The Edmonton Oilers claw back to break up the Bruins' brilliant home ice run: Cult of Hockey Player Grades | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Sports

The Edmonton Oilers claw back to break up the Bruins’ brilliant home ice run: Cult of Hockey Player Grades

Published

2 years ago

 on

Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) controls the puck in front of Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo (25) during the second period at the TD Garden. Photo by Brian Fluharty /USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Bruins were 35-0-2 this season when leading after 2, having never lost in regulation in that situation.

But in the face of adding to that daunting statistic, the Edmonton Oilers would not be denied. Despite the 2-0 deficit they found themselves in after 1 period of play, the Oilers battled back. Slowly and surely, they chipped away at the Bruins’ armor. And Stuart Skinner, who surrendered 2 really bad goals, was seemingly unshaken by them…and locked it down the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, his teammates both found enough weaknesses and limited what they gave Boston to skate away with a 3-2 win and 2 points against the league’s best team.No small accomplishment.

Here is the tale of the tape…

Cult of Hockey Player Grades

STUART SKINNER. 6. Whiffed on the Bruins’ first shot of the game, the puck pin-balling through his pads and in. This, after his team had all but dominated Boston the first four minutes. The, after rebounding with a number of fine saves mid-period, a terrible turnover by him led to the 2-0 with 0.3 left in the 1st. But after putting his squarely behind the 8-ball, Skinner slammed the door closed the rest of the way. Stopped Bergeron on a late 2nd period 1-timer. Big stop on Carlo off a turnover in the 3rd. Ultimately stopped 26 of 28 for the victory. A lot of goalies would crumble after a start like that. Skinner did not.

CONNOR McDAVID. 4. As quiet of a 60 minutes as I have ever seen Connor McDavid turn in. A lot of that credit goes to Bruins who surrendered #97 precious little gap all night long. Could not drain the EN goal after a nice setup from Draisaitl. 0 points. Most of us were left holding our breath after a mid-ice collision in the 3rd sent McDavid limping to the bench but he returned for 2 shifts after that. 1 shot, -1.ZACH HYMAN. 3. A very rare off-night. Whistled for a 1st Period hold. Pass to Nurse for a dangerous chance in the 2nd. 5v5 CF 7-15, 32%. Scoring Chances For-Against 2-8. -2.

EVANDER KANE. 5. Played with jump in his first game back. Called for a 1st Period hold which the Bruins’ Lindholm embellished. Heavy hit on Zacha in the first 20, one of 3 on the night.

DARNELL NURSE. 8. Couldn’t knife down the pass on the 2-0 but in Nurse’s defence the goal against was squarely on the goaltender. But he was otherwise terrific. Good chance off a Hyman set-up in the 2nd. Then, his seeing eye shot from the point found net through a screen to make it 3-2. Led the club in shots with 5 and in ice-time at 24:41. That included a perfect 1:58 short-handed. Was physical, adding 3 hits. and he skated miles. Named the game’s 1st Star.CODY CECI. 7. Very good defensive stick stopped a Marchant chance in the 2nd. Heavy, hard shot swallowed up by the Bruins goalie late in the 2nd. Just a terrific keep on a difficult puck at the point, then slid it across to Nurse for the game winner. Big shot block late. Battled hard. Ceci has been struggling for a while, now, maybe a solid performance like this turns that around.
LEON DRAISAITL. 6. Heavy hit drove Lindholm into the end boards in the 1st. Fed Nugent-Hopkins for an early 3rd Period chance. A high-level chance on a terrific cutback on Carlo in the 3rd. Integral on the winning goal, as Draisaitl beat double coverage coming out of the corner and fed the point. A well-earned assist for that tidy bit of work. Led the forwards with 22:52 of TOI. 53% on draws. Not everything clicked for him but he kept at it.RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. A smart stick and clear on the Bruins first PP. Missed high on a pass from Draisaitl behind the net. An effective screen on the winning goal. Hit the post on an empty net.

