PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Jets (Preseason)

The Edmonton Oilers face the Winnipeg Jets in pre-season action at Rogers Place on Friday night.

You can stream the game live on Oilers+ at 7:00 PM MT, or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 880CHED.

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PREVIEW: Oilers vs. Jets (Preseason)

EDMONTON, AB – Continue to gather information and sort things out before the regular season, because the preseason is already halfway finished.

While the results and the execution weren’t there for the Edmonton Oilers in Wednesday’s 4-1 defeat to the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place, the Blue & Orange will get another opportunity on home ice to sharpen their game against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday.

Veterans including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm all made their pre-season debuts against Seattle, and Andrew Mangiapane was Edmonton’s lone goal scorer in the loss that saw the Oilers lacking a bit of polish in their overall game.

"I thought today's game was a little sloppy," Mangiapane said. "I think it was good though to get the rust off, and we're headed in the right direction. These games are preparing you for the regular season, so each game, we have to keep getting better. I thought today, there were some good plays that we made and the pace was good, but I think it was just execution.”

Mangiapane crashed the net and put away Evan Bouchard’s cross-crease pass from below the goal line in the third period, showing his tenacious play style with a few different linemates. The 29-year-old played on the third line with David Tomasek and Roby Jarventie, but played up into the top six with a handful of other players that included McDavid and Draisaitl at times while he kept an eye on others from the bench to learn their tendencies.

Mangiapane is adjusting to a new team, teammates and surroundings in his first season with the Oilers after signing as a free agent this offseason to bring his desired skillset as a pesky forward to Edmonton, and both he and Head Coach Kris Knoblauch think his comfort level will grow with more opportunities.

“Going to the net, you know, he's known as a pesky forward who gets in on the forecheck, breaks up plays and can make some nice little dishes or take that puck to the net in small areas, darting around and doing some of that tonight,” Knoblauch said. “I think we'll see more of it as he gets more comfortable with the team.”

"I think the chemistry will start to continue to grow more and more," Mangiapane added. "Even with guys that you're not playing with, watching them and their tendencies, you see what they like and you just kind of watch. You see what makes this group kind of special and just kind of go out there and kind of repeat what they're doing."

Defenceman Atro Leppanen has found the adjustment to North America pretty seamless so far after playing his third game in four nights for the Oilers, having come over from the Finnish Liiga where he set the League record for points from a blueliner with 63 points (21 goals) in 60 games last season.

"I'm pretty happy," Leppanen said. "Speed is very fast compared to what I'm used to, but I've been able to move the puck well, and I've been playing pretty strong defensively. One thing [that could probably be a little bit better] is the O-zone, but I'm happy."

The 26-year-old has been showing his smooth skating and first-pass ability that made him a desirable overseas addition for the Oilers, and Coach Knoblauch's liked what he's seen from the Finnish defenceman so far by how he's moved the puck.

"He moved the puck really well. Also, a lot of credit for him and Quinn Hutson, because I believe that's three games in four days for both those guys," Knoblauch said. "They both played in Winnipeg and they travelled, and they were on the ice in the morning and then played again. That's a lot. But I thought they both handled it really well.

"Leppy was really good, especially early in the game, moving the puck out and was able to find those guys. I recall a couple of shifts with McDavid and Draisaitl being able to make some nice passes, and that's what they want. They want to get the puck in stride and not have to chase it down and forecheck so they can do their thing. So he was excellent at transporting the puck."