Leon Draisaitl turned a puck over on the opening shift Saturday night, and Mike Babcock had the McDavid line back on the bench 15 seconds in.
Mark Spector had it from inside the building. Turns out the new boss isn't the same as the old boss, he wrote.
That's a statement, delivered inside the first minute of an exhibition game, to the two best players in the organization.
It lines up with what Babcock said earlier in the week. They have to play with detail without the puck, and that's their focus.
Here's the part that makes the whole thing work. Both of them answered.
Draisaitl finished with a goal and an assist across 19:11. Message received, apparently.
McDavid matched him with a goal and a helper of his own, plus 4 shots on net in 19:13.
-
Mike Babcock stuns Oilers fans by benching McDavid and Draisaitl after early turnover
Bouchard was the best player on that ice by a comfortable margin. He put up 4 assists.
He logged 25:09 and finished at a +4. Nobody in that building came within three minutes of his workload.
Ryan Shea chipped in a goal and 2 assists from the back end across 22:31.
Colton Dach scored in 16:55 of work, which is the kind of night that gets a kid another one.
Vasily Podkolzin put 6 shots on net, more than any skater on either side.
Tristan Jarry stopped 15 of 16 and took the decision. Useful evening for a goaltender stuck in a loud conversation.
Matt Tomkins handled 5 shots behind him and allowed one of them.
Thomas Milic faced 27 for Winnipeg and turned aside 23. He went the distance in a building that kept coming.
Parker Ford and Jacob Julien scored the visitors' goals in a 5-2 final.
These two run it back in Winnipeg on Tuesday. Scott Arniel gets Colorado a night before that.
So does a 15-second shift change anything? Setting the standard on day one works like posting house rules before anybody unpacks. Nobody gets to say they missed it.
Babcock got his answer on the scoresheet this time. The real test arrives the night that same turnover happens and the game actually counts for something.
Was Mike Babcock right to pull the McDavid line after one turnover?
Also read on Markerzone.com:
Leafs fans react after Matthew Knies struggles in first game back healthy
