If you were looking for an excuse to get entirely too hyped about exhibition hockey, the Edmonton Oilers just gave you one on a silver platter. Closing out their preseason slate with a smooth 4-1 victory against their arch-rival Calgary Flames, the Boys in Blue didn’t just win; they capped off a historic, perfect 4-0 preseason run. Sure, it’s only September, but beating Calgary always feels like a cold beer on a hot afternoon. Let’s dive straight into three big lessons we learned from Saturday night’s Battle of Alberta tune-up.
First off, Edmonton’s structure across the board looks shockingly dialed in for this time of year. Under new head coach Mike Babcock, the Oilers played a suffocating, detail-oriented style that completely neutralized Calgary’s attack for almost the entire night. They even won more than 61% of their faceoffs and distributed a ridiculously clean load to the net, allowing only five goals in the four preseason games to goaltender Devon Levi. Surprisingly, a team that is not running offense with a bunch of talent does take the defense seriously, and they are a nightmare to play against.
Secondly, the legendary top power play unit is already at full throttle without any summer break. It took a grand total of 23 seconds on their very first man-advantage for Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and Zach Hyman to slice through Calgary’s penalty kill and open the scoring. The chemistry between these guys is practically telepathic at this point, and watching McDavid slide that slick centering pass to Hyman felt like replaying a highlight reel from last spring. It’s going to be a hard day for any opposing team looking for a slow start on Edmonton’s special teams.
Last but not least, Kasperi Kapanen is a hard sell to a key spot in this cast. This was Kapanen’s third straight playoff game with a goal, assist, and plus-2 rating, as he was bumped up to the second line with Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. He was able to outgun the Calgary defense in the third period and put the game on ice with a beauty of a goal, demonstrating just what it takes in terms of speed and finishing in the top six in Matthew Savoie’s absence. Kapanen was playing as if he knew a position was up for grabs, and he got it.
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