Talbot looks solid in road victory
There usually isn’t much to get worked up about in the pre-season, but after watching newly-acquired insurance policy Mikko Koskinen struggle mightily in his Oilers debut, nervous fans in Edmonton needed something good to happen in net.
So Cam Talbot gave it to them Tuesday night in Vancouver, delivering a show-stopping performance in a 4-2 pre-season victory over the Canucks.
The Oilers starter looked more like the Talbot of two years ago than the guy whose inconsistent play last year necessitated the call to Russia for a backup, stopping 22 of 23 shots in 40 minutes of work. And he found time to deliver what might actually stand up as the save of the season, even though the season hasn’t technically started yet.
The red light went on and the crowd roared when Vancouver’s Nikolay Goldobin, all alone at the back door, ripped a one-timer into the wide open cage late in the first period.
One problem.
Talbot dove across the crease and flashed the leather, making a save so spectacular nobody in the building knew what happened until they showed it on the big screen in slow motion.
There were a couple more big ones, like the breakaway save on Sven Baertschi and the time he darted across the crease to get a pad on another one-timer.
He left the game after 40 minutes with a 2-1 lead.
After Koskinen’s hiccup in Calgary, Edmonton is breathing a little easier right now.
THE PULJUJARVI PLAN
Jesse Puljujarvi, the fourth overall pick from two years ago, will be starting the season on the third line with Jujhar Khaira and Ryan Strome, which is further down the depth chart than some people think he should be.
He is big, he can skate, he has a nice shot and everyone is reasonably certain he will be a top six forward someday. But the plan remains to ease him into things.
RATTIE NETS TWO
When you’re scheduled to play with Connor McDavid, you better be able to finish.
Ty Rattie has the potential to be a big ingredient this season so seeing him score a pair of goals in his first game of the pre-season is a good sign. His job description is to be effective in the offensive end of the ice and he was on Tuesday.