GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Jets 0 (Preseason)

EDMONTON, AB – Goaltender Calvin Pickard made all 21 saves, while defenceman Darnell Nurse and forwards Josh Samanski, Noah Philp and Kasperi Kapanen provided the goals for the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night in a 4-0 shutout of the Winnipeg Jets in pre-season action at Rogers Place.

"We were playing at a high pace and we were skating," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "We were checking well and we were on the attack. Obviously, there were some breakdowns, but Picks was solid and has had a great preseason so far. But overall, I was happy with the way the guys played."

Nurse kicked off the scoring in the first period before Samanski added another to make it 2-0 before the intermission to activate cruise control for the Oilers, who were oozing confidence and increased their lead with two more confident finishes from Philp and Kapanen in the second and third periods.

Samanski finished with a goal and an assist alongside Nurse, who added four shots, three blocks and two hits to go with his two-point performance.

"It takes a little bit at first – I'm used to the bigger ice and maybe a little bit more time – but it's been a lot of fun, especially skating with NHL players and getting used to their pace, how they play and carry themselves on and off the ice," Samanski said. "It's been very helpful for me, and I think I've adjusted pretty well up until this point. I'm trying to keep getting better at every single thing."

Pickard looked composed between the pipes on Friday to earn the shutout with 21 saves, giving the netminder 29 total stops over four-and-a-half periods of action for the Oilers this preseason.

Defencemen Troy Stecher and Brett Kulak, and forwards Roby Jarventie and David Tomasek each picked up helpers in the victory that moves Edmonton's pre-season record to 3-1-1, including two victories over the Jets after they were victorious at Canada Life Centre this past Tuesday in Winnipeg.

The Oilers will host their final home exhibition tune-up on Sunday, when the Vancouver Canucks visit Rogers Place before heading out on the road next week to Seattle and Vancouver to close out the preseason.

FIRST PERIOD

The Doctor checked in midway through the opening frame to open the scoring for the Oilers, and a pair of newcomers in Blue & Orange from Europe combined to double their lead to 2-0 before the intermission and finish off a strong first period from the hosts.

Defenceman Darnell Nurse hopped on the ice past the nine-minute mark of the period after a change as Edmonton's third line of Viljami Marjala, Josh Samanski and Roby Jarventie established possession, creating the chance for Nurse to arrive fresh over the blueline for an immediate scoring chance.

Jarventie passed it to the third forward in Samanski, who drew in two Winnipeg skaters in the slot before offloading a pass to Nurse entering the zone for an opportunity to tee up a slap shot that the veteran Oilers blueliner wired off the far post and in against netminder Dom DiVincentiis to open the scoring.

"He's a very difficult player to play against," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said of Nurse. "He covers a lot of ice. If he's playing against top offensive players who have speed, he can skate with them. If it's a big, powerful, physical power forward, he's got the physicality and strength to play against those guys.

"Offensively, he's got the skills to break the puck out, join the rush and do those things, so he's got a lot of tools and tonight's game, I thought he was fantastic. Hopefully, he can build from there."

The Jets nearly responded quickly after Calvin Pickard lost his stick behind his net, but the Oilers netminder was able to grab the puck with his blocker to freeze the play when winger Samuel Fagemo tried to put away Phillip Di Giuseppe's fast attempt from putting it on goal from below the goal line.

Pickard received help not long after, needing defenceman Alec Regula to clear the puck from danger inside the blue paint when the puck slid through the crease on Morgan Barron's in-close chance with eight minutes remaining in the opening frame.

Pickard stopped all eight shots he faced from the Jets in the opening 20 minutes, while the Oilers killed off a tripping penalty to Isaac Howard before doubling their advantage after forward David Tomasek made a strong knockdown that led to Josh Samanski's first of the preseason late in the period.

Tomasek intercepted Vladislav Namestnikov's attempt to nullify the Oilers' forecheck by throwing it up the boards from down low in the Winnipeg zone, but the Czech forward batted it out of midair and found the German-Canadian alone out front for a quick snipe short side on DiVincentiis to make it 2-0.

Samanski has been showing his experience at Camp despite being only 23 years old after coming back to North America following three seasons in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) with the Straubing Tigers, most recently recording 40 points (12 goals) in 52 games after playing for the OHL's Owen Sound Attack in 2019-20.

