Goaltender Olivier Rodrigue will make his first NHL start when the Oilers have the opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with the help of a victory over the Ducks on Monday night
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ANAHEIM, CA – Olivier Rodrigue will make his first NHL start against the Anaheim Ducks on Monday night as the Edmonton Oilers attempt to clinch a playoff spot with the help of a victory in the final game of their four-game road trip at the Honda Center.
The 24-year-old netminder was in the starter's net during Monday's pre-game skate and looks poised to start in the NHL for the first time in his career after he made his debut on Mar. 27 with seven saves on eight shots in the third period of a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
"Really excited," Rodrigue said. "I've waited a long time for this and I feel like I'm ready, so I just want to go out there and enjoy it as much as I can, but also, give my best and work hard the whole game."
Since being drafted by the Oilers in the second round (62nd overall) at the 2018 NHL Draft, the Chicoutimi, QC product has worked his way up the goaltending ranks to earn this opportunity tonight to start his first NHL game with the team shorthanded and having the chance to clinch a playoff spot.
Rodrigue was 18-15-8 with a .899 save percentage and 3.05 goals-against average over 40 AHL games with the Bakersfield Condors this season before he was recalled on an emergency basis during the afternoon of their 6-1 loss to Seattle less than two weeks ago.
Rodrigue came in for the third period of the defeat and acquitted himself well against the Kraken with seven saves, and tonight, he'll get his long-awaited opportunity to start an NHL game after playing spending the past six seasons playing a combined 145 games in the AHL & ECHL.
"It's been a kind of a long time too with COVID and everything," Rodrigue said. "I went to Europe for a little bit and came back. I didn't really play my first year in the AHL. The second year was up and down the East Coast. I think it's all normal and it's all part of the journey for a goalie, but it's finally the time, so it's pretty exciting. My family is going to be there tonight, so a pretty cool feeling and I'm sure they're happy for me."
Olivier talks about getting his first NHL start on Monday vs. Anaheim
Veteran Corey Perry said there's always a special feeling in the locker room when there's a player making their debut, or first full start in Rodrigue's case, giving the whole entire team a boost from seeing another player's dreams of reaching the NHL come true.
"Yeah, it's exciting. I know he's excited," Perry said. "He's been waiting for a long time for this and probably thought of it as a kid growing up. It's exciting when you see guys come into the League and get their first opportunity. He's had some action, but there's nothing's like getting your first start."
Winger Trent Frederic didn't participate in the morning skate and won't play tonight after he finished with 7:10 TOI, two shots and two hits in his debut on Saturday in a 3-0 defeat to the Los Angeles Kings, where his ice time was limited after pulling up from delivering a hit only six seconds into the contest.
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said that Frederic is expected to be ready to go for the start of the playoffs with a similar status to those of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Mattias Ekholm and Stuart Skinner, who are all currently unavailable for the Oilers because of injuries.
"He's doing alright," Knoblauch said of Frederic. "He didn't play very much. Things flared up right from the first shift the other night, but we feel that like a lot of our players, he'll be fine and be ready for playoffs. But an immediate return is not going to happen."
McDavid and Draisaitl were both on the ice for practice but remain out with injuries, leaving the Oilers to play tonight's game with only 17 skaters (11 forwards, six defencemen). The club will be able to make an emergency recall prior to Wednesday's meeting with the St. Louis Blues at Rogers Place after they play without a full roster for one game.
Kris speaks ahead of Monday's visit to Anaheim to face the Ducks
View the Oilers Projected Lineup vs. Anaheim below:
Podkolzin - Nugent-Hopkins - Arvidsson
Hyman - Henrique - Perry
Skinner - Janmark - Brown
Kapanen - Jones
Nurse - Walman
Kulak - Bouchard
Stecher - Emberson
Rodrigue
Pickard
