The Oilers sealed the fate of the L.A. Kings for a third consecutive season, with a 4-3 win in the deciding Game 5. That compares with triumphs over Los Angeles in 7 and 6 games previously.
Edmonton’s special teams frankly overwhelmed the Kings in this series, including 3 goals on Wednesday that were either on or seconds after a man advantage.
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On this night, Leon Draisaitl took the game by the horns and dominated with a strong 200-foot game and 2 goals.
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But the Oilers defence also shone, allowing just 5 and 6 shots in the final 2 periods, respectively and did not allow a power play goal all series.
So, the Oilers advance…and await the winner of Vancouver and Nashville.
Here is the tale of the tape…
STUART SKINNER. 6. Flat-out bad fortune on the 1-1, which was an innocuous dump-in that kicked wildly off a stanchion. Skinner had rightly vacated his crease to play the puck, only to watch helplessly as it deflected right into the slot where a waiting L.A. King swatted it home. That is no one’s fault. Victimized on a bad line change and poor defensive recognition which led to a Kings 2-on-1 on the (at the time) 2-1 go-ahead goal. A deflection with the net empty made it 4-3. A moderate grade for Skinner, as his mates were miserly…allowing just 21 shots. But a series-clinching victory will taste no less sweet. And not being “thrown” by that wild deflection goal showed excellent maturity.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Easily got the better of a heavy collision with Mikey Anderson part-way through the 1st. Fed Draisaitl for a 1-timer on the PP, perhaps a sign of things to come. An excellent 2nd Period back-track helped draw a PP which resulted in the 2-2. McDavid assisted on that marker with a pass out to Draisaitl whose shot drove Rittich’s glove over the goal line. Fed Leon again at the bottom of the circle for the 3-2. Laser wrist shot in the 3rd stopped by the goalie’s toe. Attempted one off the bar from a bad angle late.
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ADAM HENRIQUE. 5. Flatted Doughty with a 3rd Period hit. A couple hits in 14 minutes of work. Smart, solid defensive play. Not much doing with the puck.
ZACH HYMAN. 6. A tricky tip off an Ekholm shot in the 1st. His wall work pushed the puck loose to McDavid, whose pass in front to Holloway earned yet another man advantage. Tapped home a deflection off Nugent-Hopkins for the 4-2. +2. Lost the shot-shares battle by a mile, but that matters not with the series won.
DARNELL NURSE. 7. A shot directed at the net created a chance midway through the 1st. Fronted his man on the 2-1 which was fine but unable to block the headman pass. Important blocked shot in the 2nd. Hard shot late in the 2nd off a nice McLeod pass. Unlucky to have a seeing-eye point shot go in for the 4-3. High Dangers 4-2 5v5 and co-led the club in CF (15-15, 50%).
CODY CECI. 7. Lowered the book on Grundstrom mid ice. Late to his man on the 2-1. Excellent stick net side in the dying seconds of the game. High Dangers 4-2 5v5. Continues to out-perform his doubters.
LEON DRAISAITL. 9. An absolute beast. Terrific backcheck erased a dangerous looking Moore sortie. Great back-had pass to Nugent-Hopkins who drew a slashing call. Could not push the 1-timer past Riitich on the 2nd Period PP. But he fired it so hard on the next Power Play it drive the goaltender’s glove past the goal line. Make it 2-2 at that point. Drew one of the most obvious holding penalties you will ever see. Then, Leon scored the 3-2 on the subsequent PP with a 1-timer from the bottom of the circle. A strong back-check in the 3rd. He and Ryan made a terrific play in their own zone late, and then bulled his way up the wall…forcing a King to pull him down. The fist-pump that followed said it all. That play, in essence, sealed the deal. Led the team with 6 shots. Was terrific in every aspect of the game. Has 17 goals in 18 playoffs games over L.A. over the last 3 post-seasons. That is dominance. Named the 1st Star.
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RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 7. Shot-pass led to an early chance for Kane. Retrieved a puck in the D-zone and passed it over to Kane who transported it in on the sequence leading to the 1-0. Drew a slashing penalty just prior to the 1st Intermission. Good PK clear. Got good position in front and was rewarded as Bouchard’s point shot deflected off him and just sat there for Zach Hyman for the 4-2. Set up McDavid for a chance late. 2 Assists.
EVANDER KANE. 7. Early chance on a deflection of a Nugent-Hopkins shot-pass. Transported the puck up the ice, then after a give & go with Kulak Kane drove the net and was rewarded with the 1-0. 2 shots, 2 hits over the opening 20. Another hard wrister early in the 2nd. Smart zone clear in the 3rd. 3 hits, 4 shots. Very effective game.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 6. A tough slog for the veteran. He bent but did not break. A good point shot tipped by Hyman in the 1st. Heavy hit on Arvidsson on the 3rd. High Dangers 2-3 5v5. But he was hard and physical and certainly won far more battles than he lost.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 8. Hard 1st Period point shot handcuffed Rittich. A PP shot nearly went in off Nugent-Hopkins in front. Drew three 2nd Period assists including a point shot off Nugent-Hopkins and in for the 4-2. An excellent stick net side to prevent a goal late. Had a terrific series. +2.
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RYAN McLEOD. 5. It was a bad line change on the 2-1 but McLeod was on the ice and lost his man in the confusion. Fed Nurse for a shot late in the 2nd. Pulled a puck out of danger near the crease in the dying seconds of Period 2. 57% on the dot.
DYLAN HOLLOWAY. 5. Smart defensive stick steered a Kings shot wide. Excellent battle level along the wall leading up to yet another Oilers PP. Clever steal & shot early in the 3rd. Effective.
COREY PERRY. 5. An important zone clear with his centerman stick-less in the 1st. 1st Period shot. Whistled for a 2nd Period trip where he also fell hard into the boards. He and Kane could not convert on a 3rd Period 2-on-1.
BRETT KULAK. 7. A give & go with Kane on the 1-0. Could not convert a terrific effort by Janmark in the 3rd. Kulak did not allow a single High Danger chance against 5v5. A calm collected performance.
VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 7. A heavy hit buried Moore along the end boards. Zero fault on the 1-1. A tremendous board battle won on a 2nd Period PK enabled Nugent-Hopkins to clear the zone. Like his partner, 0 HDSC’s against.
DEREK RYAN. 6. On the ice to seal the win and broke his stick deep in the Oilers zone. But he made a gutsy play along the wall to bump the puck loose, springing Leon Draisaitl toward the empty net. Big play. 67% on draws.
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WARREN FOEGELE. 4. Hard drive to the net later in the 1st.Good defensive stick in the 2nd. Correctly whistled for s 2nd Period trip but the LA player was also penalized for embellishing.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 6. Got down low for a shot block in the 1st. Fired a point-blank opportunity from the slot high. An excellent steal and rag on a shortened 2nd Period PK. Industrious effort created a chance for Kulak in the 3rd.
We do not grade the coaching staff at The Cult of Hockey. But it would see, disingenuous to not to credit the Oilers staff for the work prior to and during this series. There was precious little to pick at.
Find me on Threads @kleavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social, and X @KurtLeavins.
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TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
___
AP cricket:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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