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Player grades: McD and Drai massive again as Edmonton Oilers beat Montreal Canadiens

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The Edmonton Oilers got off to a two-goal lead thanks to a three goal outburst by its killer power play, but then the Oilers did what they’ve done all year, let up defensively and allow goals against.

But a thrilling goal by Darnell Nurse put Edmonton up one goal with four seconds left in the second, the key moment of the game.

Edmonton hung on in the third for a 5-3 win, with Connor McDavid scoring the insurance goal to cap off a two goal, two assist. night.

In total, Edmonton had 13 Grade A shots, with nine 5-alarmers, Montreal ten Grade A shots, four 5-alarmers, which works out to 4.00 expected goals for the Oil, 2.83 for Montreal.

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Connor McDavid, 9. Scored two goals and two assists. Took a near phantom holding penalty in the first. He set up Drai down low on RNH’s second period power play goal. Buzzed around on Edmonton’s 5-on-3 power play before setting up Draisaitl on the glorious kind of pass-and-shoot sequence that will be forever burned into the minds of Edmonton Oilers fans. He shot when the Montreal goalie Jake Allen was expecting pass, firing in Edmonton’s third goal. Took it to Warp Ten again on his breakway goal, with thrilling finish on Oil’s insurance goal.

Leon Draisaitl, 9. One goal and three assists. Brilliant execution on the attack. Great pass to send in Hyman ten seconds into the game. He snapped a horizontal pass through the top of the crease to set up RNH for Edmonton’s power play goal early in the second. Fired home on the 5-on-3, delivering once against with his dread Executioner’s Shot. He made a few smart plays quickly giving over the puck to the Habs after a penalty call to get more time on the 5-on-3 situations. He made a typically fine pass to set up Nurse for Edmonton’s fourth goal. He won a board battle to again send off Hyman for a Grade A shot early in the third.

Zach Hyman, 7. Another solid and eventful outing. Got an early break in, but failed to drain it, then gave up the puck in the defensive slot leading to a dangerous Habs opportunity. He held his slot position and got off a 5-alarm blast early in the second on the power play. He took a nasty crosscheck to the head early in the second, drawing a five-minute penalty and game misconduct for Joel Edmundson. A great hustle play late in the second to win the puck behind the Montreal net, firing up the Virtuous Cycle leading to Edmonton’s fourth goal.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 7. He slammed home a table top hockey goal early in the second off a Drai feed. Heck of a harpoon, that shot. Sent in Janmark with a fine pass early in the third. Was otherwise quiet on the attack.

Jesse Puljujarvi, 7. Maybe his most physical game of his career, with JP winning many battles. He led the team with eight hits.

Mattias Janmark, 6. He charged out fast and furious on Edmonton’s first PK, and allowed a cross-seam pass, allowing Caufiled’s power play shot off the crossbar in the first. Charged in early in the third on a partial breakaway for a 5-alarm shot.

Derek Ryan, 5. He got beat to the outside by Kaiden Guhle for a Grade A shot early in the game. He lost the PK face off, then failed to stop the pass across on a Montreal’s first period power play blast off the post. He made a key defensive play, kicking the puck out of the slot with just under two minutes left, earning a hug from Stuart Skinner. That one play pulled his mark up to a passing grade.

Klim Kostin, 5. He came out battling hard and set up Nurse charging through the slot early in the second.

Devin Shore, 5. Flashed down the wing late in the second with Malone almost putting in the rebound. He lost the puck and a battle early in the third but Joel Armia hit the crossbar.

Dylan Holloway, 5. He made a solid check on Mike Matheson to win a battle late in the third.

Brad Malone, 5.  A lost battle and a turnover early in the caused the Oilers some defensive grief. He almost jammed home Shore’s rebound shot late in the second.

Tyler Benson, 5. Some decent hustle plays.

Darnell Nurse, 7. He turned the wrong way, allowing time and space for an outside shot, kicking off the Sequence of Pain on Dadonov’s goal. Next, he squandered his own good work on the PK, shooting the puck over the glass to take a penalty. Redeemed himself charging up the ice to snipe in a slot shot with four seconds left in the second. He played a more reasonable 22:31.

