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McLellan has been preaching the need for a strong start from day one and the quick cuts reflect that. Tonight's game represents the halfway point of pre-season and already the opening night roster is starting to look clear.

I've stated a few times that pre-season is not a complete waste of time, however the level of importance is different for different players. It matters less if a Nugent-Hopkins or Draisaitl looks underwhelming as opposed to a Puljujarvi or Yamamoto. The veterans know how to conserve their strength and for better or worse they are not playing to the best of their ability. Meanwhile players like Puljujarvi and Rattie need to play their best to prove they belong higher in the lineup.

Rattie producing like he has is great to see but it is important to note the kind of competition he has played against. So far the Oilers:

- Have not played against a team's starting goaltender
- Have not played against a team's top line
- Have not played against a team's top pairing defense

Almost all of that changes tonight as the Oilers face off against a much stronger Jets lineup.

LINEUP

OILERS

Khaira-Strome-Puljujarvi
Rieder-McLeod-Yamamoto
Caggiula-Marody-Kassian
Malone-Brodziak-Aberg

Nurse-Benning
Jerabek-Bear
Gravel-Garrison

Koskinen
Talbot

JETS

Connor-Scheifele-Wheeler
Perreault-Little-Laine
Harkins-Reichel-Appleton
Everberg-Suess-McKenzie

Myers-Byfuglien
Schilling-Kulikov
Morrow-Poolman

Comrie
Hellebuyck

The Oilers top end players stay home tonight and assuming there will be another round of cuts coming soon we will likely see McDavid, Draisaitl, and Nuge in the final four games. On paper this is a huge mismatch in talent with the Jets having the clear upper hand. A win tonight would be if the Oilers prevent the Jets from running up the score. Anything more than that is gravy.

THINGS TO WATCH FOR

1) Koskinen Strikes Back. Mikko Koskinen came into camp with huge expectations. The 6'7 goaltender was signed to a one year 2.5 million dollar deal despite having almost no NHL experience. It seemed like a strange move at the time and looked even worse after his first game action. Despite playing against the C Group Flames, Koskinen never looked like he was in control. Tonight is his second start and he will be trying to stop the Jets best offensive weapons. Another poor game and we might have a real problem here.

2) McLeod Still In It. Tonight is likely Ryan McLeod's last game. The 19 year old has been one of the Oilers best young talents in camp and has been rewarded with more ice time and better line-mates. McLellan wants McLeod to see what it is like facing off against tougher competition and will then send him back to the OHL knowing what he needs to improve on. It's been a great camp for the kid and he will be back next year potentially ready to push for a spot.

3) Keep Scoring Pool Party! As previously stated, pre-season matters more for some players than others. This is the first time Jesse Puljujarvi has come into camp looking confident and it has transitioned into real production. Tonight is simply the next bar that Pulj has to meet and hopefully exceed.

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