FEATURE: Kolossal Rising

EDMONTON, AB - Ironically, as a netminder who towers over the competition at 6-foot-7, goaltender Mikko Koskinen's strength lies in the little details.
They built the foundation for the hulking Finnish netminder to make his return to the NHL for the start of the '18-19 campaign in Blue & Orange silks following a seven-season absence that was spent sharpening the edges of his game in Europe with clubs like SKA St. Petersburg.
For him, they'd be the key to solidifying his place once he got there as well.

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Koskinen won't waste any opportunity to hone his craft with a little extra practice time, regularly taking to the ice before his teammates to run through a steady repetition of crease movements and quick shots -- drills designed to adjust his game to a smaller ice surface and faster flow of play.
"He works hard," Captain Connor McDavid said of his goaltender. "He's always the first guy on the ice; he's always doing his stuff before practice as well, working on whatever he's working on. He's a quiet guy, but the guys really like him."
Making 55 appearances that culminated in a 25-21-6 record, a .906 save percentage, 2.96 goals-against average, and a three-year contract extension in January had the Finn feeling his debut season with the Oilers was just the beginning of his rise in Oil Country.
"At the start, it took quite a lot of time to get used to the rink and all the angles. Now, it's easier," Koskinen told EdmontonOilers.com last summer. "I know what to expect and what I need to do better this year.
To put it simply, the workload accrued by Koskinen in the crease for the Oilers at the tail end of last season was nothing short of
colossal
.
The man known as Kossu in his native Finland started 25 of the Oilers final 27 games, often being tasked with protecting the twine on back-to-back nights as the Finn came face-to-face with the difficulties of competing on a busy NHL schedule and the travel requirements of a club competing the Pacific Division.
With a longer list of assignments, came less opportunity for Koskinen in practice to carry on with his regular routine of working through the adjustments.

"I played a tonne, and as a guy who preaches repetition and consistency in practice, the workload took a toll," he said. "I don't feel like I got tired, but it was tough because there wasn't a lot of time for practice.
"It's easier knowing you're going to play every game, but you have to find a rhythm between when you practice and when you play. It's something I think I can do a little bit better in the future."
Head Coach Dave Tippett sifted through the Finn's game tape after taking on the mantle of Oilers bench boss, observing a netminder who showed flashes of both brilliance and fatigue.
"I watched a bunch of games where he was really good, then I watched a bunch of games where he was really tired last year," Tippett said. "I came in and said it would be a clean slate, obviously talked to (Goaltending Coach) Dustin Schwartz about him a lot, and basically just said it's up to you to show what you can do."
Oilers General Manager and President of Hockey Operations Ken Holland, a summer addition himself to the club's management team, put his stamp on the situation by bringing in veteran Mike Smith to round out the tandem in goal and help manage Koskinen's service time.
"Obviously in Smith and Koskinen, we think we've got two goaltenders that we can create competition," Holland said. "Both are hard workers, both are really competitive, we believe they're going to push one another and play well and allow us to have goaltending as a strength."
He rotated in two-start intervals alongside Smith early in the season, with the pair settling in with three wins each as the Oilers posted a 5-1-0 start to their campaign. Right out of the gates, Koskinen found the rhythm he felt he lacked in last season's late fixture pile-up.
A taxing but successful five-game trip to the East Coast to begin the season and a late arrival home from their last game of the road swing in Chicago handed Koskinen the reigns in the Oilers return home for a contest with the Philadelphia Flyers on October 16.
Refreshed and dialed in, Koskinen delivered with a career-high 49 saves on 52 shots in a 6-3 victory that extended the Oilers early momentum.

"In our situation with our schedule and travel, I don't mind the way it sets up at all," Tippett said. "Both guys can be fresh. Smitty played a heck of a game in Chicago the other night, but we got home really late and Smitty had played a couple of games. So it was a no brainer to put Koskinen in. He was fresh and we got a great game out of him last night."
Mikko made the most of his and the Oilers hot starts, winning four-straight games from Nov. 8-24 and earning a 10-2-2 record in 14 starts to begin the year from a healthy balance of rest, recovery and repetition in practice.
"The workload in practices has been better this year," Koskinen said. "I haven't been gassed on the ice, so it's been good. I think I've felt sharp every game so far, and I think that's one thing that's been better this year."
Sharp, to describe the performances of the Finn more often than not in '19-20, is an understatement bigger than his towering frame that doesn't leave too many holes for any shooter in the League to look at.

Dallas Stars fans and players alike still suffer flashbacks of the 86 saves on 88 shots Koskinen made over two road stops at the United Airlines Center that led to two victories -- both of which contributed to an 18-13-3 record with a 2.75 GAA and .916 SV% at the time of the season's postponement.
Marginal gains championed by Koskinen through his repetition and preparation have played into the larger picture of the Oilers sitting on the precipice of securing their first playoff berth since '16-17. But like the remaining schedule and a potential playoff berth, there's still plenty that's left to be sorted.
"I think there have been many improvements, but it's tough to say one thing because everything's a small piece," he said. "When you put those small pieces together, then the whole game is improving. It's really tough to tell something big or phenomenal, but it's the small things that have come together."