RECAP: Oilers 6, Kraken 0

EDMONTON, AB - Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists and Brendan Perlini recorded a two-goal night for the Oilers in a 6-0 pre-season shutout of the Seattle Kraken in the expansion club's first visit to Rogers Place.
With fans in the building for the first time in 18 months, goaltenders Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen split the shutout on Tuesday night with 34 saves. Forward Zach Hyman posted a goal and assist in his unofficial Oilers debut, along with Jesse Puljujarvi and defenceman Darnell Nurse each pitching in with two points.

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FIRST BLOOD

The Doctor is in and geared up for the new season. Nurse picked up the puck behind the Oilers goal and went on another one of his signature marauding skates up ice from the back end, going coast-to-coast and locking in a shot that went five-hole under Kraken netminder Chris Driedger from just inside the blue line.
Fresh off signing a new eight-year extension worth $9.25 million annually that kicks in for the '22-23 season, it surely won't be his last.

PLAY OF THE GAME

As a taste of what the line of Hyman-McDavid-Puljujarvi can accomplish this season, the trio orchestrated a great passing play to make it a three-goal lead for Edmonton with just under four minutes left in the opening period.
McDavid dangled Seattle winger Nathan Bastian and wheeled around the zone and dropped the puck off to Puljujarvi, who then fed it back to his captain before McDavid sent a quick pass to the backdoor for Hyman to tap in his unofficial first goal as an Oiler.
Look out, rest of the NHL.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Mike Smith made 18 saves on the night, making his best with 15:29 on the clock in the second period when the goaltender showed his great athleticism to stretch out and deny a Kraken wrap around from Luke Henman to keep the Oilers blank slate intact.

TURNING POINT

A Puljujarvi power-play goal on a 5-on-3 midway through the first period signaled a long night ahead for Seattle. The Finnish forward was in front to finish off the first of many nice passing plays on the night for the Oilers, who went 2-for-5 with the man advantage after leading the NHL with a 27.6 percent efficiency in '20-21 -- two whole percentage points above the second-place Carolina Hurricanes.

TOP PERFORMER

Perlini was the benefactor of two beautiful give-and-go plays, but that's not to take away from his finishes. The former first-round pick connected first with Devin Shore, wiring a one-timer past Kraken netminder Joey Daccord with 3:17 to go into the second period, before burying Kyle Turris' feed from the top of the Seattle zone early in the final frame.

PARTING WORDS

Hyman on his first impressions playing alongside Connor McDavid:
"I think he just creates so much space for himself that he can find those angles," he said. "He's such an elite passer that if you go to the right spots and you're open, he'll find you.
"It's only been one game, so it's kind of a harder question to answer. I played against him a lot, and obviously, his speed and ability help generate offence whenever he gets the puck. When it's a 1-on-1 situation, he can beat a guy wide and all of the sudden it's a 2-on-1. He creates space for his linemates, so it was fun to play with him tonight. I think as we play more we'll figure out each other's tendencies and whatnot, but I thought it was a good start. I thought Jesse was great. He just hounds the puck, so it's fun to play with him too."
Hyman on the team allowing zero goals through the first two pre-season games:
"I think it starts with work ethic," he said. "Defence is all about working. You can put all the systems in place, but if you're not working, it's not going to go well. So I think that in both games we worked and didn't give the other team much. Obviously, you have to have good goaltenders back there to make the saves when things do break down, and they both played great tonight."
Hyman on pulling on the Oilers jersey for the first time:
"I felt a part of this team pretty early on," he said. "It was seamless for me. The guys have been so good and welcoming me really making me feel part of the team -- even before preseason and whatnot. So from that standpoint, It's been awesome and that's a credit to the guys in the locker room and the group we have. They're very welcoming to new players and make you feel comfortable right away. I think that's such a big part of hockey.

Perlini on registering three goals in his first two pre-season games with the Oilers:
"To be honest, I was just looking to come in and play my style of game," he said. "I said it a little bit already that I've had a relationship with Tipp before in Arizona, so it's nice to come in knowing him and (Assistant Coach Jim Playfair) and how they coach. It definitely makes it a little bit easier. The last couple of games have been a good start, but I'm just focusing on each shift as it comes. I know it sounds cliché, but that's really all I'm doing."
Head Coach Dave Tippett on his team's six-goal effort tonight:
"There was some good, but some bad," he said. "We got to work on our powerplay a little bit; got to have a look at that new line up top. We have some guys in competition for jobs that are doing what they can do to get noticed. We have some young players finding their way, and our goaltenders have played well. We have four guys who've got half a game each and they've all played really well."

Tippett on the chemistry between the Perlini-Shore-Turris line:
"They were good," he said. "Shoresy is another guy that's really playing well, and Turris is trying to get his game going. You've got veteran guys, all three of those guys... they like the life in the NHL. They like to play in the NHL, and they know they've got to win a job. When you have an idea of what the life is like in the NHL playing in this league, it's worth fighting for. They're fighting for a job right now."
Tippett on new additions performing and adding to the complexion of the group:
The leadership group recognized we've added some grit to our team. We had to do that if we want to take another step. I think the players in that room recognize where we are, and expectations continue to go up. Everybody wants to take another step forward, so when you bring some new guys in that are of that mode, I think the players that have been here recognize that and are enthused."