EDMONTON -- The Vegas Golden Knights roll into town today.
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Actually, they were at Rogers Place for an optional skate yesterday - but will have a morning skate today before playing against the Edmonton Oilers tonight.
The Oilers announced the recall of Dylan Holloway yesterday - and he was present at practice yesterday. He skated on a line with Ryan McLeod and Corey Perry. My expectation would be that he will start the game on that line.
Lost in the hubbub of Connor McDavid missing a second straight practice due to an injury, Holloway spoke to the media about the opportunity he has now.
While down in the AHL playing for the Bakersfield Condors, Holloway focused on a few improvements. Defensive play and maintaining possession of the puck were areas of focus, "I was playing center a lot when I first got down there [Bakersfield], so the big thing was just defensive zone play."
"Then I got switched to wing a few games ago - big thing they wanted me to work on was puck protection [and] being able to hold guys off in the corner."
Holloway has a clear understanding of the differences in responsibility between being a center and a winger, "at center you get more puck touches - but at the same time it's more defensive responsibility. On the wing you are patrolling that one side until you get in the o-zone (offensive zone)."
As far as what Kris Knoblauch and the coaching staff would like him to focus on while being up with the Oilers - they were clear and direct with their message to him. They want him to play fast and physical, "a big thing they said is they want me to use my speed and be physical."
"Down the stretch just got to play smart - no puck turnovers, get pucks in deep and go muck from there."
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Knoblauch was asked about Holloway and his thoughts on the recall of the eager young winger, "Dylan's been playing really well, he was playing really well when he was with us. Down in Bakersfield he's been able to build his game, get some more confidence, score more goals. [We] felt this was an excellent opportunity to give him another opportunity."
Look for Holloway to be buzzing around the ice tonight, as he makes his case to be a regular with the club and stay up in the NHL. The game against the Golden Knights will be an earlier 6:30 PM Mountain Time start.
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