A 2-1 overtime game in the pre-season is not exactly what Ike Howard has in mind when he’s trying to impress the new coach.
But give the young guy credit. He muddled through a low-event pre-season game just like everyone else, and didn’t make a play that cost his team. In the end, the Oilers won on Viljami Marjala’s overtime winner, and Howard will likely get another chance to play in a game that better suits his style down the road.
“It was just a gritty game. There wasn't a ton of chances either way. I think we just stuck with it,” said Howard, who was plus-1 with no shots over 17-plus minutes of ice time. “I didn't think there was a ton going on that game. It was just a simple game.”
He may not have had a chance to impress Mike Babcock a whole lot in a game where the shots were 23-18 for the Winnipeg Jets. But he didn’t disappoint him either by forcing something that just wasn’t there in a snoozer of a pre-season tilt.
“When you're used to playing in a different league and you have the puck all the time — then you get out here and you never get the puck — for young guys, it can be frustrating,” Babcock said. “Then you try to do too much instead of just doing your job and check it back. You're going to get a chance, then you’ve got to make it count.
“It's just a growing experience for Howie.”
Devon Levi let in one goal over 40 minutes, and Connor stopped all five shots he faced in the third period. Atro Leppanen’s long shot bled through to tie the game 1-1 in the first period, and then Zach Hyman set up Marjala for the winner, as two Finns accounted for all the Oilers scoring.
Line dance
Here is how Edmonton lined up on Tuesday, as they ran their pre-season record to 2-0. It was the second half of their NHL lineup (the first half played Saturday) plus some hopefuls.
The plan is to play a largely AHL lineup Thursday in Vancouver, then close the pre-season out at home Saturday versus Calgary with a roster that’s very much like what they’ll use on Opening Night next Tuesday.
After an off day Wednesday, the veterans will practice together and get ready for the NHL season, as the Oilers assign players to Bakersfield and beyond starting Wednesday.
Howard-RNH-Hyman
Frederic-Samanski-Kapanen
Tralmaks-Marjala-Hutson
Tassy-Michaels-Raty
Walman-Murphy
Mukhamadullin-Brown
Leppanen-Carfagna
Levi
Ungar
Trees and shrubs
Shakir Mukhamadullin saw his first pre-season action, playing a solid 21:25. He’s in a battle for the No. 6 spot with Ty Emberson.
While Emberson has the advantage of having spent two seasons on the Oilers’ blue line, Mukhamadullin is a much bigger man at six-foot-four.
“He’s big and he can skate,” Babcock said. “Like lots of guys when they arrive in the NHL, you arrive as a skilled guy. Then you look at the league and say, ‘Where do I fit in here?’ He's going to have to be a penalty killer, a box-out, compete guy. he's going to have to find his game.”
Does Babcock like a bigger guy to fit the roles he just described? You bet he does.
“It's simple. It’s a tree versus a shrub, right?” he explained. “You try to get around a tree versus a shrub. A shrub, you step over. A tree, you got to go drive your car around. That's the difference.”
Relentless in Riga
Latvian veteran Eduards Tralmaks got his first pre-season look on a line with Marjala and Quinn Hutson. He didn’t make a massive impression, but was steady as he opened his fourth NHL camp with his third organization.
“Another year, another try. I’ve been working towards this my whole life,” said the six-foot-four Riga native. “I guess I still haven’t given up on my dream yet. I’m 29, but I still believe in myself. I still believe I can make it.
“Just one more try. Hopefully it works out this time.”
It’s a long way from the Latvian national team to the National Hockey League.
“It is,” said Tralmaks, a Latvian Olympian in 2026. “I’ve played at a lot of different levels; I’ve proven myself on the Latvian national team. Hopefully I can prove myself in the NHL now.”
What kind of player are we talking about here?
“I’m a pest around the net. I can score goals,” Tralmaks said. “I think I’m a very good depth piece at forward who can pick up the trash and put it in the net. I think a lot of teams would love somebody like that. I also have a good one-timer — can score on the power play. A unique player.”
His hero? Former Oiler Sergei Zholtok, the Latvian winger who died of heart failure during a game in 2004.
