GAME RECAP: Canucks Rookies 2, Oilers Rookies 0

PENTICTON, BC – Nathan couldn't save the day.

Goaltender Nathan Day put in a strong performance with 28 saves, but the 2023 sixth-round pick's effort was overshadowed by Nikita Tolopilo in the opposite crease, who made all 21 stops for the Canucks Rookies on Friday to earn the shutout in a 2-0 defeat for the Oilers Rookies in their opening game of the 2024 Young Stars Classic at South Okanagan Events Centre.

"I think we should give Vancouver a lot of credit," Day said post-game. "They jumped on us early and they capitalized on a few other opportunities there, but I thought they came out hard and they applied a lot of pressure on us."

After a scoreless opening frame, the Canucks Rookies began to show their veteran experience, outshooting the Oilers Rookies by a 24-12 margin over the final two periods and receiving goals from forwards Max Sasson and Christian Felton. Vancouver's top line included their AHL affiliate Abbotsford Canucks' leading scorer Arshdeep Bains alongside Scandinavian prospects Aatu Räty and Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

"Obviously you're playing a lot older guys than what you're used to, but I think I prepared myself well to handle these shots and the play out here, so it wasn't anything new to me," Day said. "I felt really good out there and I thought it was a pretty good game all around. The team and everyone played ball."

The Oilers Rookies will be back in action on Saturday night in Penticton when they face the Flames Rookies, with the match being streamed live on Oilers+ at 8:30 pm MT.

"We had a few good moments on some things we talked about and we'll celebrate those tomorrow and move forward on the next one," Head Coach Colin Chaulk said.

FIRST PERIOD

With one period completed for the Oilers Rookies in the Okanagan, we still awaited their first goal at the first intermission.

Day was steady in the Oilers' crease during the opening period of his second visit to Penticton for the Young Stars Classic after he stopped six shots from the Canucks in the opening frame. The Flint Firebirds' shot-stopper was called into early action only 21 seconds into the contest to deny Aatu Räty's clean look from the right circle with a left-pad save that came on Vancouver's first foray into Edmonton's zone.

"I think it's always nice," Day said about getting early work. "It tests you early and then helps you get into the rhythm out there, and it's kind of smooth sailing from there."

The Canucks would strike the outside of the post on a one-touch passing play just past the three-minute mark before a cleared puck out of the Oilers’ end caused confusion and led to a too-many-men penalty for Vancouver that went uncapitalized by Edmonton.

Camp invite & Medicine Hat Tigers' blueliner Nate Corbet sparked the Oilers' bench by dropping the gloves with Joe Arntsen in a heavy scrap that ended with the two skaters getting five-minute majors and 10-minute misconducts for staged fighting.

"If we go back over our start, I would say wasn't great, but Corbet got in that little tussle there and felt like we dictated the play the rest of the first period," Chaulk said. "We outshot them and felt good about that."

Another low pad save from Day past the mid-way mark of the period was followed up with the Oilers’ best chance of the opening 20 minutes when Carl Berglund had the puck pop loose to him in the slot for a turn-around chance, but the opportunity was blockered down by Tolopilo before the referee lost sight of the puck and blew the whistle.

With 5.7 seconds left in the frame, Dalyn Wakely tried his luck on a wide rush around a Canucks’ defender that caused a goalmouth scramble where winger Matvey Petrov pounded the blue paint looking for a rebound, but ended up just losing his helmet in the process.

The Oilers were outshooting the Canucks 9-6 through a scoreless opening frame.

SECOND PERIOD

The Canucks came out of the intermission with more intensity than the Oilers and found the opening goal less than two minutes into the period when forward Max Sasson placed his own rebound over Nathan Day on an odd-man rush to make it 1-0 for the hosts.

Edmonton struggled to generate chances through the first 10 minutes of the frame – including no shots on their second power play – and were outshot 8-1 by Vancouver over the stretch before falling behind 18-16 in shots at the end of the second stanza after doing a good job in the opening 20 minutes to limit their opponents to only six.

Edmonton's penalty kill went to work in the second half of the frame when Marrelli was called for holding a Canucks' forward on the rush, with the Oilers Rookies' PK getting the stop they needed to keep it a one-goal game.

Day made another tremendous sprawling save inside the final four minutes, which sparked a late flurry of chances for the Oilers before the intermission. Tolopilo was needed in the Canucks' crease to slide across the and take away an opportunity at the back post for forward Matt Savoie, keeping the hosts ahead by a goal through 40 minutes of each club's opening match of the Young Stars Classic.

"I think we all saw Matt Savoie had a real nice chance there," Chaulk said. "Maybe we could've got out of the second period feeling like we got away with one."

THIRD PERIOD

After the Canucks Rookies continued to generate looks against Day in the final frame, the netminder could only do what he could before the hosts found that all-important second goal to put the contest away.

Forward Christian Felton converted the Canucks' second goal just over three-and-a-half minutes into the final frame on another second rebound, scoring unassisted on a wide rush after putting his chance on goal before turning and firing the loose rebound past Day, who couldn't track the second opportunity after Felton and two Oilers' d-men crashed the crease.

Marrelli helped out his goaltender in the final nine minutes of the frame by clearing a puck off the goal line that was looking like it'd creep over after the Canucks struck the post on another rush chance, but the writing was looking like it was on the wall for the Oilers Rookies as time began to creep towards its completion.

After a late penalty was given to camp invite & former Edmonton Oil Kings defenceman Marc Lajoie late in the game, Vancouver controlled the remaining possession in the offensive zone and saw out their 2-0 shutout victory.

"I think it's a stepping stone for the team," Day said. "I thought we played well. Obviously, it wasn't our best game, but there's still two more games left to play and I think there's a lot to build from. I think we're excited going forward and going up against Calgary and Winnipeg in the upcoming days."

PARTING WORDS

Chaulk on the play of Day in the Oilers' crease on Friday:

"He was excellent and made some great saves. He definitely kept the game within an opportunity for us to be competitive and get back in it... and you think about last year, he looked much younger. He looked like a teenager. That's what I remember the most and he looks like a young man right now. So hell of a game for him."

Day on the leadership shown by Max Wanner on the Oilers' blueline:

"I thought he was great out there. His communication was awesome going back and playing the pucks. There was no doubt in my mind. I knew what play to make with him back there. I thought he played well keeping pucks to the outside and was obviously huge blocking shots, which is always helpful. I was very appreciative of him out there."

Day on the quality of competition shown by the Canucks:

"I don't really look into it too much. I think everyone's good at this level. All players are excellent players. They're all very skillful, hard-working and big boys. So I think you kind of treat everyone the exact same out here, and you don't really look at anyone too different."