The Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames played a pair of split-squad games on Monday as part of the NHL's preseason. One game was played in Edmonton at Rogers Place while the other was played in Calgary at the Saddledome. Both results went Edmonton's way as the Oilers won 5-2 at home and 5-4 on the road to open the preseason on a very positive note.

Letestu first star up north

In the home game, it was Mark Letestu who was the brightest light for Edmonton. He scored twice in the game and took down the first star. Other Oilers that had multipoint nights were Patrick Maroon, Connor McDavid, and new-Oiler Ryan Strome.

Caleb Jones and Iiro Pakarinen each had a point as well as they continue their efforts to crack the top-level lineup. In net, Cam Talbot kept the sheet clean for his part, however, Edward Pasquale yielded a couple of goals late in the third period.

Yamamoto big winner down south

In the game that came from Calgary, the Oilers won mainly with their scrubs. Leon Draisaitl and Milan Lucic made the trip south, but neither factored into the scoresheet much, each tallying just one assist. Rookie Kailer Yamamoto, who has hung around training camp longer than some other inexperienced players, notched a goal and an assist in the game. That's a really positive sign for him and should bolster confidence in him among the coaching staff.

Drake Caggiula had two goals as well while new Oiler Yohann Auvitu tallied two points as a defenseman, one coming as a goal. Laurent Brossoit was solid in net for Edmonton down in Calgary as he yielded just one goal on 13 shots for a .923 save percentage. Nick Ellis, a player not yet to debut in the NHL regular season, gave up three goals in a performance that he probably won't be happy with.

From Calgary's point of view, the preseason action didn't seem to be productive. Although they scored four goals at home they were mainly against an Edmonton goalkeeper that appears very likely to get cut soon. The Flames will be looking to regroup following the results to try and hit form before the start of the regular season in early October.

As much as it was nice for Edmonton to get two wins in the preseason the real games won't start for a couple of weeks still. These contests are important for chemistry and for bubble players to prove that they belong. On that matter, Kailer Yamamoto came off as the biggest winner on Monday as a multi-point night is an argument in favor of keeping him in Edmonton instead of sending him down to the AHL. Edmonton's next home game is Friday, September 22nd. As a continued part of the preseason, the Oilers will host the Vancouver Canucks from Rogers Place.
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