Well that was fun! The Oilers website decided to blackout the Edmonton area for their stream but their facebook feed was working. Once I decided to push past how much I actually hate facebook video I was able to watch the game. What I got to see was Kailer Yamamoto and Iiro Pakarinen pushing to the front of the pack among the Oiler hopefuls.

I’ll start with Pakarinen for a moment. Iiro has been on the fringe of the roster for a couple years now. He has a lot of qualities that make him a good fit for the league, but he never seems to be able to take that next step. It would be a little premature to say that two goals against that particular Canucks squad is evidence of that next step in Pakarinen’s game, but he looked fantastic and you can’t ask for more. He was kept to just 14 games last season. If he’s healthy, he’s going to push Khaira for the 4LW spot. The goals he scored last night didn’t look like greasy, crash-and-bang stuff. He has a cannon of a shot that straight up beat Bachman.

As for Kailer Yamamoto, he was Edmonton’s most dynamic player last night. He was dangerous 5v5, on the PP, and on the PK. The fact that he was on the PK at all was impressive. At the end of the day Yamamoto finished with the highest shot attempt percentage on the team with 68.2%. That’s roughly 2 attempts for every 1 by the opposition while he was on the ice. Through two periods the Pakarinen/Yamamoto line wasn’t even on the ice for a single shot attempt against. It was pure domination.

Yamamoto has a series of tools and attributes that make him look like an NHLer. He’s fast and tenacious and all that stuff. Skating ability is important. It’s going to create opportunities for him. Without it, he would have a hell of a time breaking into the NHL. However, those aren’t the two attributes that stand out most to me right now. After seeing him a few times in preseason action, what stands out most are his ability to anticipate where the puck is going to be and his ability to get shots away quickly.

Yamamoto can play on the PK because he can anticipate what the men on the points are going to do with the puck. That, combined with his speed, makes him dangerous. In the offensive zone, he really shines and he fits in well with like-minded players. He was not impressive in the Young Stars, but next to NHL players he looks like he’s everywhere on the ice. The play doesn’t die on his stick. Impressively, they get better. As for his shot, when Draisaitl dished to him from his back hand, Yamamoto didn’t flinch. There was no double-clutch. No dusting it off. As soon as it entered his range it was directed to the back of the net.

Yamamoto is getting the night off tonight, but he looks very much like a player earning more games. At this point, it’s hard to say that players like Caggiula and Puljujarvi are definitely better than him. This competition looks like a good one.

LINEUP

Any time you get to watch Connor McDavid play hockey it’s a treat. The Oilers placed goalie Pasquale on waivers for assignment to the AHL. Kelly is playing again tonight, but I don’t know who his linemates will be just yet.

Maroon McDavid Strome
Jokinen RNH Puljujarvi
Khaira Letestu Kassian
Kelly Malone P. Russell

Russell Benning
Nurse Gryba
Jones Simpson

Talbot
Ellis

OILERS KEYS TO THE GAME

1) JP Wiser. Jesse Puljujarvi has to turn in a solid performance tonight. It doesn’t mean he has to match 2 goals by Pakarinen and Yamamoto, but he has to be a difference maker. His standing on the NHL team isn’t so solid that he can afford to be quiet. He has lots of skill and NHL size. I’m not worried about him long term, he’s still just 19 years old. That said, he’s got some skilled linemates and will get his opportunities this game. It’s time for him to step it up. Last year in the AHL h had decent but not spectacular scoring. Without seeing the games myself it’s hard to guage how much this is true, but some said he was incredibly unlucky not to have picked up more offense. Things weren’t going in even though he played well. That’s what some who watched him say.

2) The Nurse Is In. Darnell Nurse has an incredible range of talents and abilities, but he’s probably going to start his season as the 3LD, 5th on the depth chart. He’s another guy with a lot to prove this season. He’s an RFA in July and that means that he will be pushing his status all year long as his agent negotiates his next deal. He’s a player that isn’t just going to be content with quietly doing his job. He wants to be an impact player. Now is the time to start pushing that envelope. Gryba is the man on that pairing whose quiet physicality should enable Nurse to activate. That’s the kind of relationship they are going to have to develop. We will keep an eye on the decision making and anticipation between these two.

3) Strome Sweet Strome. We continue to look at how Ryan Strome is faring with Connor McDavid. You can count me among those skeptical that the best fit for the 1st line is Strome, but that doesn’t mean he can’t prove me completely wrong. I’m looking to see how well he keeps up both with his feet and with his anticipation levels. We’ve seen a good number of players prove that high skill and previous success doesn’t mean an automatic fit with 97. Lucic and Eberle both struggled (albeit Lucic more than Eberle). Maroon surprised everyone as a great complement. Nail Yakupov had great success with 97 but was not able to replicate it away from him. So there’s certainly no reason why Strome cannot be effective on Mcdavid’s RW. He just has to show it night in and night out.

Puck drops tonight at 7PM Mountain time on the Oilers website (check their facebook page). Game On!

Follow me on Twitter @Archaeologuy

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