Vancouver Canucks fall to Edmonton Oilers in 8-2 rout
The last time Edmonton Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was behind the wheel, he caused a lot of controversy. However, the Russian was anything but controversial during the Oilers’
8-2 pre-season rout of the Vancouver Canucks last night.
Khabibulin was in the driver’s seat for the Oilers, and he didn’t look out of place at all as he made 26 saves against the Canucks to help the Oilers remain undefeated at 3-0 in the National
Hockey League pre-season.
The past few months have been very problematic for Khabibulin, 37. In February, he was charged with impaired driving while in Scottsdale, Arizona. The result of that was a prison sentence
with a minimum length of 30 days. Khabibulin’s lawyer has been hard at work trying to appeal the sentence.
Back injuries ended Khabibulin’s season in November, but he has recovered wonderfully, and he proved it with his play in the Edmonton net. The Bulin Wall stymied nearly all of the Canucks’
scoring attempts, and he was content with his performance.
“The shots through traffic, pucks in close, and guys driving the net and banging for the rebound, you don't really get that in practice,” Khabibulin said. “That's something I still need
to get used to a little more. The more games I play, the better it will get.”
Rookie Jordan Eberle turned in a solid effort for the Oilers, scoring two goals on Canucks goalie Cory Schneider. He would later add an assist to make it a three-point night. Centre Shawn
Horcoff, who played with Eberle and Taylor Hall, the number one draft pick at the 2010 NHL draft, also enjoyed a three-point game.
The skilled play of the Oilers’ rookie players has impressed many of the team’s veteran players, Horcoff included.
“That's fine, we want that,” Horcoff said of his wingers’ skills. “It's good for the whole team. Eberle is so easy to play with, he does everything right. And Hall is just raw talent.”
Vanvouver’s two goals came from Manny Malhotra and Ryan Kesler. The Canucks, who have been chosen as a candidate to win the Stanley Cup in 2010-11, have run up a disappointing 1-4 record
in the pre-season.
Dustin Penner both scored a pair of goals for Edmonton, while prospects Chris Vande Velde and Linus Omark added a single tally each. Omark would later add two assists to finish with three
points.
The Oilers opened the scoring with a goal scored on the power play at the two-minute mark. Three minutes later, they were leading 2-0. The Canucks then put an end to Khabibulin’s shutout
bid at 6:30, with Malhotra scoring through traffic in front of the Oilers’ net. Eberle responded with a quick goal just 16 seconds later to make it 3-1 for the home team.
Edmonton’s potent firepower made Schneider’s job difficult, with the Oilers firing a pair of quick goals behind him to take a 7-2 lead early in the third period. Penner’s goal was the
final insult, as it put the Oilers up 8-2.
The Oilers will play their next pre-season game on Wednesday against the San Jose Sharks. Vancouver is set to face the Phoenix Coyotes on Tuesday.
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