Player grades: Spirited Oilers comeback not quite enough to crawl out of yet another 0-2 hole – Edmonton Journal

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Oilers 1, Hurricanes 2

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A dream start quickly went south for Edmonton Oilers when an apparent Connor McDavid goal on the game’s first shift was overturned by an offside challenge. Minutes later McDavid was smashed in the face by an errant high stick, lost at least one tooth and went off for repairs. By the time he returned to start the second period, the Oilers had fallen into that oh-so-familiar 0-2 hole.

Missing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Kailer Yamamoto who were both dinged up in Florida Saturday as well as McDavid, the Oilers were seriously outplayed in that crucial first period. They were outshot by 8-16 including a 1-3 margin during an absolutely miserable 4-minute powerplay after Brady Skjei clubbed McDavid in the mouth. The penalty kill also failed on what turned out to be the game winner, with that -1 on special teams proving to be the difference.

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The captain led a spirited comeback the rest of the way, but the short-staffed Oilers were only able to generate one goal that actually counted and ultimately fell, 2-1 to Carolina Hurricanes.

It was a different game over those final 40 minutes, apparently played under a new set of rules that more resembled rugby than hockey at times, as the previously whistle-happy zebras suddenly reverted to see-no-evil mode. The linesmen also had a bad day at the office, setting an erratic standard on both offside and icing  that included two missed calls at the blueline that were subsequently overturned by coach’s challenge.

As for the Oilers, they fought back valiantly, outshooting the Hurricanes 24-13 over the last two periods and holding an overall 13-10 advantage in Grade A scoring chances. Alas, they couldn’t solve an old nemesis, as Freddy Andersen ran his career record to 17-1-2 against Edmonton.

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Player grades

#5 Cody Ceci, 7. Played a strong two-way game that included a couple of excellent shot blocks at one end and a couple of dangerous shots at the other. Oilers outshot the ‘canes 10-3 and outscored them 1-0 during Ceci’s 16 even-strength minutes.

#10 Derek Ryan, 8. Another excellent game from the veteran, who produced Edmonton’s only goal and 3 of their best scoring chances on the day. Rang the iron with a terrific shot in the early going, then was robbed by Andersen on a shorthanded breakaway minutes later. But he solved the netminder in the middle frame with an unassisted goal, as he blocked a shot, fought through an obvious (but uncalled) hold in the neutral zone, then set a shot through the 5-hole to get Edmonton. Given a chance on the game-ending 6v5, he narrowly missed getting his stick on Draisaitl’s hard pass into the low slot in the dying seconds.

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#14 Devin Shore, 5. Played a team-low 4:43 at 5v5, but led all forwards with 2:32 on the PK where he made his biggest impact. Made a nice touch pass to send Ryan in alone. But was caught playing piggy-in-the-middle on the ‘canes powerplay goal when he was twice beaten by passes, in the process leaving the eventual shooter alone in the high slot.

#16 Tyler Benson, 5. Played 11:40 in a game the Oilers were missing a significant chunk of their forward corps. Edmonton outshot Carolina 8-4 on his watch. His slot shot led to a great Sceviour chance on the rebound.

#18 Zach Hyman, 4. Had a tough first period that saw him among the defensive culprits on both Carolina goals. In no-man’s land not covering anybody on the first tally which originated from his man on the point. Beaten twice on cross-seam passes on the second as the Oilers failed to kill a too-many-men call caused in part by Hyman jumping on the ice early, then handling the puck before his man quite reached the bench. Played well thereafter with 4 shots on net and some excellent grinding in the trenches. Drew a penalty. Played a massive 26:39.

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#22 Tyson Barrie, 4. Took a pair of marginal penalties in the first period, one of which was a flat-out blown call. But the Oilers were chasing the game on his watch, with Carolina owning a 17-6 edge in shot attempts and 7-2 in actual shots during his 14 minutes at even strength. No joy on the powerplay either, a unit that generated precious little during his 4:43 including a turnover that led to a jailbreak the other way.

#25 Darnell Nurse, 6. Leader of the defence played an active role in 26 minutes of action. Oilers held a 12-7 shots advantage during his 20 minutes at 5v5, with Nurse himself generating a pair of dangerous shots. Made a fine play on the penalty kill to win a puck battle, then send the play up the far wing ultimately leading to the (first) Ryan breakaway. But among those beaten by the rapid fire passing on the one Carolina powerplay goal. Drew a penalty.

