Despite star goaltender Thatcher Demko still being out with a knee injury, the Vancouver Canucks managed to put up an impressive win against the Oilers on Friday night.

A pre-season win barely moves the revenge needle after a playoff elimination last spring. But coach Rick Tocchet did applaud the Vancouver Canucks for going a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill against Connor McDavid and company in Friday night's 4-1 home win against the Edmonton Oilers.

"That's the No. 1 power play over there," Tocchet said, clearly remembering being outscored 6-3 with the man advantage during the second round of the playoffs.

Vancouver finished off the pre-season with just one power-play goal allowed in 19 shorthanded opportunities — a kill rate of 94.7 percent. That's a big deal, because as good as the Canucks were in many areas last season, the penalty kill was in the middle of the pack at 79.1 percent. 

On Friday, newcomer Derek Forbort joined Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy and Tyler Myers to handle the lion's share of shorthanded time on the back end. Up front, Teddy Blueger looked steady as always, taking the reins in his first game following a minor off-season surgical procedure. He was assisted primarily by Elias Pettersson, Nils Aman and J.T. Miller, who was also playing in his first pre-season game of the year, along with new forward additions Danton Heinen and Kiefer Sherwood. 

A free-agent signing who logged a whopping 234 hits in a bottom-six role for the Nashville Predators last season, Sherwood's high motor and physicality fits nicely with Tocchet's penalty-killing model.

"He gets up the ice — his forecheck," Tocchet said. "The reason why Edmonton was good last year in their PK, especially in the playoffs, they were a hard team to get in the zone. I think 'Sherzee' can be that guy for us, where he gets up the ice."

With a game-high four hits on Friday, Sherwood embraced the longstanding Pacific Division rivalry and got into a mid-game scuffle with Darnell Nurse.

"He's kind of running around, and I don't know what he's doing," Sherwood said. "Play hockey and go through it and get the power play. That's all I was happy about."

Of course, every good penalty kill requires good goaltending. And even though Thatcher Demko remains sidelined as he continues to rehab his unique and mysterious knee injury, Arturs Silovs and newly signed Kevin Lankinen look ready to hold down the fort.

Playing his second full pre-season game at Rogers Arena, Silovs was excellent again. He stopped 28 shots, some in spectacular fashion, and was beaten only on a point-blank wrister from Evan Bouchard, who was wide open in the slot during 4-on-4 action.

Lankinen has gotten up to speed quickly. Signed by Vancouver on Sept. 21, he gave up a respectable five goals in his two full pre-season games, and there should be room for more improvement. 

"I think Lanks had a really good two games," Tocchet said. "So now you feel really good about the two goalies until Demmer comes back."

Power forward Dakota Joshua also remains on the sidelines as he recovers from testicular cancer, but he is in Vancouver and will be at a public meet-and-greet event at a card shop on Saturday.

And while Conor Garland was an unexpected scratch from Friday's lineup, Tocchet said the lineup change was due to a minor "tweak," and that he could have played if necessary.

Instead, the coach got one more look at all three of the promising young players who are aggressively battling each other for roster spots. Nils Aman, now 24, is a savvy defensive center who has played 111 games with the big club over the last two seasons. He'd need to clear waivers to be sent down to Abbotsford.

But Aatu Raty and Arshdeep Bains are also challenging for attention after taking big leaps in their games from last season.

Raty, 21, was the key prospect that came back to Vancouver in the 2023 trade of Bo Horvat. He has good size, good smarts and put up 52 points with AHL Abbotsford last season. In training camp, he has impressed with a savvy faceoff strategy that allows him to take draws to his strong side from either circle — a valuable attribute, particularly on special teams.

Bains, 23, went undrafted but led the WHL in scoring with 112 points in the 2021-22 season. A lower mainland native, he then signed with the Canucks as a free agent and has primarily been plying his trade in Abbotsford. He put up 55 points with the Baby Canucks last season, and earned MVP honors at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game last February, with a five-point performance.

During an eight-game call-up with Vancouver last season, Bains saw limited minutes and failed to register a point. But he has played a confident two-way game this fall and that has led to scoring chances — including a hard-working power-play tally against Edmonton.

Canucks GM Patrik Allvin has made it clear that the team wants to avoid starting the season in long-term injured reserve if at all possible. That could mean setting a roster below the 23-player limit for Monday's deadline, so Raty and Bains may have to accept an AHL assignment that does not reflect the good work they've done.

Even if they're not on the bench when the regular season opens with a visit from the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, the new standard they've set for themselves should have them back in the NHL mix before long.