RECAP: Oilers 4, Jets 3

EDMONTON, AB - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins broke the late deadlock off a beautiful backhand feed from Leon Draisaitl with 1:57 remaining in regulation to secure a 4-3 pre-season win for the Oilers on Saturday night over the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place.
Goaltender Mikko Koskinen was instrumental with 31 saves on 34 shots, while his Finnish counterpart Jesse Puljujarvi scored twice in the victory.

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FIRST BLOOD

Kyle Connor was on hand to open the scoring 3:40 into the first period, collecting Kristian Vesalainen's scuffed toe drag that fell right onto the stick of the three-time thirty goalscorer just outside the crease. Connor put a quick wrist shot towards goal that nestled into the top corner over Koskinen's left shoulder for the game's opening tally.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Puljujarvi just seemed to be in the right place at the right time all night. After leveling the score earlier in the first period with a fortunate redirection off himself in front of Jets goaltender Eric Comrie, his second of the night was all power when the Finn unleashed an unstoppable slapshot from the top of the circle that came off a feed from Connor McDavid.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Mikko was massive in goal for the Oilers on Saturday, in both performance and stature. The towering 6-foot-7 crease protector needed all his reach to lay out and absolutely deny Jansen Harkins, who had nothing to beat but the glove of Koskinen when the net was left wide open at 11:04 of the middle frame.

TURNING POINT

After Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey scored twice in just 1:52 to tie the game at 3-3 in the third period, Leon Draisaitl delivered a backhand pass on a platter for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to snipe the game-winner past Comrie with 1:57 left in regulation.

TOP PERFORMER

The Finns deserved all the accolades in this one, but the tiebreaker goes to Mikko.
Koskinen followed up Stuart Skinner's 36-save showing in Everett last night with another strong strong performance from an Oilers netminder, making 31 stops on 34 shots on Saturday. Puljujarvi followed suit in front of his countryman with two goals to increase his pre-season total to three goals and an assist in two games.

PARTING WORDS

Koskinen on placing a priority on having fun this season:
"Yeah, you are right there," he said. "Last year was a tough year without the fans. Sometimes it felt not pointless, but that we were just chasing the puck. My family was gone and the whole world was basically closed, and now it seems that everything is back to normal. We see the fans in the stands, and it's a different atmosphere. Like I said, I'm trying to have fun this year. You never know what's going to happen. If every day is going to be fun, then it's a nice job to have."

Nugent-Hopkins on Draisaitl's ability to draw in defenders and stay elusive on the ice:
"He does a lot in corners and along the wall," he said. "You've got to work to a spot, because even if he's not looking, he knows that you're there. Like you said, he'll bring at least two guys to him. That last play at the end, there's probably only maybe a couple of guys in the League that can strip a guy and make that pass without really looking, so you got to know playing with him that he's going to be able to do that. He brings a lot of attention to himself and I just try to find an open spot."
Nugent-Hopkins on Koskinen's performance and his drive to perform well:
"He's a competitive guy and we see him battle in practice," he said. "He wants to win every night. I thought tonight, especially in the first period, he really kept us in it. It wasn't our best first period. Even late in the game, he made some huge stops for us just to keep us in it. Obviously you need that all season, and it starts in pre-season. You need to get some confidence, and we have confidence in both of those guys. Smitty, Mikko, and a couple of the other young guys have played well so far in the pre-season too. It's huge when you have confidence in guys like that, but at the same time, he's gotta do it. Tonight he held us in it, especially early."

Head Coach Dave Tippett on the difference he sees in Koskinen's confidence from last year:
"Yeah, he's coming and just having fun competing," he said. "Last year it was tough for him here. We rode him hard early, then he struggled not having his family around. It was just a different year, and then Smitty came in and played really well and took off, so his games were sporadic. He never got into a rhythm. So he's come in this year with a great attitude. Every practice and game he's been in so far, he's played very well, so it's a good sign."
Tippett on Bouchard's growth as a professional and his play against Winnipeg tonight:
"I didn't think he was very good tonight," Tippett said. "He's had a pretty good camp, but he's still got to get stronger and he's got to get harder with the puck. There's some puck play that needs to improve on him, and he makes really good plays when he gets it, but there's some critical-area stuff that can still improve with him."