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The Edmonton Oilers opened the pre-season Sunday night with a 2-1 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place.
“There were a lot of really good signs,” Oilers Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said post-game. “Things that we worked on showed up in the game and I thought the pace was good for the first exhibition game of the year.”
The Jets opened the scoring when Dominic Toninato beat Olivier Rodrigue on a breakaway eight minutes into the first. The Oilers evened it on a power play when Zach Hyman tapped the puck behind Collin Delia.
Delia kept the Jets alive in the second period with 13 saves, including a sprawling pad stop on Lane Pederson.
“I was actually a bit nervous before the game,” Oilers forward Brandon Sutter said of his first game action in more than two years. “I’m glad with how with went. I think for a lot of guys, there’s some new system things we’re trying and finding new ways to do things.”
Rodrigue came up with a big stop in the third, moving to his left to deny Jeff Malott with 6:38 on the clock. Less than 30 seconds later, Evander Kane jammed at a puck in the crease but had it go off the post.
“It’s definitely a different mindset going from junior and then going against real NHL players,” Oilers rookie defenceman Beau Akey said after his first NHL pre-season game. “It’s definitely a change of pace.”
“You can see why he was drafted where he was,” Woodcroft said of Akey. “He has poise, he’s competitive and he made a lot of really good plays with the puck and was unafraid of the stage.”
Hyman fired a shot off the crossbar in the final minute of the third.
Cole Perfetti scored the only goal in the shootout. Delia stopped Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kane while Lane Pederson shot wide.
Delia finished with 36 saves. Rodrigue made 25 stops.
The two teams will meet again Monday in Winnipeg (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 4:30 p.m., game at 6 p.m.)
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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