The Edmonton Oilers played excellent defence but lacked punch on the attack, losing 3-1 to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
The got Oilers got down two goals but fought back when Evander Kane tipped in a shot late in the second. But the checking was fierce in the third period, as neither team could muster dangerous shots.
Edmonton felt the absence of captain Connor McDavid, but such is hockey. Better to rest him than rush him back, and now there’s no impetus at all for him to get back into the line-up until he’s absolutely ready.
Leon Draisaitl, 7. He got the first Grade A shot of the game, his fearsome Executioner’s Shot on an early power play. Great move to set up Bouchard in the high slot late in the first. But he looked a bit awkward on the power play taking on the McDavid playmaker role, as opposed to his usual rifle man identity. Contributions to Grade A Shots (GAS): Even Strength +3/-0; Special Teams +1/-0.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 7. Skated hard and made some sharp plays on the attack. Solid on the kill. GAS: Even Strength +2/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Zach Hyman, 7. He some nifty moves with the puck in the o-zone. Jammed a tricky shot on net early in the third. He took a nasty and illegal elbow late in the game but no penalty for some reason. GAS: Even Strength +3/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Adam Henrique, 5. Quiet. But made a crucial clearance on Van’s third period power play. GAS: Even Strength +0/-1; Special Teams +0/-0.
Evander Kane, 7. He made a sharp pass to set up Drai’s harpoon on Edmonton’s opening power play. He took. a wicked hit from Carson Soucy. He kept at it, going to net to tip in Nurse’s outside shot late in the second; just what the Oilers need, a Californian (named in honour of the constant tip goals by San Jose combo of Pavelski and Burns). Kane blasted big Zadorov into the boards a moment later. GAS: Even Strength +1/-0; Special Teams +1/-0.
Ryan McLeod, 4. His line was the least effective unit. Some solid passing to start the game. He abandoned the slot on Connor Garland’s second period 5-alarm slotter. GAS: Even Strength +0/-1; Special Teams +1/-0.
Dylan Holloway, 4. He failed to read the play and take his man, allowing the 3-on-2 on the first Vancouver goal. GAS: Even Strength +0/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Corey Perry, 4. He was late to cover Boeser in the slot in the first, but Boeser missed the net. He turned over puck on the empty-net game goal. GAS: Even Strength +0/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Sam Carrick, 6. He won a key board battle to extend the Virtuous Cycle leading up to Kane’s second period goal. GAS: Even Strength +1/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Mattias Janmark, 6. He set up Brown in the slot for two Grade As in the first. He skated well with the puck on a number of occasions, taking it out of trouble and into the scoring zone. GAS: Even Strength +2/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Mattias Ekholm, 5. He moved well at the point early on and ripped a hard slapper on net. He lost a battle in the corner leading to a 5-alarmer half-way through the second. GAS: Even Strength +3/-2; Special Teams +0/-0.
Evan Bouchard, 5. He played the uncharacteristic role of enforcer early in the game, standing up for Desharnais after J.T. Miller bashed him. He blasted a hard wrister on net on the rush later in the first. He made a solid defensive stop on a Boeser rush in the second. He allowed the Pius Suter tip shot on Vancouver’s second goal. GAS: Even Strength +3/-2; Special Teams +0/-0.
Darnell Nurse, 4. Some good, a bit more bad. Had a super rough first period. He drove some hard outside shots on net early on that were deflected at net. But he was wandering in the Red Light Zone — not covering anyone or any passing lane — on Mikheyev’s early 5-alarmer. Backed in a bit too much on Vancouver’s first goal. “You can’t get let a guy walk in like that off the rush,” said Hockey Night in Canada’s Kevin Bieksa of Nurse’s play. Got some back when his high outside shot was tipped in by Kane. GAS: Even Strength +1/-1; Special Teams +1/-0.
Cody Ceci, 6. He lost a battle behind the net on Mikheyev’s first period blast. Otherwise kept it simple. He led the team with six hits. GAS: Even Strength +0/-1; Special Teams +0/-0.
Vincent Desharnais, 8. He kept it simple and safe. Succeeded in keeping a clean sheet at even strength, not one major mistake on a Grade A shot against, the mark of defensive excellence in the NHL. He made a key block on Vancouver’s third period power play. GAS: Even Strength +0/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Brett Kulak, 8. Super solid game. Also kept a clean sheet. GAS: Even Strength +1/-0; Special Teams +0/-0.
Stuart Skinner, 5. He did not face his first shot until seven minutes into the game and not one Grade A until 17 minutes in, but it was a whopper, Mikheyev moving as the danger man to launch a 5-alarm slotter. But Lafferty’s goal on the rush was from the dot, a Grade B shot, with Skinner looking like he’d lost his net a crucial fraction. Huge stop on Garland half-way through the second. Suter’s goal was a tricky one, a hard tip shot.
EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers signed defenceman Travis Dermott to a professional tryout on Friday.
