Yahoo Sports Mattias Ekholm Shines, Noah Philp Does It Again As Oilers Top Kraken
The injury bug was biting across the NHL on Saturday night.
View the original article to see embedded media.
On a night when Montreal Canadiens Patrik Laine and David Reinbacher left the arena on crutches, the Edmonton Oilers may have lost their backup goaltender as they beat the Seattle Kraken 5-4.
It happened halfway through the first period when Noah Philp collided hard with Calvin Pickard on the backcheck. Pickard remained on the ice for a moment before leaving the ice under his own power. He did not return to the bench during the game.
"He's being evaluated right now, we'll know more tomorrow," head coach Kris Knoblauch said in his post-game press conference.
Pickard's injury was a low point in what was a good night overall for the Oilers. After a few quiet nights for the Oilers' offense, they exploded for five goals on Saturday night.
It started with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins beating Phillip Grubauer off a classic Connor McDavid rush. The Kraken responded with two goals before Noah Philp snuck past the Seattle defense to take a sweet feed from Mattias Ekholm and beat Grubauer high to tie it at 2.
After two Seattle goals made it 4-2, Ekholm struck right back with a wrister off the rush just 27 seconds after the Kraken's fourth goal. The third period was all Edmonton. First, Derek Ryan wove through the Kraken defense and found Vasily Podkolzin in front for an easy shorthanded tap-in. Then, in the game's final three minutes, camp standout Raphael Lavoie notched his second goal of the pre-season to give the Oilers a late 5-4 lead that stood as the final total.
Oilers Player of the Game: Mattias Ekholm
The big Swede was all over the scoresheet, notching a goal and two assists, with four penalty minutes thrown in for good measure. He was especially involved in the offense, joining the rush on Philp's and his own goals. Ekholm obviously doesn't have to worry about his spot on the team, but it's good to see that he's not feeling any adverse effects from his short summer.
Elsewhere on the lineup, former University of Alberta Golden Bears. Ryan and Philp both stood out on both ends of the ice. Both scored as they fight for the last two forward spots on the Oilers roster.
Oilers Play of the Game
For a career AHLer fighting for a depth role, Philp sure showed some offensive juice on this goal, beating an NHL defender in Ryker Evans to the net before undressing Philipp Grubauer to tie the game in the first period.
The Oilers get back to work on Monday night, when they welcome the Vancouver Canucks to Rogers Place.
Bookmark The Hockey News Edmonton Oilers team site to never miss news, interviews, or any other updates on the Oilers.
Related: Ex-Oilers Prospects Cut From New Team
Related: Dylan Holloway Makes A Statement In Debut For New Team
Related: Oilers Should Have A New Fourth Line Centre
Related: Ex-Oiler Warren Foegele Impresses New Team With Big Game
Related: Oilers Make Third Round of Roster Cuts
Related: Oilers Pre-Season Schedule, Where You Can Watch Each Game
