The Edmonton Oilers beat the Vancouver Canucks in pre season action Wednesday night.
The Edmonton Oilers have now played three pre season games. The first two were a home-and-home with the Winnipeg Jets. On Friday the Oilers take on their provincial rivals - the Calgary Flames.
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This was the first game where we experienced a glimpse of what a regular NHL line up could consist of for the Oilers. Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Connor Brown, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all played their first pre season game. The result was fortunate, as the Oilers came away with a 2-1 overtime win.
We saw a forward line of Brown, McDavid and Evander Kane - as well as a defensive pairing of Darnell Nurse and Bouchard. A lot of the players looked engaged and were moving their feet. A couple of players stood out to me:
McDavid was back at it, doing McDavid things. He scored a highlight reel goal off of a pass right up the middle of the ice. That goal would be the overtime winner.
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The pass on that goal was equally impressive - as Bouchard eyed up the center, and bombed a pass through center ice to the tape of McDavid's stick.
All things considered, it was a good pre season game. They came away with the win and several players got a sense of where their game is at. Next stop, Calgary for the first battle of Alberta in the pre season.
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