Sports

Godawful start results in 6-3 Oilers loss to Canes

Published

10 months ago

November 23, 2023

Carolina Hurricanes’ Jesper Fast, center, celebrates his goal with Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) and Brett Kulak nearby during the first period of an NHL hockey game in Raleigh, N.C., onWednesday, Nov. 22, 2023. Photo by Karl B DeBlaker /The Asssociated Press

Whatever can go wrong will go wrong…and did.

That was the Edmonton Oilers in Carolina Wednesday night, from pretty the opening faceoff until they came out for the 3^rd.

An almost unbelievable combination of weird injuries, poor play and bad luck led to a Carolina lead that was 4-1 after 1…and could easily have been worse. And by the time it got better, it was too late.

The club did turn in a 3^rd period with some fight and jump to close the score to 5-3 before they surrendered an empty netter. And while that was somewhat encouraging, it is also fair to ask where that was in their first two regrettable periods.

Speaking of “regrettable”, the officiating in this one (while it had zero meaningful bearing on the outcome) was brutal.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

STUART SKINNER. 2. Victim of a wild double-deflection on the 1-0 and then again on a 2-on-1 break for the 2-0. Was also on the bad end of a weak play and a 3^rd deflection although Skinner lost his post on the 3-0. But the 4-0 he needed to have, coming from both some width and distance. And that is when he got the hook (at 5:14) in favor of Calvin Pickard. On a night when the pre-game commentary was that Skinner needed to turn in a quality start, he did not come close to that bar. But he also did not have much help.

CALVIN PICKARD. 6. Pickard was left to his own devices on the 5-1. Good glove save on Brett Pesce as the latter moved in off the point. Got a bit lucky on a hit post with the net wide open. But then made a few good saves down the stretch to give his team a chance to claw back into it. The best of those was just an excellent toe stop off Kotkaniemi late in the 3^rd. Stopped 13 of 14. Hard to ask much more from a guy who hasn’t even been in the NHL in 2 years. Calvin Pickard currently leads the Oilers in SV% (.891).

LEON DRAISAITL. 4. A slick pass threaded through coverage to a waiting Zach Hyman for the 4-1. Leon had won the faceoff on the play. Both he and McDavid failed to shoulder check on the 5-1. Could not fire home a pass from McDavid later in the 2^nd. A fine setup for Brown in the 3^rd. 60% on draws. -4.

CONNOR McDAVID. 4. Thought the officials missed an obvious trip behind the Carolina net on the play that turned into the 4-0. Guilty of puck watching on the 5-1. Fed Draisaitl for a scoring chance late in the 2^nd. Won a battle against Burns and set up Hyman for the 5-3. Handed a soft-as-butter interference call after a missed slash at the other end. Ended the night -3.

WARREN FOEGELE. 4. Beat the puck square during the first half of the game. Drew the PP on the 4-1. A hard rush led to a 2^nd Period shot. An assist on the 5-2. Blocked shot late in the 2^nd.

DARNELL NURSE. 4. A late arrival to the game. A puck came off the crossbar in warmup and struck him, forcing repairs but also a significant cleanup of his bloodied uniform. Set up Kane for a dangerous chance deep into the 3^rd. Was not great but I give him some benefit of doubt considering how the night started out for him.

BRETT KULAK. 3. Left double-manned in front on the 1-0. Could not intercept the pass from below the goal line on the 5-1. Good head man pass to Kane creating a dangerous chance of the rush. Won a board battle at the start of a sequence that led to a Draisaitl shot. But was crushed 5v5 (12-24, CF 33%). High Dangers 2-4. Ended the night -3.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. Good back-check in the 2^nd. At he showed some emotion as he tracked down Orlov after the latter had flattened Hyman with a questionable hit. Was penalized for his efforts but in a 5-1 game that is a penalty you’ll take. Very good 3^rd Period backcheck. Secondary assist on the 5-3. Was decent, showed a pulse.

