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The audition process is over for the Edmonton Oilers as their pre-season came to an end at Rogers Place on Friday against the Seattle Kraken.
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Outside of the fourth line, the Oilers dressed the roster most likely to play in the season opener against the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, as the gang got together for one last exhibition skate.
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The 5-3 win over the Kraken was inconsequential as they didn’t start keeping score for real until next week, outside of the teams competing in the Global Series, which began Friday in Europe.
The most important thing for the Oilers on Friday is that nobody was injured.
Tyson Barrie, Jesse Puljujarvi, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane and Connor McDavid, into an empty net, scored for the Oilers, while Jack Campbell made 28 saves in his final tune-up before getting the start Wednesday.
Daniel Sprong, Matty Beniers and Jared McCann scored for the Kraken, who are going into their second season with higher expectations than their expansion year.
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Philipp Grubauer made 33 saves for the Kraken and nearly gave the game away when he banked a clearing attempt off Draisaitl and into his own net with 4:33 to play to put the Oilers up 3-2. Grubauer will team up with Martin Jones in goal for Seattle this season.
Sprong opened the scoring with just over seven minutes remaining in the first period, getting to a loose puck at the side of the net and flipping it over Campbell.
Barrie tied it on the power play with less than a minute to go in the period, stepping into a soft feed from Draisaitl and wiring it to the top corner on Grubauer.
Beniers put the Kraken up 2-1 midway through the second period when Andre Burakovsky failed to hit a wide-open net on a cross-ice pass, but the puck bounced back out in front off the end board. Beniers let the puck hit him in the chest and then shot it past Campbell.
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Puljujarvi, playing on the top line with McDavid and Kane, tied the game 2-2 five minutes into the third period. He took an outstanding cross-cross feed from McDavid and beat Grubauer.
McCann bailed out his goaltender scoring on a blast from the point on the power play with 2:18 left in the third period to tie it 3-3. Kane, however scored 20 seconds laster to save everyone from pre-season overtime, and McDavid sealed it into an empty net.
ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE SHOWING
If he hadn’t prior to Friday night, rookie forward Dylan Holloway has earned a spot on the roster for opening night.
Playing on a line with Draisaitl and Zach Hyman, Holloway was around the Kraken goal all night. He set up Hyman with a deft look-away centering pass in the first period and then spent an entire other shift buzzing all over the Seattle net.
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“He’s been really good, he’s been really impressive,” Draisaitl said before the game. “Obviously he’s had a tough couple of years (wrist injury); as a young guy he wants to play games and I think he was robbed of that a little bit over the last couple of years.
“So, there is a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of excitement around him and you can sense that in him, too. He’s done a great job. Competition is going to ramp up, we all know that, but I think he’s ready for it.”
Holloway spent most of last season in the AHL with the Bakersfield Condors once he returned from a wrist injury sustained at the NCAA tournament with the University of Wisconsin in the spring of 2021. He underwent surgery twice to repair the damage and did not get back. on the ice until the second half of last season, scoring eight goals and collecting 22 points in 33 games with the Condors.
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Holloway was part of the Oilers extra skaters during the playoffs and made his NHL debut in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche, seeing limited ice time.
“I think it’s his skating ability that puts him in situations where he can make plays and make the right reads and use his hockey sense,” Draisaitl said. “I think it all comes from that with him and he’s pretty tenacious as well and he’s got a pretty good little package going.”
SOUP’S UP
Goaltender Jack Campbell played the entire game against the Kraken and looks ready to go for the regular season opener on Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.
Campbell made 28 saves in the win, including a sprawling stick save on Sprong in the second period. Campbell is the Oilers starting goaltender this year and will be spelled off by Stuart Skinner, who has also looked sharp in the pre-season.
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The two replace Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, who are no longer with the team. Smith is on long-term injury reserve in the last year of his contract with the Oilers and Koskinen returned to Europe this season.
“He’s a special guy, we all love him already,” Draisaitl said of Campbell. “It didn’t take long, he’s awesome and is very positive. Once you get to know the guy, he wants to be involved in everything and we’re very lucky to have him and on the ice he’s played very well and I’m looking forward to watching him for a full season.”
Fans have taken to chanting ‘Soup’ every time Campbell makes a big save.
The biggest adjustment the Oilers have to make with Campbell as the starter comes with his ability to play the puck. While Campbell is comfortable playing the puck, it’s not the same as it was with Smith.
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“Smitty was one of the best puck handlers probably to ever play,” said Oilers defenseman Tyson Barrie. “Going back for pucks, that made it easy. You would be open and he would blow one by you to the winger for a breakaway or something.
“That’s different, but I know Soupy is a good puck handler and Skins played it well in the preseason. But at the end of the day, they’re there to stop the puck and anything they do on top of that, is a bonus. So, we’ll be getting back there quick for him and we’ll be giving him some communication and we’ll keep it simple for him.”
Notes … The Oilers placed forward Mattias Janmark and defenseman Dmitri Samorukov on waivers for the purpose of reassignment. Janmark was signed to a one-year contract to give the Oilers depth up front, but did not have a strong pre-season and will start the year in the minors if he gets through waivers. Samorukov got caught in a numbers game with too many established defensemen in front of him.
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On Twitter: @DerekVanDiest