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#29 Leon Draisaitl, 4. Another Oiler who struggled through a difficult first period with a couple of messy turnovers and a bad pass into the midst of a sloppy Edmonton line change. Led all Oilers with a whopping 28:08 in ice time, a lot of it heavy slogging against Jordan Staal and company as the Hurricanes took the battle to the trenches. Got blatantly picked and spilled a good two steamboats after he had dumped the puck in that somehow was missed by the stripes. Had more impact on the second half of the game when he started to hit back, going out of his way to nail Skjei with a hard hit that won instant approval in my living room. Oddly, he was the only Oilers forward with 0 shots on net, though he made good passes to set up Nurse, Hyman and Kane for Grade A shots, and a couple more to teammates (including Kane in the slot) who couldn’t hit the target. Had one of his worst games in memory on the dot, winning just 4/19=21% including 2/10 head-to-head vs Staal.

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#37 Warren Foegele, 5. Was amped up for his return to Carolina, but that quickly cost his team when he preceded the puck over the blueline to nullify an apparent McDavid goal. (Allegedly. The replay presented on TV did not actually show the puck, which was hidden by the nearside boards as Foegele crossed the line; let’s hope the officials had a more definitive angle.) Played a proactive game thereafter, and made 3 good passes which led to Grade A shots.

#41 Mike Smith, 6. A much better outing, even as he was again beaten for 2 first-period goals for the 10th time in his last 12 starts. Had no chance on the first, but made a fatal stumble on the second which left Sebastian Aho a good half of the net to shoot at. But that opening frame could have been even worse without some good early saves. Had relatively few difficult saves thereafter (just 3 Grade A shots in the final 40), though his fine stop of an Andrei Svechnikov backhand with 6 minutes to play kept his team in the game down the stretch. Caused some of his own issues with some iffy puckhandling (2 official giveaways, I counted 3 that led to a total of 4 shots against the scrambling netminder). 29 shots, 27 saves, .931 save percentage.

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#42 Brendan Perlini, 5. One hard backhand shot from a low angle, a couple of hits in 7 minutes of action.

#70 Colton Sceviour, 5. Went from the press box to the nominal second line, replacing Yamamoto who was dinged up blocking a shot on Saturday. But was soon lost in the mix of “extra forwards” as Jay Woodcroft rode his core group hard, and ultimately played just 7:40. Had perhaps Edmonton’s best chance to tie it when he deliberately banked Benson’s rebound off Andersen from below the icing line, but didn’t get the bounce he needed. Slightly slow on the backcheck against Svechnikov seconds later.

#71 Ryan McLeod, 7. The versatile young forward’s role is increasing in leaps and bounds, especially in the absence of teammates like RNH and Yamamoto. Once again he spent time at both centre and wing as well as on both special teams, logging 17 minutes of ice time. Spent 2 more in the box serving a coincidental penalty after he mixed it up with Vincent Trochek. Involved in 3 Grade A shots, 1 off his own stick, another set up by his pass to Ryan, and a third when he screened the goalie. Also made a sweet dish to Hyman who misfired, and made a splendid backcheck to break up a developing 2-on-1.

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#75 Evan Bouchard, 5. Among those beaten by a fine passing sequence on Carolina’s first goal, Bouchard nonetheless played a much stronger game than Saturday’s weak outing. Found his offensive game again, firing 11 shots toward goal including 4 on target. Alas, he just missed the short side post on his best look in the first period.

#80 Markus Niemelainen, 4. Struggled to contain the Hurricanes’ speed, heavy forecheck pressure, and quick passing game. Among those victimized on the opening goal when he was late to the shooter. Another heavy game with 6 hits to lead both teams, but did that work in the context of Oilers being outshot 8-1 during his 11 even strength minutes. Did make one fine pass to Perlini which the winger couldn’t quite control.

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#84 William Lagesson, 5. Not the problem, but not the solution either. 10 quiet minutes.

#86 Philip Broberg, 5. Ditto in 6½ minutes. Broberg is definitely #7 in the defensive rotation, but in this game performed well in spot duty. Had a rare flash of offence with a good wrist shot through traffic.

#91 Evander Kane, 4. Played 23:52 and didn’t get a lot done. Had a great look from the slot and missed the net, something that has happened too often of late. Of his 5 shot attempts just 1 was on target, as he hit Andersen in the breadbasket after being sent in on the wing by Draisaitl. 3 giveaways, just 1 hit.

#97 Connor McDavid, 7. Battling through checks is one thing, but it’s a bit much when you take the Sher-Wood sandwich 30 feet from the puck as McDavid did in the first period. This was the second misfortune to befall him in the first 6 minutes, as his apparent (gorgeous) goal on his first shift came off the board due to an offside challenge. He was dancing to that point, but wound up playing just 2 minutes in the first, and was sorely missed on the 4-minute powerplay he drew. Came back to log 20 minutes over the final two frames, leading the charge with some inspired hockey including a couple of high-speed rushes, some nifty dangling in traffic, and a splendid hard pass into space that Hyman nearly tipped home. 5 shots on net, 2 hits, and a team-best 10/14=71% on the dot. His reward? A row of zeroes and a trip to the dentist.

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