Player Grades: Kostin leads Edmonton Oilers in thumping 4-2 victory over the L.A. Kings

The Edmonton Oilers earned a 2-0 lead, let the L.A. Kings back in the game, but were saved by an hard outside shot by Klim Kostin early in the third period, the winning goal in a 4-2 game.

Zach Hyman, 6. He threw two hellacious hits, first on Carl Grundstrom, then on Blake Lizotte late in the first. He battled hard late in the third on the forecheck and got off a Grade A shot. GAS: +2,0 ES, +1,0 ST

Leon Draisaitl, 8. He came on like he was fired from the world’s biggest gun and had a whale of the game, with just one blemish, though a major one. One goal, two assists, and he led the team with eight major contributions to Grade A shots. To kick off, he rushed the puck up ice and made a snazzy move to the inside to beat Grundstrom, before unleashing a shot, with Ryan cashing in the rebound off the boards for Edmonton’s first goal just under three minutes into the game. Drai followed up right away with another great shift with the fourth line, setting up Kostin for a great chance. But he took an ill-advised slashing penalty on Kempe. He then set up RNH for a 5-alarm tip. And he scored the 2-0 goal, lashing in his trademark Executioner’s Shot on the power play. Next he held and held and held the puck in the o-zone, then set up an Ekholm 5-alarm shot in the second. But his lost puck battle and fly-by kicked off the Sequence of Pain on the first L.A. goal, earning Drai a rebuke from Sportsnet commentator Kevin Bieksa.  Early in the third, he redeemed himself, winning a n-zone board battle to help send in Kostin on his goal. He won the battle leading up to Kane’s empty-netter. GAS: +6,-2 ES, +2,0 ST

Kailer Yamamoto, 4. Quiet game. Not yet finding a way to break through, but no major mistakes. GAS: 0,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Nick Bjugstad, 6. He slammed a hard shot on net off a Foegele rush early in the second. Solid play overall. He won 10 of 13 face-offs. GAS: 0,0 ES, 0,-1 ST

Klim Kostin, 9. Great game from the big tough Russian winger, with plenty of nasty hits and the biggest goal of the year to date. He threw the first nasty hit of the game, wiping out Arthur Kaliyev, then a bit later thrashed a wicked wrister off the post. He took a hard outside shot on net early in the third and it somehow beat Korpisalo. He tied with Drai for team lead in hits for a forward with five. GAS: +2,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Ryan McLeod, 6. He skated hard and was strong with the puck. GAS: 0,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Derek Ryan, 7. Went hard to the net and cashed in the rebound off Draisaitl’s shot for Edmonton’s first goal, fooling the goalie partly because he fanned on the shot. Puck luck is real, my friends. Was solid rest of ther way. GAS: +2,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Darnell Nurse, 7. Strong game, moving the puck well and defending aggressively. He played 26:23. He led the tam with six blocked shots. His stick check ignited the rush up ice on Edmonton’s first goal. He made a fine pass to kick off another 5-alarm rush a short time later. He thwarted a Kupari slot chance with a solid stickcheck in the second. But he misread the play and allowed a Kupari breakaway late in the second. GAS: +2,-3 ES, 0,0 ST

Mattias Ekholm, 7. Solid game as well. He led the team with nine hits. He failed to drain a slot pass from Draisaitl in the second. He forcefully stopped Trevor Moore in the slot on a second period Kings power play. He slammed Arvidsson on a second period pinch. He allowed the slot pass to Danault on his goal in the second. GAS: +1,-2 ES, 0,0 ST

Evan Bouchard, 7. Moved the puck well and solid on defence when it counted. He made a fine pass to get the puck moving on Draisaitl’s first period power play goal. He drilled a couple of hard outside shots on net in the second. He broke up a 2-on-1 rush in the second with solid positioning. GAS: +1,-2 ES, +1,0 ST

Vincent Desharnais, 5. He made a solid take-out of a hard-charging Rasmus Kupari in the first. His n-zone turnover kicked off the Sequence of Pain on the second L.A goal. But he acted as a major cycle buster on an extended Kings attack in the Oil zone in the third. He got 15:29 of ice. GAS: 0,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Philip Broberg, 5. He played just 4:39 but was +2 so that’s something. Looked OK when he did take the ice. GAS: 0,0 ES, 0,0 ST

Stuart Skinner, 6. He only faced six Grade A shots and he let in two, one of them not so fine, but he made saves down the stretch. He had little to do in the first, except stop a Kopitar wrap-around in the last minute. He stopped Danault’s first shot but could not get his glove on the rebound for the first L.A. goal. He failed to seal off the post on Vilardi’s goal late in the second. He got saved by the post on Kupari’s break late in the second. He stopped a Grade A from the dread Kempe early in the third. His first playoff win, may there be plenty more.

Staples on politics