Originally, the Canucks game against the Oilers on Friday, September 22nd was only going to be broadcast on the radio. It didn’t get picked up by Sportsnet on TV and the Canucks gave no indication it was going to be streamed online.
That’s not too unusual during the preseason. Last year there was a preseason game that went completely un-televised, with only one goal showing up as a highlight from a shaky, behind-the-net camera. Considering I wasn’t going to be flying out to Edmonton and it was one of four games in four nights, I thought I wasn’t going to be able to watch this game.
That was fine by me: I had previous plans and I was looking forward to the night off. And then it was announced that the game would be .
It took until three days later, but I eventually watched this game.
- The Canucks’ lineup was essentially the Utica Comets, with only Jake Virtanen, Anton Rodin, and Nikolay Goldobin as players with the potential to make the Canucks roster out of camp. Meanwhile, the Oilers dressed Adam Larsson, Oskar Klefbom, Leon Draisaitl, and Milan Lucic. It was like the Battle of Agincourt if the English kept the battle close.
- The stream came courtesy of the Edmonton Oilers, so Canucks fans had to deal with the Oilers announcers, who just couldn’t seem to get Evan McEneny’s name right. At first, they called him “Curtis McEneny,” apparently confusing him with journeyman goaltender Curtis McElhinney. Then they called Zach MacEwen “McEneny” a few times for good measure.
- It was a tough game for Philip Holm. He fell down in the neutral zone leading to what should have been the Oilers first goal. Fortunately for him, Griffen Molino knocked the net off its moorings on the backcheck, causing the goal to be disallowed. “10 points for Griffen...doh!” said Holm, as he realized halfway through his reference that it didn’t quite work.
- I appreciated the way the in-arena announcer went full Monster Truck with his announcement of the “OLD DUTCH SNACK ATTACK!” during a break in play.
- Michael Carcone opened the scoring for the Canucks on the power play after repeatedly looping back up to the point without the puck. He was looping like an amateur EDM composer on Garage Band. On one of his loops, McEneny found him with a pass and he ripped a shot inside the far post.
- McEneny had a strong game overall, finishing with two assists, four shots on goal, and three hits. He looked comfortable quarterbacking the power play and appeared to have some chemistry with defence partner Jalen Chatfield, who could be the top pair in Utica this season. If the Canucks have injuries on the blue line, the player that gets called up first between McEneny and Chatfield might depend on whether they need a left or right-handed shot.
- The Oilers tied the game in the final minute of the first period when Holm was over-aggressive in the neutral zone, going for an unnecessary hit that he missed. That forced his partner, Ashton Sautner to try to cover for him, leaving Leon Draisaitl all alone to get in behind for a breakaway. Unlike Holm and Sautner, Draisaitl made no mistake.
- Early in the second period, the Oilers went up 2-1 and Holm and Sautner were once again at fault. Holm had the initial giveaway when his outlet pass was knocked down, but it fortunately went straight to Sautner. Except he gave it away again, passing it straight to Chris Kelly, who found an open Kailer Yamamoto for the one-timer.
- The next two Oilers goals were simply a matter of Richard Bachman being shorter than your typical NHL goaltender and also not as good. Iiro Pakarinen scored both goals, beating Bachman high to the blocker side on one and low to the blocker side on the other. Both were from distance and should have been stopped. I’m guessing Bachman won’t be saying, “” when people ask him if he’s number one from now on.
- Anton Rodin did his chances of making the Canucks a favour with a nice goal, ripping a shot to Laurent Brossoit’s glove side after picking up a neutral zone turnover. He beat Brossoit and the horse he Rodin on.
- After the Oilers made it 5-2 on the power play, Jalen Chatfield completed his 3-point game with a one-timer goal off a feed from Nikolay Goldobin. It came after a great shift by Goldobin and his linemates, Michaels Chaput and Carcone. Chatfield wasn’t expected to provide offence, but he’s been a pleasant surprise. Normally an offensive chat field means a lot of racial slurs and misogyny so Chatfield is a nice switch.
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Darren Archibald looks like a guy who shouldn’t be on an AHL-only contract. He’s a physical force along the boards, winning battles with ease, and has enough skill and hockey IQ to keep up with NHL-level play. It’s possible the Canucks agree, as they’ve kept him up for the time being.
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