One Preseason Game, Four Oilers Being Viewed Very Differently

The Edmonton Oilers closed out their preseason schedule with a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames, but the scoreline wasn't the story—how quickly four roster battles shifted on Saturday night was.

Four different Oilers left an impression on the new coach: three positive and one less so. The question coming out of Saturday's matchup is whether one preseason exhibition game can change a player's position on the team.

Owen Michaels was nowhere near the conversation of being an Oiler when training camp opened. A depth forward who came in to make the most of an opportunity and do little more than control what he could control, Michaels has delivered steady, noticeable performances throughout camp, capped by a strong showing Saturday night.

Prior to Saturday's game, Mike Babcock's radar was already triggered. "Michaels is beyond smart. Skates elite. He's in all the good clips every night. I mean, it's not what we thought coming in. I can tell you that. But what are you going to do? They decide, not me." Saturday night only offered more evidence there's a player there.

"He bought himself another day, and good for him," said Babcock. "I mean, that's what we're doing here; we're trying to create depth and trying to find good players. He looks like he's a good player."

Michaels is getting an opportunity with Jason Dickinson out, and since Josh Samanski hasn't wowed in camp, Michaels has done what he needs to. Against the Flames, he was steady, won draws, and got noticed for the right reasons.  

Babcock said, "You gotta give Mike credit because he wasn't even on the radar at all, and then he keeps showing up in all the good clips. He wins these faceoffs, he tracks, he's in the right spot." He added that he started looking at Michaels' career and noticed he's never been the guy who led the league in scoring, but he was the captain of the team that won the national championship. He concluded that he must know how to play. "I thought he was good tonight."

Has Michaels won a spot on the team, and did Saturday's win at least guarantee him a look in the regular season?

Kasperi Kapanen also stood out, building on a strong practice Friday and some solid preseason play. He took Isaac Howard's spot on the second line midway through Saturday's game and never went back.

Babcock said, "...I thought Kappy was the best player in practice the day before, and he was being real good, and I didn't think his group was being real good, and I just thought that it was a situation where he should play; it happened to be the right decision. He got on the ice, shot it in the net, and you think, We're not putting him back, so..."

The flip side belongs to Howard. Expected to push for a top-six look given Edmonton's injury situation with Matt Savoie, Howard instead took a step back over the final stretch of camp. Babcock said he didn't think Howard had tough moments on Saturday, but this was Howard's fourth preseason game, and one could argue he didn't stand out as much as he should have, given the opportunity.

A motivated Kapanen means Howard may find himself squeezed out of the top six he looked ticketed for just a couple of weeks ago.

In net, Devon Levi may have delivered the preseason's most important performance of all. The netminder was excellent against Calgary, adding to a strong camp that's put him squarely in the conversation for the starting job. Babcock said he liked Jarry's game against the Canucks, but the team did so well in front of him he wasn't as tested as Levi was Saturday.

With Frederik Andersen in Edmonton and working out, the interesting two goalie debate is quite important. It's a good problem for the Oilers to have, and Levi's performance against Calgary puts him in the mix to start Tuesday. 

The Oilers likely run with Jarry, just to avoid sending the message they doubt his ability, but Levi is knocking. "Tonight we gave way up too much. So he had to make some big saves, but he did. He's a confident kid," noted the coach after the win. 

Shakir Mukhamadullin may have earned a spot on the team, and over Ty Emberson and Spencer Stastney. The big d-man was steady and Babcock noticed him. 

"I liked him. He was big, he's long, and what I like about his game tonight.. I've seen him in the past, watched him on video and he tried to be cute. He wasn't cute tonight. He just made the right play over and over and over again.  And every time he's out there, he's still 6'5" which is kinda nice. 

Four games rarely tell the whole story, but for at least four Oilers, one night appears to have changed how they're being viewed inside the organization.

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