In addition to making improvements on the smaller ice surface, Samanski has been happy with how he's adjusted to the pace and his play at both ends of the rink as he looks to make an impression on his new organization and grow his reputation both for the Oilers and the German National Team.

"I think my two-way game is a big part of my game," he said. "That's what I did in Germany as well, but I take big pride in just helping the D out as much as I can and the goalie. I take a lot of pride in that and try to do my best every single time."

"If people watched me in Europe or World Championships, they'd know that I have speed and size. I don't mind going into battles trying to get the puck, so I'm still trying to get better at everything, making quick decisions. I don't think speed is the issue."

SECOND PERIOD

The Oilers continued to look like a confident group with another impressive period, led by centre Noah Philp's first goal of the preseason, which came in style on an unbeatable snipe from the slot at 2:26 into the middle stanza to make it 3-0 as Edmonton activated cruise control on the Jets through 40 minutes.

Defenceman Troy Stecher activated on a loose pick in the neutral zone and carried it over the blueline before dropping it to Philp in the slot, having space around himself to shoot around Danny Zhilkin and bury his effort into the far top corner on DiVincentiis for the emphatic finish.

"I didn't think too much about it," Philp said. "I was just trailing the play, and Stetcher hit me with a good pass, and I just tried to get it off quickly and took a lucky shot."

In addition to his goal tonight, Philp also contributed two assists in Edmonton's last pre-season victory over Winnipeg on Tuesday, growing his offensive contributions at Camp as he showcases himself as a strong candidate for one of the team's bottom-six centre spots.

The former University of Alberta Golden Bears potted 19 goals and added 16 assists over 55 AHL games for the Bakersfield Condors last season.

"Yeah, it's important," he said. "Last year, I definitely struggled offensively a little bit in the time that I was here, and it's always nice when you can do that. But for me, it's definitely a defensive focus, and that usually leads to offence if you're doing that well."

"Right now, I'm feeling pretty confident with playmaking, just trying to create a little bit on the offensive side as well. But all over, I'm trying to make solid plays and be strong on the puck."

Defenceman Josh Brown squared up with Tyrel Bauer for a heavyweight scrap near the five-minute mark before the Oilers got the best opportunity shorthanded on a holding call against Cam Dineen three minutes later. Playing five on four, Matt Savoie picked out Quinn Hutson at the far post on a two-on-one, but a terrific toe save by DiVincentiis prevented the Oilers from growing their already sizeable lead through two periods of pre-season action on Friday.

Savoie took plenty of reps alongside Mangiapane in Edmonton's new-look penalty kill, which is centred around a more passive approach when it comes to having the forwards pressure the opposition's defencemen up top, rather than immediately pressuring them to close down the puck carrier.

Both of the forwards' speedy and tenacious skill sets will make them good options for Head Coach Kris Knoblauch when the Oilers are shorthanded.

"I think both of them are kind of pesky forwards who are all over the ice disrupting plays, making it very difficult for the opposition to make plays just because of their quickness and good sticks," Knoblauch said. "And then when they do get the puck on their sticks, they can dish or shoot or whatever it is, so I just like their speed and their tenacity out there. Whether they're playing together or somebody else, I definitely like those elements of their game."

THIRD PERIOD

Putting the 'Kap' on a confident victory.

With 9:50 gone in the final frame, winger Kasperi Kapanen tucked home the rebound from Andrew Mangiapane's shot from between the hashmarks to make it 4-0 and seal an emphatic win for Edmonton on home ice – if it was still up for debate.

The reaction of Jets defenceman Logan Stanley said it all, trying to get involved with Mangiapane between the circles as the goal horn sounded when the Oilers winger and Ville Heinola pushed and shoved, prompting a handful of roughing calls and 10-minute misconducts to both Kapanen and Stanley.

Even with less than 10 seconds left on the clock in regulation, Savoie tried to push for another goal by attacking off the rush with speed to earn a partial break before he was chopped down at the skates by Haydn Fleury for the late power play that saw the Oilers finish in victory formation.

Pickard earned the shutout with 21 saves, meaning the Oilers' backup has now stopped all 29 shots he's faced through a game-and-a-half of action this preseason.