In a pre-season game where both clubs held out a majority of the players truly
contending for roster spots, the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers put on a
decent showing. More importantly from an Oilers perspective, a few players
stood out in both good and bad ways. Now, it';s hard to have sound judgment
after just one pre-season game. In reality, it';s not fair to get a real talent
 assessment based off one game.Related: Edmonton Oilers 2018-19 Season Preview

However, stringing a few good games together goes a long way in getting a
decent look in camp. After a few more of these, we';ll get a separation
between the contenders and pretenders when it comes to Edmonton';s 23-man
opening night roster. The Oilers walked away with a 7-4 victory over the Flames
 and will look to build upon that success in their second pre-season game
against the Vancouver Canucks.

Edmonton Oilers Lineup - 1st Pre-Season Game

Goaltenders

Left Defense

Right Defense

1. Mikko Koskinen1. Kevin Gravel1. Ethan Bear

2. Shane Starrett2. Ryan Stanton2. Evan Bouchard

3. William Lagesson3. Logan Day

Left Wing

Center

Right Wing

1. Tyler Benson1. Ryan McLeod1. Kailer Yamamoto

2. Patrick Russell2. Brad Malone2. Alex Chiasson

3. Joe Gambardella3. Josh Currie3. Pontus Aberg

4. Evan Polei4. Tyler Vesel4. Cameron Hebig*

* Luke Esposito rotated in on the fourth-line with Cameron Hebig.

Here are some takeaways from Edmonton';s first pre-season game. Remember, take
everything with a grain of salt, it';s been just one pre-season game, and we
can';t stress that enough. We don';t want to get into a spot where we';re
hoping previous camp standouts like J-F Jacques, Braden Christoffer, or even
Vladimir Tkachev are here to save the day come regular season time, do we?

Here';s what we learned after Game One.Mikko Koskinen: An Absymal Oilers Debut

To say Koskinen';s Oiler debut was underwhelming is, well, an understatement.
As prefaced, it';s one game, but the 31-year-old was flat out abysmal. Flames
prospect Dillon Dube potted a hat trick just over 24 minutes into the game,
including the first of the game only 36 seconds into the action. All in all,
the towering Finnish goaltender allowed three goals on 19 shots and finished
the night with a .842 save percentage (SV%).Related: Edmonton Oilers 2018-19
Training Camp Guide

One game, sure, but looking at the 40 minutes he played, he didn';t provide
quality minutes. The trio of goals by Dube snuck through Koskinen, and all the
weaknesses from his scouting report were visible. Poor rebound control,
difficulty reading and reacting to plays, out of position, and as mentioned,
allow pucks to squeak through him. It';s one game, and you can';t get too high
or too low in pre-season, but if this happens in his next two outings, a
problem could be brewing.Mikko Koskinen (Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports)

Koskinen was signed to an expensive one-year deal for a backup goalie at $2.5
million with the expectation he';d push Cam Talbot for minutes in the Oilers
crease. While we';re not writing him off after just 40 minutes of play,
Koskinen can ill-afford to have another handful of pre-season showings with
this level of play. This signing has been heavily questioned throughout the
summer, and the jury is still out on a guy who spent the last seven years
playing in Europe.

The tale of the tape gives a comparison very similar to another former Oilers
backup; Anders Nilsson. His performance didn';t yield a lot of confidence, but
to play devil';s advocate, we';re talking about a guy that is in the early
stages of adjusting to the North American game. Expect to see Koskinen get
thrown back out to establish himself, get rid of the jitters, and settle into
his role as the No. 2.