Cody Ceci, 6. He lost focus for a second, allowing Dadonov to sneak by him for Montreal’s second goal, but was otherwise solid.

Brett Kulak, 7. Quiet game but he did his job well, keeping a clean sheet at even strength, not one major mistake on a Grade A shot against.

Tyson Barrie, 6. He got beat by Dach down the middle on a break-in shot late in the second. But kept a clean sheet at even strength.

Evan Bouchard, 6. He strangely abandoned his defensive post in the second allowing a hard Montreal shot and potential goal off the rebound. But was otherwise solid.

Philip Broberg, 7. Made a few slick defensive stops in the third, blocking a sure goal late in the game with a shot block in the crease. He’s slowly picking up his play, getting better each game. He stepped up in the n-zone early on to win the puck and send McD in on a rush, a solid and confident play.

Stuart Skinner, 5. Not his best night, letting out big rebounds all game. He got beat by a Grade B scoring chance shot on Montreal’s first goal, not good. He gave up a rancid rebound allowing Dadonov to score out of a nothing situation. He looked back in his net getting beat by Arber Xhekaj for Montreal’s third goal. But stopped Dach’s break in goal late in the second and threw a shut-out in the third period when it counted.

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Sault duo celebrates historic perfect season for university hockey team – SooToday

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With some help from a pair of Sault products, the University of New Brunswick Reds men’s hockey team capped off a historic perfect season over the weekend with a national championship.

For Cole MacKay and Camaryn Baber, a pair of childhood friends from the Sault who joined UNB’s team last season, it’s their second consecutive national championship.

UNB capped off the USPORTS national championship win on Sunday with a 4-0 win over UQTR.

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In Sunday’s win, MacKay had four shots on goal for the Reds while Baber was busy in the faceoff circle, taking 19 draws and winning eight of them.

UNB went 3-0 in the national championship tournament.

The Reds advanced to Sunday’s final by winning their semi-final game on Saturday by a 7-0 margin over Toronto Metropolitan. Baber had a goal in the win while MacKay had seven shots on goal.

UNB opened the tournament on Thursday with a 4-0 win over the Brock Badgers in quarterfinal play.

UNB won the Atlantic University Sport playoff title by running the table, first sweeping Saint Mary’s in a best-of-five semi-final series and then sweeping Moncton in a best-of-three championship series.

The Reds went 30-0 in regular season play and 38 straight including the playoffs and national championship tournament. The school’s winning streak dates back to last season’s AUS championship series when the team dropped a double-overtime decision in game two against Moncton.

UNB’s winning streak currently stands at 42 games. The team also won five exhibition games this season.

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Sean Martin takes closer look at what makes Scottie Scheffler's PLAYERS win so special – PGA TOUR – PGA TOUR

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Four of the five hardest par 4s on Sunday were on the back nine (Nos. 14, 10, 18 and 15, in order of difficulty). But the back nine also had three of Sunday’s four easiest holes (Nos. 11, 16 and 12, in order of ease). At last year’s PLAYERS, Scottie pulled five ahead by making five straight birdies on Nos. 8-12. He birdied four of those holes (Nos. 8-9, 11-12) on Sunday to tie the lead. It was almost six in a row. He missed a 12-footer for birdie on 10 and a 5-footer on 13.

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Wayne Simmonds Announces His Retirement from the National Hockey League | Philadelphia Flyers – NHL.com

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Former Philadelphia Flyer Wayne Simmonds today announced his retirement from the National Hockey League (NHL). In honor of his retirement, the Philadelphia Flyers will sign Simmonds to a one-day contract and honor his career on Saturday, April 13 when the Flyers host the New Jersey Devils at Wells Fargo Center (5 p.m. ET).

“It’s hard to describe my emotions on a day like this, but one of my very first thoughts as I look back is my life in Philadelphia and playing for the Flyers,” said Simmonds. “Taking the ice in a Flyers sweater is a special feeling and it’s one that I’m truly proud of. The history of this franchise and standard of being a Flyer that was set is unique and one that I hold in the highest regard. Perhaps the biggest reason for that is the way the fans embrace this team. It was a thrill to play for you all these years, and you mean so much to me. I’d like to thank Dan Hilferty, Keith Jones and Danny Briere for making this a special day and the fans for all their support throughout the years for me and my family.”

