The forward will be taking some time away from the team and is heading back to Russia until he's ready to rejoin the Oilers. Head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked for his thoughts after the game, and he relayed that it was a difficult day, as the team's heart goes out to Podkolzin. After what was probably the best day of his life — signing a three-year extension with the Oilers — he received the tragic news.
The Edmonton Oilers returned to Rogers Place on Wednesday night for a preseason game against the Seattle Kraken. As excited as fans might have been to see many of the team's top stars in action, the game took a backseat to some heartbreaking news.
Earlier in the day, the team announced that Vasily Podkolzin’s father had tragically and suddenly passed away. The forward will be taking some time away from the team and is heading back to Russia until he's ready to rejoin the Oilers.
Head coach Kris Knoblauch was asked for his thoughts after the game, and he relayed that it was a difficult day, as the team's heart goes out to Podkolzin. After what was probably the best day of his life — signing a three-year extension with the Oilers — he received the tragic news. Knoblauch talked about how popular Podkolzin is with the team. "The guys have a lot of respect for him."
The Game Takeaways
On the ice, the Oilers had their chances, but failed to cash in. McDavid and Draisaitl looked expectedly rusty, but still dangerous. Unfortunately, they missed several opportunities to capitalize, as did other Oilers.
At the same time, the Kraken took advantage of their fewer chances and handed the Oilers a 4-1 loss.
David Tomasek was active once again, showing his willingness to shoot whenever he had the puck. He wasn't as much of a threat to score, but he did go 70% on his faceoffs and looks ready to play a role on the team.
Atro Leppanen had another strong game on the blue line. After the game, he said the pace of the NHL is something he's getting used to, but has been happy to see as much action as he's seen so far in preseason. Knoblauch liked Leppanen's game and seemed to hint that there is a path to a spot on the team, even if the odds don't favor the young blueliner being on the roster.
Defenseman Atro Leppänen Making Things Interesting For The Oilers
Andrew Mangiapne picked up the lone marker for the Oilers. When asked for his thought on the game, he responded, “A little sloppy." He added, “Good, though, to get the rust off.”
Trent Frederic didn't have the debut on the top line that he probably would have liked. McDavid and Draisaitl played with the forward who was elevated with Zach Hyman out. While that line generated looks, they also passed up some prime shooting opportunities. McDavid hinted earlier this preseason that he might shoot more, but on this night, he leaned on his passing, including a slick pass to Draisaitl that almost resulted in a goal. McDavid created several dangerous chances, yet wound up with only one shot on goal.
When asked about that line, Knoblauch said he would be going back to it, even if he admitted, “Well, if you look at the stat line, it doesn't look very good. " The line was a minus-3 at even strength. That's not a good start.
Oilers' Early 2025-26 Season Projections: The Defense
Jagger Firkus struck first for Seattle late in the opening period, burying a rebound on the power play for the Kraken’s second shot of the game.
Turnovers haunted Edmonton in the second. Logan Morrison, left alone in front after a mistake at the blue line, deked Stuart Skinner for a 2-0 Kraken lead. By the end of two, the Oilers held a 16-9 shot advantage but couldn’t solve Seattle’s defense.
Mangiapane provided the lone Oilers highlight in the third, finishing a smart Evan Bouchard drive to the net. But Seattle countered with goals from Ben Meyers and an empty-net tally by Jani Nyman to seal it.
This was a less than stellar effort by the Oilers, who will try to show more in their game on Friday against the Winnipeg Jets.
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Category: General Sports
