Jets were working to cycle the puck in the Oilers zone just over a minute into the extra frame, when winger Parker Ford carried the puck from the blue line down toward the goal line. But he quickly was met by Podkolzin, who laid a crunching hit as the puck squirted to Matthew Savoie, who found Podkolzin in stride up the ice.

Podkolzin would dish to Dineen entering the offensive zone, driving low to the front of the net, allowing the rearguard to circle to his strong side, finding the back of the net. While the hit in the defensive zone was one of those small things that made a difference, so was his drive to the net, taking his defender with him, opening up the space for Dineen.

Arriving in Edmonton through a mid-August trade, Podkolzin is exactly the kind of player the Oilers need in their bottom-six. He has some size, standing at 6’1, 190 lbs., and isn’t afraid to hit, laying 1.5 per game over his whole career, and he has some scoring touch, too, having scored 14 goals in 79 games in his rookie season in the NHL. Unfortunately for him, things didn’t quite pan out in Vancouver over three up-and-down years, getting sent to Edmonton for a fourth-round pick in 2025.

He’s a player who the Oilers are indeed in search of. His blend of talents is reminiscent of fellow Russian Klim Kostin, drafted by the St. Louis Blues 31st overall, only to land in Edmonton in a “change of scenery” deal just before the 2022-23 seasons started. Kostin went on to find his way, scoring 11 goals and 21 points in 57 games, pricing himself out of re-signing with the team.

Another player looking to make a name for himself in Edmonton this year is Raphael Lavoie, who came in at No. 4 in this summer’s annual Oilersnation prospect countdown. He scored a go-ahead goal on the power play in the third period, looking like Alex Ovechkin with a snapping release. It was one of four shots on goal, all of which registered as scoring chances, according to Natural Stat Trick, in a game he needed to have.

As the Oilers shape their bottom-six ahead of the regular season, these two will be players who get long, long looks.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.