Kraken Finish Pre-Season, But Can't Finish Chances In 3-1 Loss To Oilers

The Edmonton Oilers and their fans are expecting big things this season. In the pre-season finale for both teams, a 3-1 Oilers home victory over the visiting Seattle Kraken Friday showed why.

With Vince Dunn still out, presumably nursing an undisclosed injury, Kraken top-pairing defenseman Adam Larsson took shifts alongside rookie Ryker Evans.

For long stretches, Kraken goalie Philipp Grubauer seemed like the only player in white who knew puck drop was at 6 pm Seattle time.

Count the great saves: maintaining position as Connor Brown tried to push the puck under his pad; denying Zach Hyman, speeding in twice on the same shift; then, a glove save on Hyman's cold-turkey breakaway. That glove also foiled Connor McDavid in close, on a shot labled for the top corner. 

All of this came in the first half of the period, when Edmonton built a 10-1 lead in shots.

The Kraken only needed three shots to take the lead. Jared McCann took a center-ice Oilers turnover back into the zone, zipping a short-side bullet past Edmonton goalie Jack Campbell.

Goaltenders don't like being scored on, ever. Even in pre-season, even though he's not on the roster "bubble," Grubauer visibly reacted when McDavid finally pierced him to tie the game 1-1. Grubauer scooped up the puck with his glove, flinging it high in the air toward the blue line.

Aided by a trio of middle period power plays, the Kraken eventually took the shot lead after 40 minutes, 22-17. Though they'd outshot Edmonton 21-7 since the midpoint of the first period, they were unable to break the tie. 

While shorthanded, the Oilers collapsed around their goalie, and when shots did get through, Campbell proved as impenetrable as he was in Edmonton's 4-1 win at Climate Pledge Arena on Monday (32 saves on 33 shots). Seattle had the zone time and five total PP shots, but not the finish.

When Edmonton went on the power play, Zach Hyman finally got the best of his German countryman. Grubauer was facing a 3-on-1 after Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked Brandon Tanev's pocket in the Oilers' defensive zone. 

To his credit, Tanev raced back, but his futile dive didn't prevent Hyman from beating Grubauer on the rush for a 2-1 lead.

Edmonton last year converted nearly a third of power play chances, statistically the best in the NHL in the last 45 years.

Late in the period, Campbell turned aside two quality chances in succession from Matty Beniers. In the final minute, he gloved a high Tanev drive, finishing with an "Ole" reminiscent of Patrick Roy.

Four seconds after Edmonton killed Seattle's fourth power play, Evander Kane steamed down the right wing and blasted the puck past Grubauer, off the pipe and in for a 3-1 Oilers lead.

Grubauer foiled yet another Hyman breakaway, both players ending up on the ice, face to face. We don't know what the goalie said, or whether he was speaking German to Hyman. (Maybe "Seien Sie ruhig, ja?" or in English, "Take it easy, will ya?") Through his mask, Grubauer appeared to be smiling as he gave Hyman a friendly tap with his glove.

Down two goals, Kraken coach Dave Hakstol pulled Grubauer with more than three minutes left. Notably, prospects Tye Kartye and Ryker Evans got shifts during 6-on-5 crunch time. No dice - for the second straight game, the Kraken could only beat Jack Campbell once, and fell 3-1.

Shots finished 33-25 Seattle; Kraken 0-4 on the power play, Oilers 1-3. Oilers radio analyst Bob Stauffer noted that Edmonton not only finished 5-2-1 in pre-season, but the offensive juggernaut gave up just one goal in regulation in five of their eight games. Ruh-roh, Pacific Division.

Kraken goal scorer Jared McCann and coach Dave Hakstol spoke about the game, and what comes next, in today's Kraken Reaction.

Seattle finished its six-game pre-season 3-2-1. They lost twice to the Oilers, won both games against the Vancouver Canucks, and split with the Calgary Flames (naturally - the two games were split-squad, played in Calgary and Seattle on the same night).

Between now and the regular season opener Oct. 10 in Las Vegas, the Kraken will finalize their roster, including where Evans, Kartye, and Shane Wright (who didn't play) end up, at least for now. Also to be announced: the backup goalie slot, between Joey Daccord and Chris Driedger.