Finnish duo impressed in the NHL - secured victory for Edmonton

The Edmonton Oilers secured a 2–1 overtime victory against the Winnipeg Jets in an NHL preseason game. Edmonton’s Finnish players Atro Leppänen and Viljami Marjala became the game’s heroes by scoring both of their team’s goals.

Defenseman Leppänen, 27, was responsible for the Oilers’ equalizing goal in the first period. He sent the puck from the blue line towards the net, and thanks to Zach Hyman’s screen, the puck slipped between the legs of Winnipeg’s goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis into the net.

The game-winning goal came in overtime when Marjala scored after a two-on-one rush for Edmonton. Hyman set up the puck for Marjala, who shot accurately into the back of the net at 61:26.

Marjala, 23, has shown strong performances during the preseason. Earlier, he recorded three assists as Edmonton’s rookie team defeated the Calgary Flames’ rookies 6–1.

Both Marjala and Leppänen are starting their second season in the Edmonton organization. Neither has made their NHL debut yet.

The duo played last season with Edmonton’s farm team, the Bakersfield Condors. Marjala was one of the team’s most effective players, collecting 60 points (17+43) in 72 AHL games. Leppänen, on the other hand, recorded 38 points (11+27) in 53 games.

If the videos do not appear, you can watch Leppänen’s goal here and Marjala’s goal here.