Oilers notebook: Vasily Podkolzin embracing his inner-Leon Draisaitl sniper mentality

Lost in the blizzard of goals by the Edmonton Oilers Thursday was a one-timer by winger Vasily Podkolzin from Leon Draisaitl’s usual neighbourhood—a slapper from a bad angle, on one knee—this one beating Joey Daccord.

Clearly, Podkolzin has been paying attention to Draisaitl’s modus operandi for where to score a goal. Or maybe it’s osmosis, whatever, it showed the little-used talent of Podkolzin—his shot. He’s got five goals in 28 games, only three shy of last year’s eight in 82. But this was his only shot of the Seattle game, and it came seven minutes into it.

“If Pods keeps doing that (one-timer), that may not be Leon’s spot anymore,” joked Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch. “I know he practises those shots.”

“We love Pods. Last year, the one fault with his game was a no-shot mentality. He was hesitant to fire away even though he’s got a good shot. This year, from camp on, he wanted to score more goals. I don’t know what his shot stats are this season (43 shots), but he’s getting into positions where he wants to shoot,” said Knoblauch.

He’s still digging pucks out of the corners for Draisaitl, but he’s trying for more offence.

“He’s getting to the net more, trying for tip goals and rebounds. Stuff that (Zach) Hyman does so often,” said Knoblauch.

Podkolzin, who had 114 shots last season, also showed a bit of Connor McDavid’s propensity for flipping a puck shortside towards the goalie’s mask with 97 type theatrics against Sergei Bobrovsky in Florida, Nov. 22.

“That’s Connor’s goal. Pods may be taking that over now, too,” laughed Knoblauch.

Let’s not get too carried away.

McDavid struggling no more

McDavid had one goal on 28 shots in his first 10 games with the alarm bells ringing, but has 13 in his last 45 shots over 18 games. And yes, we in the media were paying attention to his slow start, as was Knoblauch, who offered up a dig at all of us.

“He was probably disappointed with your guys’ (media) coverage on his offensive ability and not shooting the puck (enough),” winked Knoblauch.

“And if you have a problem with any other players, I’ll address it with you guys. You guys can write about that, too.”

His hat-trick goal on Seattle reliever Philipp Grubauer was a weird shot, the puck into the open net from the boards 30 feet out after an earlier Ryan Nugent-Hopkins shot ricocheted wide and off the wall.

“I actually had one like that with my first hat-trick in Dallas,” said McDavid. He shovelled one into an empty cage on Antti Niemi after Jesse Puljujarvi’s shot pin-balled over to him. His first of 13 career hatties.

He’s fourth on the Oilers’ all-time list, tied with Mark Messier. Jari Kurri and Glenn Anderson had 20. Wayne Gretzky? He racked up a ho-hummer 43.

McDavid, who also had an assist on Draisaitl’s PP slapper in the blowout of the Kraken, now has 42 four-point games, one back of Sidney Crosby for most amongst active players

It’s Comrie’s net for now in Winnipeg

While Bill Comrie’s youngest son, Eric, is looking after the Winnipeg Jets’ net these days, Connor Hellebuyck is close to getting back on the ice after his knee surgery.

They’re not rushing the Vezina trophy winner back. When he does show up for practice, maybe it’ll be light skating. Maybe no shots. The yellow caution flag will be waving furiously because Hellebucyk loves strapping on the gear.

“We’re going to make sure he has like four yellow (no contact) jerseys on him,” said Jets’ coach Scott Arniel, while talking to reporters.

“He’ll run into you and tell you, ‘feeling really good, I want to play next week.’ But this one we’ve got to be ultra-careful with,” said Arniel, with his Jets winning only once in seven games with Hellebuyck on the sidelines.

Hellebuyck, the likely USA Olympic starter, had surgery on Nov. 22 with a recovery timeline of a month to six weeks, so nobody’s expecting him back until after Christmas. But, as we said, Hellebuyck has been the NHL’s busiest goalie for years.

Comrie, who was dazzling in a shootout loss in Montreal Wednesday, played Friday at home against Buffalo. But with a back-to-back for the Jets and travel, maybe they give rookie tender Thomas Milic his second NHL start against the Oilers.

This ‘n that

• Oilers winger Connor Clattenburg escaped serious injury when high-sticked by Seattle’s Brandon Montour in the third period. The stick got up under Clattenburg’s visor along the boards. “He had some stitches above his eye, but I think everything’s good,” said Knoblauch, who didn’t get the rambunctious forward back for the last 14 minutes of the game.

• Matt Savoie had two breakaways Thursday, with Daccord stopping the first shot, then scoring with a backhand deke with the second while killing a penalty to Clattenburg. “I had a lot of time in the intermission to think about the first miss. I had some ideas, but it was actually Stuey (Skinner) that mentioned maybe go backhand. It was something he saw. So credit to Stuey,” said Savoie, who now has five goals in his first NHL season. Small potatoes after lighting it up in junior, but as he said, he’s always been a slow offensive starter. “Went through it when I was a 15-year-old rookie in the Western League. Didn’t score at all that year. I think I played 24 games and didn’t get on the sheets,” he said.

• The Oilers will wear their cream-coloured jerseys for the third time with the Jets in town. They have scored 15 goals in two wins in the third uniform, six against Utah on Oct. 28 and nine against Seattle, both games at home.

• Evan Bouchard saved a goal with a pad stop in the blue paint in the second period on a 5-on-3 Seattle PP, figuring he owed Oiler goalie Calvin Pickard one. “Last time Picks was in net on a 5-on-3, I gave up a tap-in, and I told him I wouldn’t do it again. I’m glad it didn’t go in,” said Bouchard.

• Mattias Janmark’s goal against Seattle Thursday was his first regular-season snipe since Jan. 27 (42 games), and yup, that was against the Kraken too, at Rogers Place. Janmark has seven goals in his last 163 regular-season games but seven in his last 47 playoff appearances over two years. So, yeah, he does his best work when the games count for more.

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