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3 major takeaways from Edmonton Oilers' 6-2 preseason loss vs Seattle Kraken
The Edmonton Oilers were thoroughly defeated Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena, losing to hosts Seattle Kraken 6-2 and falling to a 3-4 record through seven preseason games.
Conversely, the Kraken improved to 2-3 in their preseason schedule.
Following a scoreless opening 20 minutes of play, the Kraken quickly seized a 2-0 lead in what was a fast-paced second period thanks to tallies from Brandon Tanev and Shane Wright.
However, the Oilers responded thanks to a power-play goal from Leon Draisaitl which capped a three-way passing play between himself, Connor McDavid and Ryan-Nugent Hopkins as they've done so often in the past:
Less than two minutes later, Travis Dermott took a pass from Draisaitl in front of the net and tucked the puck past goaltender Philipp Grubauer to knot the score at 2-2:
However, that would do it for the Oilers' offense for the remainder of the game. The Kraken re-took the lead thanks to goals 35 seconds apart from newly-signed defenseman Brandon Montour and Shane Wright.
Montour is a familiar name to Edmonton fans, as he helped the Florida Panthers defeat the Oilers earlier in Spring in the Stanley Cup Final.
Jaden Schwartz added Seattle's fifth goal with just over five minutes remaining in regulation followed by another goal from Will Borgen.
Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue played the entire contest for the Oilers, making 18 saves on the 24 shots he faced. Meanwhile, Philipp Grubauer stopped 28 of 30 shots for the Kraken.
Here's a closer look at three major takeaways from Wednesday night's game at Climate Pledge Arena.
3 major takeaways from Edmonton Oilers' 6-2 preseason loss versus the Seattle Kraken
#1. Defensive breakdowns allowed Seattle back in the game
Despite the Oilers firing 15 shots at Grubauer during the second period, a pair of defensive lapses opened the door for two Kraken goals just 35 seconds apart, something coach Kris Knoblauch lamented in his postgame press conference (via NHL.com):
"I thought we carried the most of the momentum in the second period, but we just made mistakes that ended up in our net," Knoblauch said. "That often happens when you have the puck as much as we did in the second period. You often neglect your defensive responsibilities and they capitalize on them."
Despite outshooting the Kraken 30-24, Edmonton's defensive lapses allowed Seattle to seize control.
#2. Travis Dermott is making the most of his professional tryout
Dermott, who played 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season, was signed to a professional tryout agreement by the Oilers and is doing all he can to try and make the front office's decision all the more difficult.
Following his goal during Wednesday's loss, he explained the valuable learning experience it has been to play with a team that came within one victory of lifting the Stanley Cup last season.
"I can learn something from everyone, and I think everyone's there to give you a pat on the shoulder when you have a tough shift and to give you the same thing when you have a good one," Dermott said. "Everyone here really cares about each other, and I think that's probably a good reason they went so far last year."
#3. Darnell Nurse returned to action
One of Edmonton's top defensemen, Darnell Nurse made his preseason debut after being medically cleared following a nagging injury. He took a hard hit from Panthers forward Evan Rodrigues in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final and has been dealing with the effects ever since then. The injury is what largely hampered him during training camp as well.
He played 22:17 worth of ice time on Wednesday night and was a -3. However, it's a positive step for the Oilers that Nurse is getting some game time under his belt before the start of the regular season.
The Oilers have one remaining game on their preseason schedule, as they take on rivals Vancouver Canucks on Friday night before returning home to open the regular season against the Winnipeg Jets at Rogers Place on Oct. 9.
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