ZACH HYMAN. 7. Fine effort to eliminate a 3-on-2 in the 1^st Period but took a penalty in the process, which his mates killed off. Managed to roof his own rebound on a fine pass from Draisaitl on the 4-1. Hit a post with his own rebound in the 3^rd. The, steered home a pass from McDaid after a fine effort by 97 deep in the Canes zone. Drew a call late but the Oilers could not capitalize. 5 shots, 5 more shot attempts. The “best” Oiler in a team effort that fell well short.

EVANDER KANE. 4. Appeared to nick the bar on a hard rush later in the 1st. Drew a call. Dangerous looking wrap-around in the 3^rd. Could not bury a good setup from Nurse deeper in the 3^rd.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 5. An awful turnover on the 2-0 exacerbated by the fact that an Oilers forward failed to fall back as Ekholm rushed the puck. Had failed to clear the zone with time and space a couple shifts prior. Charged hard to the net and chipped home the 5-2 shorty. But then another turnover late in the 2^nd. Enjoyed a decent flow of play (5v5 CF 20-14, 59%) and a share of HIgh Dangers (8-4 5v5) But not sure the fancy stats paint an entirely accurate picture of his performance.

EVAN BOUCHARD. 5. A well-timed pinch led to a good shot. Then a very fine “top-to-bottom” pass to Draisaitl who slid it across to Hyman for the 4-1. An O-zone turnover forced him into a slashing call, in order to break up an odd-man rush. A 3^rd Period shot off a McDavid pass. Did quote a few good things with the puck, reasonably limited the damage on defence.

RYAN McLEOD. 5. A hard charge toward the net on the PK led directly to the Ekholm 5-2 goal. A lot of his skating early in the game was on the perimeter. He had a bigger impact on the game when he turned “inside” more.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 3. Got good position on his man along the wall on the 2^nd Period PK. But over-all, looked rusty after a long layoff due to injury and was drilled in the shot shares.

DEREK RYAN. 5. Good defensive stick on the 1^st Period PK. Another fine play along the wall on a 2^nd Period kill. Set up McLeod for a good chance in the 3^rd, then same shift could not bury on a set-up from Foegele. One of the few Oilers to turn in a full 60-minute effort.

CODY CECI. 5. Broke even in High Dangers For/Against 5v5 (4-4). Probably the best Oilers D-man on a tough night, and to be fair to Ceci…he has arguably been their steadiest defender all year.

VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 4. Walked badly on the 4-1. Teamed up with Ryan for a good 2^nd Period kill. Blocked shot on the PK. 3^rd Period turnover after repeated efforts to punch the puck out of the zone. 3^rd Period shot block.

PHILIP BROBERG. 3. Got knocked off the puck behind his own goal line and then when he did manage to retrieve the puck he banked it off a forward skate and right to a Hurricane on the 3-0. Showed precious little elsewhere.

JAMES HAMBLIN. 4. 3^rd Period shot, albeit on a play where he could not hit the open net a second earlier. Not especially impactful past that.

CONNOR BROWN. 4. An uncharacteristic defensive error by him on the 2-0 as he slid too deep to cover on the Ekholm turnover. A decent chance off a Draisaitl setup in the 3^rd.

Edmonton falls to 5-12-1, 11 points. Washington is next.

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Red Wings sign Raymond to 8-year, $64.6 million contract

Published

4 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.

Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.

The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.

Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.

Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.

—

AP NHL:

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Cousins caps winning drive with TD pass to London as Falcons rally past Eagles 22-21

Published

4 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.

Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.

The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.

Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.

Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.

The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.

And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.

Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.

Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.

Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.

Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.

Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.

With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.

Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.

Questionable call

Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.

Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.

Running wild

Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.

Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.

Foles honored

Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”

Injuries

The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).

Up next

Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.

The Eagles play at New Orleans on Sunday.

___

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Fernandez and Dabrowski headline Canadian lineup for Billie Jean King Cup Finals

Published

16 hours ago

September 16, 2024

Anne Joseph

TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.

The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.

Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.

Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.

“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.

“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”

Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.

Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.

Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.

Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.

Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.

Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.

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