RECAP: Oilers 3, Canucks 2

EDMONTON, AB - Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid notched a goal and assist each on the powerplay, while Derek Ryan's tip-in during the second period went down as the game-winner for the Oilers in a 3-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place on Thursday.
Mike Smith was stellar in his return to the Oilers crease, recording an assist and 37 saves on 39 shots as the Oilers improved to 5-1-1 this preseason with the victory and finish their home exhibition schedule undefeated.

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FIRST BLOOD

Where have we seen that one before? There was Leon Draisaitl, taking up his usual post inside the left circle on the powerplay, waiting patiently for Connor McDavid to deliver him the perfect cross-ice pass to one time home the opening goal of the game under the glove of Canucks goaltender Jaroslav Halak on an early 5-on-3 opportunity.
Edmonton's powerplay that clicked with a league-best 27.6 percent success rate last season went 2-for-4 in the opening period.

PLAY OF THE GAME

The Dynamic Duo linked up again on the powerplay with some help from their goaltender in the final two minutes of the first period.
The sequence began when Smith caught the Canucks penalty kill changing and sent a crisp full-ice pass to Draisaitl before the German feathered a pass low to McDavid, who flipped a short-side shot through Halak to double Edmonton's lead to 2-0.
The 39-year-old with 19 career NHL assists to his name showed on the play why he's considered one of the League's top puck-moving goaltenders.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Smith was playing sharp at both ends of the ice, making his biggest save on a 3-on-1 Vancouver rush and taking one for the team when he stretched out to deny Vasily Podkolzin with 4:40 left in the middle frame. The Oilers netminder took the worst of the ensuing collision, drawing a goaltender interference call when the Canucks forward barrelled into Smith's crease.

TURNING POINT

Derek Ryan's deflection from between the hashmarks 9:33 into the second period proved to be the game's decisive action. With Zack Kassian screening Halak in front, Duncan Keith sent a low shot towards goal from the point that was redirected perfectly by the Spokane, Wash. product for his second tally of the preseason.

TOP PERFORMER

Smith was terrific in his return to the crease for the Oilers after missing the last two games, recording an assist on McDavid's second-period marker and stopping 37 saves on 39 shots. The keeper even came close to scoring when he fired a shot from the trapezoid the entire length of the ice with 18.7 seconds left in the game.

PARTING WORDS

Ryan on Zack Kassian following a scary incident in a fight with Travis MacEwen late in the third period:
"It was really tough," he said. "Obviously I'm a new face in the locker room here, but Kass and I have bonded. He's like my brother sitting next to me in the locker room, so to see him like that one on the ice just makes me sick to my stomach. It's a tough feeling, and I haven't seen him in the locker room, but I heard he's doing alright. Just not an enjoyable experience for sure."
Ryan on his line with Kassian and Warren Foegele clicking well against Vancouver tonight:
"Yeah, I thought we took some major strides as a line," he said. "We started making some plays in the o-zone. Obviously getting that goal is huge for the confidence, and I thought we were useful in all situations. It's one of those games where a couple of shifts weren't going our way. In the second, we stuck with it and ended up playing in the o-zone and getting that goal. I really like my line. I think we can be really effective and continue to stick with it, grow our game, and get confidence and chemistry playing with each other."

Ryan on Smith's great play and overall involvement in the game tonight motivating the bench:
"Yeah, It's awesome. He almost had a goal at the end there too and just missed that," he said. "Smitty's awesome. He was dialed in tonight and you've seen it so many times. I've seen it in Calgary and seen it playing against him here in Edmonton, and now, here in my short time playing here. He's just a fierce competitor, and you see it out there on the ice where he's fighting for every puck and fighting for every angle. He's like another defenceman back there making plays, making outlet passes, beating their forecheck, and he's an elite asset to have."
Smith on his confidence levels heading towards Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Canucks:
"For as little as I've been in there, I feel pretty good," he said. "I've just tried to build as camp goes on. Obviously, it's been a longer camp than we're used to from the last couple of years, so I think it's just a process. As camp goes on,you want to start and build a game not putting too much into the games themselves and just kind of build, and build, and build, and then when the season starts, be peaking and play some of your best hockey. So it's a process. It's three-and-a-half weeks of camp. It's a grind trying to balance rest and feeling healthy and all the above. I feel like my game's where it needs to be right now."
Smith on the activity around the crease tonight and an overall feisty contest:
"You know what, it was kind of nice to be honest just so you're not tip-toeing into the season when there hasn't been anything going on in front of you," he said. "As the game went on, it kind of got more competitive and guys were going to the net hard playing some hard-nosed hockey. It's not just a switch you flick on and off; it's good habits. What better way to play in a pre-season game, and it seemed like guys were fighting for jobs out there and fighting for space.
"Obviously, there was some contact in the crease, but that's to be expected. As the game went on, it kind of got me more involved in the game. Like I said, I feel like I'm right where I need to be at this time of year."

Coach Tippett on Kassian's injury and playing with an edge:
"It's one of those ones that upset you," he said. "When you see that happen, it's a freak thing. The helmet comes off and he falls the wrong way, then with weight of the fall bangs his head. Luckily, it seems like he's alright in there, so we'll see where he is tomorrow.
"This is an important year for Kass. He went through the injuries last year, he's come back in great shape, wants to help this team take the next step, and he's coming in and putting in the work during camp. He knows how he wants to play and he's going out and doing it, which is good to see."
Coach Tippett on seeing the subtleties of Ryan's game coming to light this preseason:
"He's smart. He's really smart," he said. "He just reads plays. When you have a couple of big guys like (Kassian and Foegele) that you really want to forecheck hard, he's a guy that reads off those guys well. He's been pretty solid. You can tell he's a smart player. He just does a lot of little things right. The right-handed faceoff, he probably didn't have as good of a night as he would've wanted to tonight, but it was kind of a see-saw game. We won a few in a row, and they'd win a few in a row.
"But all-in-all, it was a game that I liked how our group played. There were lots of special teams, so you can see what people do with that, but it was a competitive game. It's getting close to the regular season. It's competitive, and that pushes you into doing a lot of things right if you want to have a chance to win. That's the kind of game it was tonight, and I like where our group is right now."