BLOG: Friday's optional at Rogers Place 04.16.21

EDMONTON, AB - The Oilers held an optional practice at Rogers Place Friday before travelling to Winnipeg for a match against the Jets on Saturday.
Defenceman Slater Koekkoek was on the ice with the team. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins did not participate in the session.
Mikko Koskinen took shots from the starter's crease while Alex Stalock was at the other end.
On Friday afternoon, the National Hockey League provided a schedule update for the North Division, rescheduling five Oilers games and changing the start time of Saturday's match against Winnipeg to 5:00 PM MT. The Oilers also inked 2020 first-round selection Dylan Holloway to a three-year entry-level contract.
Get all content and commentary from the day below.

Head Coach Dave Tippett on whether Dmitry Kulikov has arrived in Edmonton and when he can participate in practice:

"Yeah, he has. He's in quarantine now. Right now, it would be next Thursday. Next Thursday, we've got a break there Thursday, Friday, Saturday. So, sometime in there, he'll be on the ice."

Coach Tippett's update on defenceman Slater Koekkoek:

"He's still a few weeks away but he hasn't had any contact yet. He's been skating on his own for about a week here and today, because we had an optional skate, he went out there with the optional guys. He'll slowly get worked into the group but he's still week-to-week.
"He's a good guy in the locker room. When he's hurt, it's not like he's not around. He's just not on the ice with you. He's been around all the time. He's anxious to get back up and going, and everybody recognizes that we're going to need depth going down this stretch drive here. Whenever he gets back up and playing, he'll give us more depth on the left side and that's something that's going to be helpful for us."

Tippett on the long layoff being helpful or hurtful for the team heading into Saturday's matchup:

"If you ask me Monday, I would say they help. But if you ask me Thursday, guys want to get playing. We came off that four-in-six and we needed a break both mentally and physically. Now by Thursday and Friday, you want to get playing.
"All this stuff, as a coach, you're going to work with it anyway it comes. You're going to try to make the best of it and try to make sure your team is prepared whether you got six days off or are trying to get them rest in a four-in-six. No matter what happens, you're always just trying to maximize what you're doing. It probably gets a little more frustrating the first day or two you get that rest and then you come back and now want to get going again. I think our guys will be anxious to play tomorrow but that rhythm of playing every other day, that's the rhythm you want to get into."

Defenceman Tyson Barrie on the week of rest:

"It's nice to have some breaks but at the same time, you want to be in that rhythm and this time of the year, you want to be playing really well and be in a groove going into playoffs. This week especially, we had two days off and then some good practices. It's a bit of a refresher, reset and we've got a big, 14 games to finish here so hopefully we can get into that rhythm and avoid any more interruptions.

Barrie on Saturday's game versus Winnipeg:

"It's a huge game. I think they've been playing a little bit and we're rested, so we should try to have a good start and use the fresh legs on them. We've seen Winnipeg a lot this year and I think we've played them pretty well. It should be a good game tomorrow."

Forward Alex Chiasson on the break the Oilers got this past week:

"At least this time around, we're home. We all got to spend time with our families, so I think that's been good just having some nice weather here in Edmonton, too. We're not stuck in hotel rooms and going from the hotel to the rink. From that point of view, mentally, it's felt good. We've also put in some great work this week in practice that we think is going to help us here down the stretch and prepare us for playoffs."

Chiasson on Saturday's game with the Jets:

"We've talked about this as a group, how there are 14 games left in the season and we want our group to feel good going into the playoffs. Tomorrow is a great test for us. They've been good games against us so far, this year. Two teams that kind of play a little bit the same way. They've been on a good roll lately. We're expecting to bring our best as well."