Oilers net shutout, goal outburst in 4-0 pre-season win over Jets
Stuart Skinner looks ready to make the permanent move up to the big leagues with the Edmonton Oilers.
Skinner and Calvin Pickard combined to make 29 saves for the shutout as the Oilers started what is anticipated to be a season packed with potential with a 4-0 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in NHL pre-season play Sunday.
“Once I got my legs under me, I felt pretty good,” said the 23-year-old Skinner, who has been slotted in as the likely backup to Jack Campbell this season. “After any game you don’t want to get too high on yourself or too low. Especially the first game in pre-season. I thought it went well, but I still have a lot of work to do.
“It definitely felt like I moved a little better because I was working on my skating all summer. That’s nice to feel.”
Markus Niemelainen, James Hamblin, Ryan McLeod and Dylan Holloway scored for the Oilers, who are 1-0 in exhibition action.
Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said Holloway had a strong showing as he attempts to secure a starting job.
“I thought he was really good. The powerful stride in his ability to separate from his check, and I thought he was physical,” he said. “He showed up in offensive chances for us and was a big reason the penalty kill had the success it did tonight.
“Dylan certainly had a good first pre-season game.”
David Rittich made 22 saves for the Jets (0-1).
“The energy was there,” said Jets head coach Rick Bowness. “Our puck management gave them a couple of goals and we had the inability to score goals when we had the opportunity. When that happens you end up beating yourself, which we did. But the energy was good.”
It didn’t take long for the Oilers to start the scoring as Niemelainen snuck in from the point and took a Brad Malone feed before blasting a puck past Jets goalie Rittich just 41 seconds into the opening period.
Edmonton had 13 shots in the first, with the Jets matching that total on Oilers starter Skinner.
Winnipeg had a great opportunity to pull even with a two-man advantage midway through the second period, but Skinner proved up to the challenge, including making a big glove save on a hard Kyle Capobianco shot.
Rittich also came up big in the middle frame, making a point-blank stop on Oilers’ 2020 first-round draft pick Holloway, who was buzzing all over the ice.
Skinner made 19 saves before being replaced by Pickard late in the second.
Edmonton extended its lead midway through the third period as a huge rebound from a Jason Demers' shot came out to Hamblin who sent his shot home before Rittich could get back across. Demers is attending training camp on a PTO.
The Oilers then scored a pair of goals in the span of 27 seconds with five minutes to play.
A puck popped loose in front of the Winnipeg net and McLeod was able to chip it over the Jets goalie and then a rocket from the point from Evan Bouchard ticked off Holloway and in.
The Oilers are right back at it Monday against the Kraken in Seattle. The Jets return home to face the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.