With Ilya Bryzgalov on his way to Minnesota and newly acquired goaltender Viktor Fasth yet to arrive in Edmonton, the Oilers brought in an unlikely netminder Wednesday.
Joining starter Ben Scrivens on the ice at practice was Shannon Szabados, an Edmonton native who backstopped the Canadian women’s team to Olympic gold last month in Sochi.
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A push actually was made Tuesday on Twitter to have Szabados serve as the emergency backup for Edmonton’s matchup with the Ottawa Senators (#SzabadosForBackup was trending across Canada), including an inquiry from Oilers winger David Perron.
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The team instead opted for University of Alberta netminder Kurtis Mucha, though Szabados drew high praise from Oilers general manager Craig MacTavish.
“I have a good appreciation of her level as a goaltender,” MacTavish said Tuesday, via the Edmonton Sun. “She’s very capable, and to have her name enter into the discussion when we’re talking about that is a real compliment to her and her level of play. It would be something we’d consider, but not at this point.”
Mucha didn’t see action in the game, as Scrivens saved 33 of the 35 shots he faced in a 3-2 Oilers win.