Dermott, a 27-year-old from Newmarket, Ont., produced two goals, five assists and 26 penalty minutes in 50 games with the Arizona Coyotes last season.
The six-foot, 202-pound blueliner has also played for the Vancouver Canucks and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto drafted him in the second round, 34th overall, of the 2015 NHL draft.
Over seven NHL seasons, Dermott has 16 goals and 46 assists in 329 games while averaging 16:03 in ice time.
Before the NHL, Dermott played two seasons with Oilers captain Connor McDavid for the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters. The team was coached by current Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew as they bicycled on a rural road had a blood-alcohol level of .087, above the .08 legal limit in New Jersey, a prosecutor said Friday.
Gaudreau, 31, and brother Matthew, 29, were killed in Carneys Point, New Jersey, on Aug. 29, the evening before they were set to serve as groomsmen at their sister Katie’s wedding.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean M. Higgins of nearby Woodstown, New Jersey, is charged with two counts of death by auto, along with reckless driving, possession of an open container and consuming alcohol in a motor vehicle. At a virtual court hearing Friday, a judge ordered that he be held for trial after prosecutors described a history of alleged road rage and aggressive driving.
“’You were probably driving like a nut like I always tell you you do. And you don’t listen to me, instead you just yell at me,’” his wife told Higgins when he called her from jail after his arrest, according to First Assistant Prosecutor Jonathan Flynn of Salem County.
The defense described Higgins as a married father and law-abiding citizen before the crash.
“He’s an empathetic individual and he’s a loving father of two daughters,” said defense lawyer Matthew Portella. “He’s a good person and he made a horrible decision that night.”
Higgins told police he had five or six beers that day and admitted to consuming alcohol while driving, according to the criminal complaint. He also failed a field sobriety test, the complaint said. A prosecutor on Friday said he had been drinking at home after finishing a work call at about 3 p.m., and having an upsetting conversation with his mother about a family matter.
He then had a two-hour phone call with a friend while he drove around in his Jeep with an open container, Flynn said. He had been driving aggressively behind a sedan going just above the 50 mph speed limit, sometimes tailgating, the female driver told police.
When she and the vehicle ahead of her slowed down and veered left to go around the cyclists, Higgins sped up and veered right, striking the Gaudreas, the two other drivers told police.
“He indicated he didn’t even see them,” said Superior Court Judge Michael J. Silvanio, who said Higgins’ admitted “impatience” caused two deaths.
Higgins faces up to 20 years, a sentence that the judge said made him a flight risk.
Higgins has a master’s degree, works in finance for an addiction treatment company, and served in combat in Iraq, his lawyers said. However, his wife said he had been drinking regularly since working from home, Flynn said.
Johnny Gaudreau, known as “Johnny Hockey,” played 10 full seasons in the league and was set to enter his third with the Columbus Blue Jackets after signing a seven-year, $68 million deal in 2022. He played his first eight seasons with the Calgary Flames, a tenure that included becoming one of the sport’s top players and a fan favorite across North America.
Widows Meredith and Madeline Gaudreau described their husbands as attached at the hip throughout their lives. Both women are expecting, and both gave moving eulogies at the double funeral on Monday.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins will bring in another quarterback while starter Tua Tagovailoa deals with his latest concussion, coach Mike McDaniel said Friday.
For now, Skylar Thompson will be considered the Dolphins’ starter while Tagovailoa is sidelined. Tagovailoa left Thursday night’s 31-10 loss to Buffalo in the third quarter with the third known concussion of his NFL career, all of them coming in the last 24 months.
“The team and the organization are very confident in Skylar,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the team has not made any decision about whether to place Tagovailoa on injured reserve. Tagovailoa was expected at the team facility on Friday to start the process of being evaluated in earnest.
“We just have to operate in the unknown and be prepared for every situation,” McDaniel said, noting that the only opinions that will matter to the team will be the ones from Tagovailoa and the medical staff.
McDaniel added that he doesn’t see Tagovailoa playing in Miami’s next game at Seattle on Sept. 22.
“I have no idea and I’m not going to all of a sudden start making decisions that I don’t even see myself involved in the most important parts of,” McDaniel added. “All I’m telling Tua is everyone is counting on you to be a dad and be a dad this weekend. And then we’ll move from there. There won’t be any talk about where we’re going in that regard … none of that will happen without doctors’ expertise and the actual player.”
Tagovailoa was 17 for 25 passing for 145 yards, with one touchdown and three interceptions — one of which was returned for a Buffalo score — when he got hurt. Thompson completed eight of 14 passes for 80 yards.
Thompson said he feels “fully equipped” to run the Dolphins’ offense.
“What’s going to lie ahead, who knows, but man, I’m confident, though,” Thompson said after Thursday’s game. “I feel like I’m ready for whatever’s to come. I’m going to prepare and work hard and do everything I can to lead this team and do my job.”
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