RECAP: Oilers 4, Flames 0

CALGARY, AB - James Hamblin, Derek Ryan, Xavier Bourgault and Brendan Perlini scored while Stuart Skinner and Ilya Konovalov stopped all 15 shots they faced as the Oilers dominated the Calgary Flames Sunday at the Scotiabank Saddledome with a 4-0 victory.

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FIRST BLOOD

Hamblin kickstarted the offence on the night, scoring the game's opening goal five minutes into the second period. The forward did a great job of tracking the puck as it went airborne while crossing the offensive zone. Hamblin scooped up the loose puck for a partial breakaway then split goaltender Dan Vladar's wickets with a backhander.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Hamblin's breakaway strike in the middle stanza is the play of the game as it ended up standing as the game-winner. After the goal, the Oilers carried all the momentum in their favour, going on to outshoot Calgary 49-15 in the winning effort.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Netminders Stuart Skinner and Ilya Konovalov were not overly busy on Sunday night, teaming up to stop all 15 of Calgary's shots on goal for the shared shutout.
Before the Orange & Blue opened the floodgates in the second period, however, Skinner kicked aside a wraparound attempt and then foiled Mikael Backlund's quick snapshot from the right circle while the Flames were on the power play.
Konovalov's best save came late in the third period when Calgary forward Matthew Phillips made a net-front redirection off the rush. The Russian netminder was able to extend his right leg for the highlight-reel stop.

TURNING POINT

Immediately after Hamblin got the ball rolling offensively, Ryan added the insurance. The Spokane product won a battle in the corner of the Flames' zone then proceeded to cut to the net, tucking in the puck far side as Vladar was caught looking the other way. The free-agent acquisition tallied his first unofficial marker with the Oilers, scoring it on his former club in the Calgary Flames.

TOP PERFORMER

With one goal and one assist, Ryan earned the top performer honours Sunday in Calgary. Not only did he score his first goal in an Oilers uniform but he also set up Xavier Bourgault's first in Orange & Blue, feeding the 2021 first-rounder with a perfect pass for the one-timer goal. Ryan also got his reps on the Oilers penalty kill unit and helped keep it perfect all night.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Dave Tippett on his club's effort:
"You're watching individuals and how they perform but it's one of those games when we wanted to make sure we were a working group tonight. A lot of young players were in there. The work ethic throughout the group was really strong, so players end up looking good. There are a lot of guys in that lineup pushing for jobs. Playing a strong, hard-working game on the road makes everyone look good."
Evan Bouchard, who registered six shots on goal, on his ability to get pucks through:
"You really want to get the feel for the puck and find those shooting lanes. There's no better time to work on it than in an exhibition game, so I really wanted to do that. You want to make the right play out there but for me, a lot of the time it's really just putting the puck on net. Try to get it through that first guy and get it towards the net. Tonight, we did a great job at collapsing to the net and causing chaos in front."

Derek Ryan's assessment of the game:
"I thought that group came out and battled hard. Played really tight defensively, had a couple of big saves when we needed it and just played a really good, team game. Locked it down and created a lot of offence, too. It was fun. It's a fun way to start the pre-season when you have some offence and some success. Everyone's happy and everyone looks good."
Ryan on scoring and getting the win against his former team:
"Even when I came here four weeks ago, I wanted to make a good impression right away. That's what it's all about. It feels good to come out here back to the Saddledome and have a good game. A lot of different emotions coming back here. I spent three good years here. It was fun."