Player grades: Edmonton Oilers collapse in miserable loss to Ottawa Senators – Edmonton Journal

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The Edmonton Oilers played a great game for two periods, they really did. But then the Oil collapsed in the third period with the defensive pairing of Evan Bouchard and William Lagesson on for three straight goals against.

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Lagesson and Bouchard first allowed an odd-man rush and a goal against.

Then young goalie Stu Skinner coughed up the puck for a goal.

Then Bouchard screened Skinner on Ottawa’s fourth goal.

Edmonton tied it up, but after Cody Ceci took a penalty, Ottawa won it on a power play goal, with the final score 6-4.

Brutal loss and brutal way to lose it.

“We come in, work ourselves to a 3-1 lead and we just five it away,” Connor McDavid said after the game.

The scoring chances were 21 for the Oilers, just nine for the Sens ( running count ).

Connor McDavid, 7 . He made major contributions to 10 Grade A shots but didn’t get one point. This wasn’t his night. His puck control was iffy to start, including him losing the handle on a break-in chance. But his hard charge up the ice led an Ottawa penalty and a 5-on-3 power play. He could not beat a sprawling Matt Murray in the first on an open 5-on-3 slot shot. How did he miss? Maybe some rust. On Ottawa’s fourth goal, he got in to deep to his own zone, allowing the Sens to move the puck easily into shooting position.

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Leon Draisaitl, 8.  He also was great on the attack, making major contributions to ten Grade A shots. He was dangerous on the 5-on-3 but got it done on the 5-on-4 in the first, winning a huge battle in the corner, then feeding Kassian for a goal, one of many such battles won and great feeds he made all game.

Zack Kassian, 6. Excellent slot shot in the first to score Edmonton’s first goal. Solid game.

Ryan McLeod, 5. Sweet feed to Bouchard in the first. He made a fine defensive stop on Brady Tkachuk in the second. He failed to cut out the pass to the slot on Ottawa’s third goal.

Jesse Puljujarvi, 6. He and Hyman came out strong on the forecheck, popping and protecting pucks. He won the puck to kick off the sequence leading to Kass’s power play goal in the first. His stretch pass was crucial to Edmonton’s fourth goal.

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Zach Hyman, 7. One of his better games. His hard work in the first saw him puck protect to set up McLeod, who sent a cross ice dart to Bouchard for a shot off the post. On Edmonton’s 5-on-3 in the first, he jammed two shots on net from the crease and set up McD in the slot, but no goals. He made a huge cross-ice dart to Nurse on Edmonton’s fourth goal.

Derek Ryan, 4 . Bad mistake on the first PK, allowing a wide open slot shot to goal scorer Josh Norris. He was one of four Oilers in the corner there. Everybody on the ice, in other words. But Ryan and his mates did better on Edmonton’s second kill in a tense and close game. And he was decent at even strength.

Warren Foegele, 6 . His high flying flip pass sent in Yamamoto for a breakaway and goal in the second. He almost clicked on a wrap-around shot in the third.

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Kailer Yamamoto, 6. He made a failed and early o-zone pinch that led to an early 3-on-2 rush for Ottawa, which was not a great way to start his game. He almost scored in the second off a sweet Duncan Keith feed. Scored a great breakaway goal. He lost a battle leading up to Ottawa’s second goal.

Devin Shore, 4. He barely played, did little.

Colton Sceviour, 4 . He allowed the cross-ice pass on Ottawa’s winning power play goal. You can’t allow that pass at that moment.

Brendan Perlini, 6. He gobbled up and snapped in a slot shot in the second for Edmonton’s third goal. A sniper’s snipe.

Darnell Nurse, 8. He ripped nine shots on net to lead his team. I liked this new partnership with Ceci, in part because I pushed it hard two weeks ago. But it makes sense to give the most minutes to Edmonton’s two best defenders on the left and right side. Brilliant rush through the Sens in the first but the new Edmonton Express could not score. He darted into the slot again later in the second for a solid shot. Huge goal, obviously, to tie it up in the third.

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Cody Ceci, 5. The pass went right through him on Ottawa’s first goal. Tipped on net a tricky shot off a great Draisaitl backhander on the second. His battle won in the defensive slot kicked off the scoring sequence on Nurse’s goal. But he got his stick up trying to lift Josh Norris’s stick and took a tough third period penalty, leading to Ottawa’s winning goal.

Duncan Keith, 7. Super solid game. He made a wickedly fine cross ice dart of a pass to set up Yamamoto for a slot shot in the second. Even better he walked the line like Johnny Cash late in the second, then fed it into the slot to Perlini for a goal. He kept a clean sheet on defence at even strength, not making a mistake on one Grade A shot against, but it would have been swell if he had blocked the shot on Ottawa’s fifth goal.

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Tyson Barrie, 6. He and Keith snapped the puck around smartly all game, but Barrie had a few hiccups. Bapped the puck out of the rink, took an early penalty and the Sens scored. His early turnover let to Tyler Ennis moving in and cracking it off the top bar.

Evan Bouchard, 3. He put a slot shot off the post after moving in deep in the first. He got sucked over a bit to the puck carrier on Ott’s second goal, allowing the pass over to Adam Gaudette. On Ottawa’s fourth goal, he screened Skinner.

William Lagesson, 2 . He lost an n-zone battle to allow Ottawa in for its second goal. Big mistake in a big moment. He also failed to take the man on Ottawa’s third goal. If his agent wonders why he’s not in the line-up more often, it is plays such as these two.

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Stuart Skinner, 3. An iffy game. Not good enough. He got beat on one of Ottawa’s two Grade A shots in the first but made a tricky save to start the second off a tipped shot. A moment later he fought off a slot shot. But after having little traffic in the first two periods, he got beat twice early in the third, first on an Ottawa fast-break, then after he made a wretched turnover behind the Edmonton net. Ottawa’s fifth goal was a tough shot but if Skinner had been sharper he might well have had it.

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