GAME RECAP: Oilers 5, Kraken 3

EDMONTON, AB -Oilers win, now the real games start.
The Blue & Orange wrapped up their preseason with a 5-3 win at Rogers Place against the Seattle Kraken.
The Oilers saw goals by Tyson Barrie, Jesse Puljujarvi, Leon Draisaitl, Evander Kane and Connor McDavid, while Daniel Sprong, Matty Beniers and Jared McCann found the back of the net for the Kraken.
It looked as if Draisaitl had the game won after Kraken goaltender Philipp Grubauer fired a clearing attempt off the German and into the back of the net. McCann would tie the game on the powerplay with 2:18 remaining, before Kane scored the game winner 20 seconds later. McDavid potted the empty-netter off a feed from Draisaitl, giving Leon three points in just over three minutes in the third period and a four-point night.
Edmonton dressed the majority of what is likely their opening night roster, with only a few veteran faces in Warren Foegele and Kailer Yamamoto held out for precautionary reasons. The victory closes out the preseason for the Oilers with a 4-4 record.
Edmonton now has a four day break before officially starting their regular season on October 12 at Rogers Place against the Vancouver Canucks.

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FIRST BLOOD

It was Seattle who cracked the opening period deadlock.
After a bit of a disjointed play that saw a cross-ice feed get caught up in the legs of Brett Kulak by the left circle, the puck squeezed out to Sprong who chipped it over the stick of Jack Campbell for the tally. The marker came with 7:10 remaining in an opening frame where the fresh-legged Kraken got the early jump on the Oilers, outshooting the Blue & Orange by a 10-4 margin at the time.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Jack Campbell earned those "soup" chants early in the second period.
Just over four minutes into the frame, Oliver Bjorkstrand found himself one-on-one against Barrie and was able to shield the puck from the Oilers defender before turning around and firing a shot on Campbell. The rebound would come out into the slot where Alex Wennberg would collect it, losing the handle on the puck before it fell right on the stick of Daniel Sprong, who would try to tap the puck into the empty cage. A sprawling Campbell got his stick across the goal line to deny the Seattle skater his second of the night.
The save was the biggest of several key stops to keep the game level at 1-1 coming out of the first intermission.

"I like how hard he battles. He battles hard on every puck and never gives up on a save," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said about his goaltender. "He made some big save for us. I think (Seattle) had the bulk of the first period, we scored a goal late and then we kind of took the game over in the second period, but the chances they had were grade-As and Jack was there. I think he inspires confidence in his teammates and coaching staff."
For the game, Campbell would turn aside 28-of-31 shots from the Kraken in the win.

BAD NEWS BENIERS

Seattle would take a 2-1 lead with 8:49 left in the second courtesy of top prospect Matty Beniers.
After Andre Burakovsky fired a shot from the right circle wide of the net, the puck ricocheted off the boards and in front of a disoriented Campbell and was swiftly tucked in by Beniers for his fourth goal in only four pre-season games, with half of them being game winners.
The 2021 second-overall pick is coming off an abbreviated rookie campaign that saw him score nine points (3G, 6A) in his first 10 NHL contests. Beniers is expected to be a big part of the Kraken's offence this year after centering the top line with Burakovsky and Jared McCann tonight.

TOP LINE PULJUJARVI

Jesse Puljujarvi acquitted himself nicely on the Oilers top line with Connor McDavid and Evander Kane. The 24-year-old was buzzing throughout the game, with four shots on net in his 15:18 minutes of ice time. Pujujarvi's strong effort would be rewarded early in the third period. After some solid offensive zone play, McDavid found the Finn with the cross-crease feed which Puljujarvi quickly tapped home to tie the game 2-2.

"Jesse is a big body, skates well," Connor McDavid said about his teammate. "He's at his best when he's physical, and getting in on the forecheck, winning pucks back for his linemates, and going to the net, and banging them home. That's what he did tonight."
Unfortunately for Puljujarvi, he would take a tripping penalty late in the third which would lead to McCann's 3-3 tying goal. However, he would be bailed out less than 20 seconds later by Kane's game-winning goal. Overall, it was a positive night for Puljujarvi who would be named the game's second star on the evening.

PARTING WORDS

McDavid on what he liked tonight:
"I liked that we won, that's always a good thing. I think we found a way to win a couple games where we didn't have our best. I though soup played a great game. I think we did just enough, which ultimately won't be enough when the real bullets fly. We have a couple games here to regroup and I'm looking forward to getting it going for real."
McDavid on the excitement for this year's Oilers team:
"We feel good about our group. We have lots of different pieces. We're excited to get it going and everyone is excited to get the regular season on its way. There are 32 teams that think they have a shot and we're one of them."
McDavid on what he hoped to accomplish in training camp:
"You're trying to get through camp healthy first and foremost. You want to make sure your game is where it needs to be. I like some parts of it, but there are other parts I need to work on like any season. I feel good where I'm at."
Jack Campbell on how the team played tonight:
"I think the team is playing really well heading into the regular season, it's always tough knowing it's right around the corner. I thought we focused and played well against a team that came out and played really hard. It's nice to see the urgency there in the third and scored some big goals and got it done."
Campbell on preparing to be a number one and what he worked on in camp:
"Just some details in my game that I wanted to focus on, and getting to know the guys in front of me. I thought we did a great job in the preseason, now we get to have some fun in the regular season."
Campbell on being happy the preseason is done:
"Absolutely, I think we're all just ready and chomping on the bit. I'm excited to get on the ice again tomorrow and get ready to rock and roll."
Dylan Holloway on using his teammates more at the NHL level:
"I feel like that's definitely a big part at this level is being able to distribute the puck. At previous levels you could kind of just carry it up yourself, but I think it's really important to use your teammates. Especially for me, they're established NHL hockey players and some of the best players in the league, so giving them the puck and trying to get open is my best bet for now."

Jay Woodcroft on his thoughts on the game:
"I thought it was a competitive back and forth game. Both teams had good moments, I thought they started well, we got better as the first period wore on. Both teams scored powerplay goals and it came down to the last few minutes and some of our top players made big plays. It's nice to put the preseason to bed. We're going to have a practice tomorrow and it will be a good practice, then a day off, then preparations will begin for Wednesday."
Woodcroft on the play of Jesse Puljujarvi:
"Yeah, he did a lot of good stuff tonight, scored a big goal which I think will help him feel good about his game and where he's at. Going back to the Abbotsford game he did a lot of good things. Got in on the forecheck and was a big body tough tot handle when he was rolling around down low. You look at the goal that he scored, it was started off of a finished check then going to the net. I think when he was with Connor it brought out some of his natural skillset, Connor has a way of doing that for people."
Woodcroft on the injuries of Yamamoto and Foegele and if it effects the opening night roster
"I don't think so. We're not overly concerned but they didn't play tonight. They're a little bit nicked up and we thought it was in the best interest of them individually and us collectively to hold them out of tonight's game."