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HC Kris Knoblauch opines Oilers' 6-1 loss to Jets was a test of B-team's NHL readiness
The Edmonton Oilers lost 6-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday night at Canada Life Centre. Head coach Kris Knoblauch saw the game as a chance to assess the players’ readiness for the NHL. The Jets used a lineup close to their regular-season roster. This gave the Oilers a tough test with their mix of NHL hopefuls and veterans.
Knoblauch found some positives despite the score, particularly in the third period.
"We could’ve quit, but we had a push in the third," he said.
After trailing 4-0, the Oilers created some scoring chances and scored a goal late in the game. Knoblauch shared the importance of seeing which players were ready for the NHL and which ones still needed more time.
"When you're in a situation like that you find out if you're NHL ready or not," he added.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner played the first two periods, facing 27 shots and conceding four goals. Knoblauch praised Skinner, noting that the quality of chances he faced was high. Collin Delia replaced Skinner in the third period, allowing two more goals.
One player who stood out was Sam O'Reilly, who played alongside NHL regulars Connor Brown and Matias Janmark. Knoblauch was impressed with O'Reilly's performance, saying:
"He’s young, but he’s only going to get stronger and faster but yeah there's so much like with uh O'Reilly right now and I think he's just going to continue to get better and impress us as uh um in the future."
Knoblauch and his staff are now working on finalizing the roster as the preseason moves forward. Connor Brown’s late goal, a deflection from Noel Hoefenmayer’s shot, was a positive moment in the game.
"He's often recognized for his penalty kill attributes his defensive play but tonight got some time on the power play," Knoblauch noted.
The Oilers will face the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night at Rogers Place as they continue their preseason schedule.
Edmonton Oilers make nine roster cuts ahead of opening night
The Edmonton Oilers made nine roster cuts on Tuesday. Jasper Weatherby, Cameron Wright, Connor Corcoran, Alex Konnok-Leipert, and Brett Brochu were released from their PTOs and assigned to the AHL's Bakersfield Condors. Matvey Petrov, Jayden Grubbe, James Stefan, and Connor Ungar were also sent to Bakersfield.
These moves help Edmonton get closer to their final roster for opening night on October 9. The team still has four preseason games to work through before then. So far, Edmonton has a 1-3-0 record in the preseason, with their only win coming in a 3-2 overtime game against the Winnipeg Jets. They lost both split-squad games to the Calgary Flames on Monday.
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