The Nuclear Line failed to launch.

Fans hoping to see instant chemistry with Trent Frederic playing on the Edmonton Oilers first line with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl will have to wait.

It’s an adjustment playing with those two, not nearly as easy as one might think, and it showed in a spotty debut Wednesday night against the Seattle Kraken

The line went pointless and minus 3 in a 4-1 loss.

“If you look at the stat line it doesn’t look very good,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But they spent a lot of time in the offensive zone and Frederic was doing what he was supposed to be doing — he was around the net, he made some plays on the half wall.”

There is still time for the experiment to pan out, though, and Knoblauch plans on giving it to them.

“You see they got shut out, and they don’t get shut out very often, so (people think) it doesn’t work,” he said. “But we’re certainly going to try it a little bit longer.

“Those guys are getting off the rust, revving up, getting to the top of their game.”

YOU’RE KILLING ME

Knoblauch made good on his plan to give McDavid and Draisaitl meaningful penalty killing time. He had them out with 30 seconds left in the first Seattle power play and actually started them on the second. It went pretty much the way he’d hoped, with McDavid and Draisaitl getting a two-on-one off the D zone face-off and Mattias Ekholm and McDavid getting another glorious chance moments later.

“They’ll kill somewhat, whether they’re primary killers or secondary, they’ll be part of it,” said Knoblauch. “How much, we’ll find out.”

There is always a risk of a shot-blocking injury on the penalty kill, but the way Knoblauch sees it, having those two out there will give the other team’s power play something to worry about.

“You have two of the best offensive players, it will keep the power play on their toes. They’re on edge, they always have to worry about giving up that shorthanded goal. Anytime you’re worried about that, you don’t execute as well. They’re very dangerous and they had their looks tonight.”

SKINNER LUKEWARM IN DEBUT

Stuart Skinner stood cold for almost the entire first period — one shot in the first 19:30 — and allowed three goals on 18 shots in going wire to wire. It was one those nights  when there was a lot of blame to go around, with Seattle players standing all alone around the Edmonton net on all three goals and Skinner wanting at least two of those goals back.

With the shots 13-8 Edmonton in the second period it was 2-0 Seattle.

It’s ridiculously early to even try and predict what to expect from the polarizing netminder this year, but it’s going to be a demanding season for the 26-year-old. He’s prepared himself physically and mentally for the high expectations.

“I can certainly stop the second and third goals,” he said of a point-blank deke and a wide-open one-timer from the hash marks. “Goals are going to go in, some are going to be bad, some are going to be good. As a goalie you have to be able to bounce back from those.”

Physically, Skinner said he already notices a difference coming to camp 15 pounds lighter is making.

“I feel way lighter out there so my movements are a lot sharper. It’s easier on my knees. I feel like I’m landing better on the knees. I feel strong out there. I feel fast.”

IN THERE SWINGING

There isn’t going to be a spot on the Oilers this year for 20-year-old Connor Clattenburg, but there is something to be said for someone who seems to play every shift like it’s his last. The 2024 fifth rounder has a goal, a few more good scoring chances, some hard hits and a couple of scraps so far in camp, which is exactly what you want from a kid who is trying to get noticed.

DEFERRING DAVO

McDavid said he wants to shoot the puck more this year after his goal totals dropped from 64 to 34 to 26 in the last two seasons. But on his two best looks of the first period, one of them from between the hash marks, he deferred to the pass and the play went nowhere.

He finished the night with 21:49 of ice time and one shot.

MANGIAPANE ON THE BOARD

Andrew Mangiapane and David Tomasek, two of Edmonton’s key off-season acquisitions, skated on a line with AHLer Roby Jarventie and neither one of them were really jumping off the page. But Mangiapane showed his finishing skills when Evan Bouchard made an elite Evan Bouchard move to set him up on the doorstep in the third period.

Mangiapane feeds off intensity and knows his way around gamesmanship, so his style isn’t exactly built for emotionless pre-season games, but Knoblauch liked the early returns.

“He’s known as a pesky forward who gets in on the forecheck and makes plays,” said the coach. “We saw him darting around and doing some of that. We’ll see more of it as he gets more comfortable with the team.”

HEARTBREAK FOR PODKOLZIN

A day after signing a three-year contract extension with the Oilers, Vasily Podkolzin learned of his father’s untimely passing in Russia. He is taking a leave of absence and returning home to be with his family.

“We feel terribly for Vasily,” said Knoblauch. “Yesterday was the best day of his life and today with what happened…  Podz is a very popular guy on the team, players have a lot of respect for him. We feel terribly for his family.”

E-mail: rtychkowski@postmedia.com

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