Edmonton Oilers’ topsy-turvy road trip took another turn on Sunday night, this one for the better. In a wild back-and-forth battle with St. Louis Blues, the Oilers blew a 2-goal lead in the third period but came out on top when Kailer Yamamoto scored to break a 4-4 tie with just 28 seconds left in regulation time.
It’s been a weird trip that has seen the Oil drop a pair of games they were strongly favoured to win in Detroit and Buffalo, but battle through a fair bit of adversity to beat two top-level opponents in Boston and now St. Louis.
One would never know it by the score, but netminder Mikko Koskinen played a massive part in the win, making a number of ten-bell saves as the Blues peppered him with rubber both at even strength and on their #2 ranked powerplay which was highly effective in 5 opportunities. The Blues held the edge in play, producing a 39-32 count on the shot clock, a 19-8 edge in High Danger Scoring Chances, and a 19-15 advantage by our own (preliminary) count of Grade A shots here at the Cult of Hockey .
#2 Duncan Keith, 4. Oilers defenders were under the gun all night, and the Keith-Ceci pairing were no exception with some difficult moments at both even strength and on the penalty kill. Koskinen was the only reason they weren’t scorched for more than just the one goal against (the 2-2). Keith was victimized on 4 Grade A looks at even strength and 5 more on the PK. Did make a couple of fine passes, including one that set up 97-29-13 for a pair of good chances early in the third.
#5 Cody Ceci, 5. See Keith comment above. He did pick up an assist with a good stretch pass on McDavid’s buzzer beater at the end of the first.
#6 Kris Russell, 5. Made a couple of good defensive stops and a gutsy shot block, but was scorched by a cross-crease pass right through his lane on the 4-3.
#8 Kyle Turris, 6. Earned a sharp assist with a good keep-in and pass to Foegele in the build-up to McLeod’s tally. Involved in a couple of other good looks by the Oil. Was, however, beaten in the defensive slot on the 4-4.
#10 Derek Ryan, 5. Logged just 5:38 at even strength. Played a big role on the penalty kill (3:32 to lead all forwards), even as he too was bailed out by his goaltender more than once. His major contribution was an excellent 9/11=82% on the faceoff dot including 3/4=75% on the PK.
#13 Jesse Puljujarvi, 5. Created his usual mayhem around the puck and mustered a couple of decent shots on net. Not his finest hour handling the puck cleanly. Made what could have been a critical error covering the slot on Ryan O’Reilly’s great chance with a minute to play, but Koskinen had his team’s back once again.
#16 Tyler Benson, 5. Logged just 4:25 on a lightly-used fourth line, but that was enough time to lead the Oilers with 3 hits. Played with energy and enthusiasm.
#18 Zach Hyman, 7. A strange game where the puck was bouncing on him a lot, with a couple of scoring chances lost in the process. Didn’t muster a single shot on net, but was instrumental in the first 2 Oilers goals, earning assists on both. Made a fine rush and centring pass to McDavid on the 1-1 at the very end of the first, then provided an effective screen on Draisaitl’s powerplay tally. Interecpted a puck and fed Puljujarvi for another dangerous look. His line spent a lot of time in its own end, but the problems weren’t occurring on Hyman’s side of the ice. Played a whopping 22:21 including significant time on both special teams, and contributed to a brilliant defensive shift deep in St. Louis territory as the Oilers worked the clock after Yamamoto’s game winner.
#19 Mikko Koskinen, 8. He was the only reason the Oilers were in the game at 1-1 after the first period, turning aside 8 of 9 Grade A shots. His finest moment(s) came with a rapid sequence of 3 exceptional saves off Brandon Saad at the edge of the crease, getting a pad down to seal off the initial deflection, stretching out to get a toe on the first rebound, then a near-miraculous paddle stop on the follow-up, followed by a superb job to control the puck in the blue paint thereafter. More of the same in the second, when the Blues again pelted him with 8 Grade A shots of which only 1 got through. Less busy in the 3rd, but had zero chance on either of the 2 that beat him. Came up ginormous with a minute to play when he stoned O’Reilly from point blank range to keep the score tied and set the stage for the even-later dramatics. 39 shots, 35 saves, and a truly non-representative .897 save percentage. Koskinen won’t even get credited with a quality start but he sure as heck delivered one.
#22 Tyson Barrie, 4. Had a complete clean sheet on the event summary, not so much as an official shot attempt (though we at CoH rated him for one jam shot after a McLeod wraparound attempt). Lost a key battle when the Blues got a Grade A+ chance just 7 seconds after they’d tied the game 2-2, but Koskinen delivered a massive stop.
