After a strong pre-season, Alex Plante is making a case to crack the Oilers final roster.
EDMONTON - Six-foot-three, stay-at-home defenceman Alex Plante was drafted 15th overall in 2007. He is not, however, one of the first-round draft picks that has Edmonton buzzing in the pre-season.
Even though Plante has four assists in only two pre-season outings.
Why all the points?
"I have no idea," Plante laughed, certain that he's not being evaluated by the coaching staff on the offensive end of his game. "That's very fair to say. I think it's in my own end where they're watching more closely. But the points are a bonus. Hopefully I can keep 'em coming."
The Oilers extended their perfect pre-season with a 4-3 shootout win at Rexall Place on Wednesday. Edmonton closes out training camp with back- to-back games against the Calgary Flames on Friday at Rexall, and Sunday at the Saddledome.
As for Plante's points streak, one gets the notion that his next assist may come in an Oklahoma City jersey. "We will send some kids out (Thursday)," Oilers head coach Tom Renney said after the game.
One of those kids could well be Plante, who was selected nine picks after Sam Gagner - and a year or more before celebrated first-rounders Jordan Eberle, Magnus Paajarvi and Taylor Hall. While the aforementioned trio have become the faces of the 2010-11 Oilers, Plante is destined for a second season in the American League.
"I think he will play in the NHL," Renney said. "When that might be is basically up to him. Confidence is something he has to embrace and play with. It might lead to some points.
"There are a lot of things about his game that I like. He'll be able to exhibit them sooner or later."
Other than a pre-season upset at Vancouver against a very disinterested group of Canucks, this was the most NHL-ready lineup Edmonton had faced yet this fall. "A little closer to their finished product than we've seen," Renney said of the Coyotes, the best defensive team in the Western Conference last year.
With only Paajarvi in the lineup among the big three rookies, and no Shawn Horcoff, the Oilers still managed 30 shots and plenty of Grade A scoring chances on Phoenix goalie Ilya Bryzgalov.
Coming off a hat trick in his last game, Paajarvi went pointless Wednesday. He did, however, draw at least four Coyotes penalties, playing on a line with Ales Hemsky and Gagner at centre.
"You can't think you're going to score three goals every night," the 19-year-old said. "Points or not, we won the game. The first period wasn't good for me at all. But after that we created some chances."
Hemsky was thwarted on a pair of breakaways before burying the winner in the shootout, while the Edmonton powerplay went 1-for-7 with Gagner scoring the lone goal. Scotty Upshall, Lee Stempniak and Kyle Turris each scored for Phoenix.
In goal, through four games, the load has been split evenly for Edmonton. Jeff Deslauriers, Devan Dubnyk and Martin Gerber have each had two 30-minute stints, while No. 1 Nikolai Khabibulin has been in net for a full game.
Deslauriers gave up two goals before giving way to Gerber, who was very sharp in the game's second half Wednesday. The chips should fall with Gerber in the AHL, and either of the two youngsters staying to back up Khabibulin.
Right now, we're sensing Dubnyk has the edge.
Mark Spector is the lead columnist for Sportsnet.ca
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