It';s not the time to panic, it';s been one game, in pre-season folks.Kailer
Yamamoto: Pushing for NHL Duty

Edmonton';s first-round pick (22nd overall) from 2017 had a quiet rookie camp
but had an impressive showing in his first pre-season game. The soon-to-be
20-year-old put up two goals and three points in 17:39 in ice-time. He looked
sharp and was dealt the most power play (PP) minutes (4:32) alongside linemates
 Ryan McLeod and Tyler Benson. The only other forwards who played more were
Ryan McLeod (22:21), Alex Chiasson (19:00), Benson (17:56), and Pontus Aberg
(17:49).Related: NHL 19 Player Ratings - Edmonton Oilers

Yamamoto delivered on his chances, tied Patrick Russell with the most shots on
goal (three), and made his presence felt. With a motor that doesn';t quit,
Edmonton';s top forward prospect was heavily involved in all plays. Whether it
was digging in the corners and coming out with the puck, or sneaking past the
Flames defenders on his breakaway goal, Yamamoto stood out in a big way.Kailer
Yamamoto (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)

One scenario that stood out was him having the vision to grab a loose puck
below the goal line and fire the puck to the point on Ethan Bear';s goal while
Calgary was still trying to find it. The real question now is whether or not he
 can keep it up and will his way onto the opening night roster. He did it last
year, and he can do it again this year too. Keep an eye on him as the intensity
 in the games picks up.Alex Chiasson: Looking to Earn Contract off PTO

Chiasson was the only one of the three skaters on professional tryouts (PTO';s)
 to play against the Flames. It was a mixed bag of results, and you can';t say
he didn';t get a fair shake while rotating through the top-six and playing the
second-most minutes amongst Oiler forwards. He registered two assists while
skating alongside Russell and Brad Malone. Edmonton also gave him an extended
look on both special teams.Alex Chiasson (Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)

The 27-year-old picked up both points in the final three minutes of the game.
There was some good, but not a whole lot to write home about regarding
Chiasson';s showing. It was a middling performance overall. He had some
difficulty getting to pucks, wasn';t overly effective on the forecheck, and it
wasn';t until the final period that he stood out. He';ll have to be better if
he wants to stand out and force his way past Pontus Aberg, Drake Caggiula, and
Zack Kassian.Parting Thoughts on Oilers First Pre-Season Game

Evan Bouchard had a decent showing scoring the first goal of the game for the
Oilers, and leading all Edmonton defenders in ice-time (24:31). Alongside Ethan
 Bear (4:56), he was heavily utilized on the PP (4:29). His decision-making is
still adjusting, and some of his reads on when and when not to join the rush or
 pinch are still a work in progress. That said, he moved up and down the ice
efficiently, and didn';t look out of place at all. He was one of Edmonton';s
biggest standouts.Related: Oilers With the Most Prove - Lucic, Rattie, Talbot

Bear, 21, is returning for his second pro season and has an outside shot at the
 No. 6 job. There';s a handful of candidates vying for that No. 6-7 spot, and
while he did play a lot (21:45), he could';ve been better defensively against
an AHL-calibre lineup. Some poor reads, and running around in his own zone are
things that need to be cleaned up in his game. Offensively, he';s one of the
best blue line prospects in the system next to Bouchard.Ethan Bear (Andy
Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)

Logan Day didn';t get on the scoresheet, but his ability to make heads-up plays
 in the offensive zone stood out. He won';t be anywhere near contention for an
NHL job (he';s on an AHL deal), but he might surprise down in Bakersfield.
Kevin Gravel meanwhile might';ve been the most underrated player who quietly
went about having a great showing. This summer';s free agent signing was
reasonably good in his own zone, made a ton of safe but effective plays getting
 the puck up ice, and asserted himself physically.Related: Darnell Nurse &
Oilers Training Camp Notes

It';s not hard to envision him as the No. 7 for Edmonton this season. McLeod
was impressive and showed alongside that kid line with Benson and Yamamoto that
 he might not be far off from competing for an NHL job. It might not be in the
cards for 2018-19, but he';s been a joy to watch through the summer. Expect
McLeod to get into another game or two before being re-assigned to the OHL';s
Mississauga Steelheads.

Have any thoughts or takeaways from the first pre-season game? Let us know in
the comment section below. For up to date info, follow me on
Twitter @SanderTHW.

The post Koskinen Abysmal in Oilers 2018-19 Pre-Season Debut & Other Notes
appeared first on The Hockey Writers.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheHockeyWrite...
--- SBBSecho 3.06-Win32
 * Origin: TequilaMockingbird Online - Toms River, NJ (1:266/404)