“I want to congratulate Wayne on an exceptional career. He was as tough and fierce of a competitor as they come. No one could ever question his commitment to his team and doing whatever it took to win, whether it was scoring goals, blocking shots, sticking up for a teammate or teaching them how to be a true professional on and off the ice,” said Chairman & CEO of Comcast Spectacor Dan Hilferty. “If there was anything that stood out more than Wayne’s dedication on the ice, it was his passion for giving back to the community. Wayne’s impact on both this city and his hometown of Scarborough through his charitable work is immeasurable and continues to be felt to this day. Simply put, Wayne Simmonds was born to be a Philadelphia Flyer and I am very proud to welcome him back.”

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“Wayne has had a tremendous career, on and off the ice, and to celebrate him and his accomplishments with the Philadelphia organization and fans on April 13 is not only fitting, but right,” said Flyers President of Hockey Operations Keith Jones. “Wayne is a special member of the Flyers family and an icon for our surrounding Philadelphia communities. It was an honor to cover his career and watch him grow into the person that he is today. Congratulations to him and his family on his well-deserved retirement from the NHL.”

“It is a privilege to congratulate Wayne on his retirement from the NHL and I look forward to celebrating his career on April 13 with our great fans,” said Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere. “He was an excellent teammate, a leader in the locker room and a class act for the Philadelphia community. He had such passion for this city and team that it was an honor to witness it all and play alongside him. I wish him all the happiness and success to him and his family as he embarks on this new chapter.”

Simmonds, 35 (8/26/88), skated in eight of his 15 NHL seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers (2011-19). The native of Scarborough, Ontario, collected 378 points (203-175=378), 91 power-play goals, 34 game-winning goals and 786 penalty minutes in 584 games. He ranks second in franchise history in hits (1,108), T-3rd in game-deciding goals (4), sixth in shootout goals (7), seventh in PPG, T-13th in GWG and 14th in goals. The right-shot winger set career highs in scoring twice with 60 points each during the 2013-14 and 2015-16 campaigns. He led the Flyers during the 2015-16 season with a career-high 32 goals and led the team and ranked T-6th in the NHL in PPG (13) that season. Simmonds also collected 15 playoff points (5-10=15) in 30 contests with the Flyers.

Simmonds was acquired by Philadelphia on June 23, 2011 from Los Angeles along with Brayden Schenn and a second-round pick (DAL, 61st overall – Devin Shore) in the 2012 NHL Draft in exchange for Mike Richards and Rob Bordson. Simmonds represented the Flyers at the 2017 NHL All-Star Game and was named the All-Star Game MVP. He won the 2011-12 Gene Hart Memorial Award, 2015-16 Yanick Dupre Class Guy Memorial Award and the 2016-17 Bobby Clarke Trophy and Toyota Cup.

Simmonds was a finalist for the 2017-18 Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and won the award in 2018-19 with Philadelphia and Nashville. The award is presented annually to the player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season and who plays a leading role in his community growing the game of hockey. During his tenure with the Flyers, Simmonds hosted “Wayne’s Warriors,” an in-game initiative in which he purchased a full season suite and donated every game to local military members. He served as a board member of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation and was active with Make-A-Wish Foundation and March of Dimes. Throughout the course of his NHL career, Simmonds also founded “Wayne’s Road Hockey Warriors” which was a summer ball hockey tournament hosted in his hometown of Scarborough that allowed children to experience the game who otherwise would not be able to do so due to a lack of resources.

Simmonds registered 526 career points (263-263=526) in 1,037 NHL regular season games in 15 seasons with Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Nashville, New Jersey, Buffalo and Toronto (2008-23). He recorded 22 playoff points (8-14=22) in 53 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests with the Kings, Flyers, Predators and Maple Leafs. He skated in his 1,000th NHL regular season game on March 5, 2022 with Toronto and was originally selected by Los Angeles in the second round (61st overall) of the 2007 NHL Draft.

Internationally, Simmonds represented Canada at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship (gold) and at the 2013 and 2017 (silver) IIHF World Championships.

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