#25 Darnell Nurse, 4. Among the defensive culprits on 2 Blues goals, beaten by key passes on both the 1-0 and the 4-4. Did manage a secondary assist on the game-winner.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, 9. Another outstanding game in all facets. His line with RNH and Yamamoto was Edmonton’s best both by eye and on paper, producing outstanding shot shares on a night their mates were largely in chase mode. (Oilers outshot the Blues 13-6 during Draisaitl’s 18 minutes at even strength, while by our count he contributed to 9 Grade A shots by the Oilers at even strength, just 1 against.) Scored 1-2-3 to add to his league lead in both goals and points. Pounded home another one-timer on the powerplay to break a 1-1 tie early in the second. Minutes later made a superb centring pass to RNH on the 3-2. Then made a fine rush, stop-up, and centring pass to Yamamoto for the game winner. Topped it off with a brilliant shift as the clock wound down, first winning the faceoff from O’Reilly, then twice disrupting Blues breakout plays to keep the puck deep.
#37 Warren Foegele, 6. His key contribution was a drop pass that McLeod buried for the 4-2. Was it a planned play or did the puck roll off his stick? Only Foegele knows for sure. But he was in a good spot creating a dangerous chance and it certainly worked out.
#56 Kailer Yamamoto, 8. His night got off to an unpromising start when he was set up twice by Draisaitl in the slot and failed to get a shot on net, firing wide of the target on one and double-clutching on the other that had this observer mumbling about his need to develop an effective one-timer. But made up for it in a big way later. Earned his first assist of the season on RNH’s first goal of the season, jumping high(-ish) to cut off a clearing shot along the left wing boards, then feed it to Draisaitl down low for the killer pass. His big moment came in the game’s final minute when he burst into the slot, accepted Drai’s centring pass and did indeed fire an effective one-timer that overpowered Craig Billington.
#70 Colton Sceviour, 4. Took a killer penalty late in the first, moments after the Oilers had barely survived 2 prior Blues powerplays. Sure enough, they converted their third chance after just 7 seconds. Was also in frame on the 4-3 goal, losing a battle to big Colton Parayko in the corner. Did have 2 shots and a team-high 3 hits in his 7:23 of action, and chipped in nearly 3 minutes on the penalty kill. He does lots of “the little things” right; I can see why coaches like him.
#71 Ryan McLeod, 7. Has come alive on this road trip and was rewarded in St. Louis with his first NHL goal, when he jumped on Foegele’s “pass” and fired a one-timer off the backhand side that found the top of the net behind Binnington. Came just 8 seconds after RNH had put the Oilers in front and sent the Oilers to the room with a should-be-comfortable 2-goal cushion. Skated well, moved the puck OK and dominated the faceoff dot with 9/11=82%, matching Ryan for the team lead on a night the team as a whole went 38/61=62%.
#75 Evan Bouchard, 4. Had his struggles defensively, finding himself on the wrong side of more than one Blues attacker. Beaten by a cross-ice pass on the St. Louis powerplay goal, and lost a battle on the 4-4 when the goal scorer got inside of him and into the blue paint for the tap in. Had 1 decent look at the other end. Played 23:46 to lead all Oilers (1 second more than Nurse!), and also topped all penalty killers with 4:16, contributing some good clears to that effort.
#93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 8. All over the puck all night. Appeared determined to break his season-long goal drought, and finally got rewarded when he converted a Draisaitl feed with a quick shot through both defender and goaltender to put the Oilers in front 3-2. That was just 1 of the 8 shots he fired over the course of the game, each of them on target. Nearly scored earlier when he won a puck battle in his own territory on the penalty kill, sped up ice, used Hyman as a decoy and nearly jammed one home from the edge of the crease, drawing a penalty in the process. Drew another later in the game, while taking one of his own along the way. His on-ice shot share of 73% was best on the team.
#97 Connor McDavid, 7. Scored a splendid goal in the dying seconds of the first to send his team to the room with a better scoreline at 1-1 than they had earned with their play. A big lift at a key moment. In the process became the fastest player this century to reach 600 career points. Followed up with a fine pass to Draisaitl for the 2–1 early in the second. His line spent a little too much time chasing the game — shots on net were a high-event 13 for, 15 against during his nearly 20 minutes at even strength. Did make a key play on that great closing shift. For the fourth game on the road trip was on the receiving end of one foul so obvious that it had to be called… except it wasn’t. Took a penalty of his own which, while deserved in isolation, has to be supremely frustrating.
LEAVINS: Maybe we should all be glad Tortorella is on ESPN — 9 Things
McCURDY: Player grades — Oilers leave 2 points behind in Buffalo
LEAVINS: Player grades — Oilers dig deep for win in Boston
STAPLES: These Oilers are legit, but expect a trade or two
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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.
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AP cricket:
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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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