KAILER YAMAMOTO. 4. Ineffective, especially over 40 minutes. Allowed Orlov to walk out of the corner for a dangerous chance in the 3rd. Got going a bit late, but his performance was uneven at best.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 8. The Oilers 2nd pair was solid. And Ekholm played a massive role in both that and the resulting victory. A menacing physical presence including a notable hit on Krejci in the 1st. 2nd Period takeaway. A rare turnover in the 3rd led to a chance against. Big 3rd Period shot block on none other than Pastrnak followed. Check out this stat line: 2 shots, 6 hits, 4 shot blocks in 20:47 plus a perfect 1:46 on the PK. Ala Bob Stauffer, Ekholm is +7 in 5 games since the deadline. What a great acquisition.EVAN BOUCHARD. 7. One of the Oilers best performers over 40 minutes, albeit an imperfect performance. Strong open ice hit from Bouchard in the 1st. A failed zone clear led to a 1st Period chance against. Walked by DeBrusk early in the 2nd. Broke a 43-game drought with a wicked wrist shot to finish off a 4-on-1 Oilers break, making it 2-1. 3 shots. Played with an extra dose of intensity. Really good to see.
NICK BJUGSTAD. 5. Bit of an ebb in his game, 5v5 CF 6-10, 38%. Still, was a handful in the heavy going. 44% in the circle.WARREN FOEGLE. 5. Worked hard. Missed the net on a 1st Period breakaway. Moved the puck back to Ceci for a shot late in the 2nd.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 6. Primary assist on the 2-1 after picking up a loose puck along the wall in the neutral zone. Good neutral zone takeaway.

BRETT KULAK. 4. Absolutely crushed in shot shares 5v5 (8-18, 31%). An indecisive poke check at the attacking blueline led to a Bruins 2-on-1 in the other direction. But he managed to saw-off in Grade A’s at 3-3.

VINCENT DESHARNAIS. 5. Heavy hit on Frederic in the 2nd. Chased quite a bit on the 3rd pairing, but managed to limit the damage.

DEREK RYAN. 6. The veteran continues to pitch in and make it impossible to take him out of the lineup. His hard forecheck helped lead to the 2-2. No assist but the goal does not get scored without hiscontribution on that sequence. Drew a 3rd Period PP. A key intercept and clear late in the 3rd. 3 hits. Quite an impact in just 8:56.

RYAN McLEOD. 7. Not especially sharp early but warmed considerably as the game wore on. And once his feet got moving he was dangerous. Set up Bouchard for a 2nd period chance. Then, slapped home a Devin Shore centering pass into the slot for his first in 13, tying the game at 2. 2 shots and 3 hits. 2:01 shorthanded. Named the game’s 2nd Star.DEVIN SHORE. 7. Tremendous play on the tying goal as he first blocked an attempted clearing pass and then slid a lovely pass into the slot for Ryan McLeod who did not miss. All he has done is contributed since his recall from Bakersfield. An industrious 9:17 of TOI. Assists in 3 straight, now.

Also, a stick tap to the Oilers video crew…as the original Bruins 2-0 was (correctly) called back on the off-side.

The Oilers are now 36-22-8, 80 points. Edmonton holds the 1st Wild Card spot in the Western Conference, but are just 4 points out of 1st. Toronto is next.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins, on Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and now on Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social

 

Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Sports

Edler to sign one-day contract to retire as a Vancouver Canuck

Published

22 hours ago

 on

September 17, 2024

By

 

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks announced Tuesday that defenceman Alex Edler will sign a one-day contract in order to officially retire as a member of the NHL team.

The signing will be part of a celebration of Edler’s career held Oct. 11 when the Canucks host the Philadelphia Flyers.

The Canucks selected Edler, from Ostersund, Sweden, in the third round (91st overall) of the 2004 NHL draft.

He played in 925 career games for the Canucks between the 2006-07 and 2020-21 seasons, ranking fourth in franchise history and first among defencemen.

The 38-year-old leads all Vancouver defencemen with 99 goals, 310 assists and 177 power-play points with the team.

Edler also appeared in 82 career post-season contests with Vancouver and was an integral part of the Canucks’ run to the 2011 Stanley Cup final, putting up 11 points (2-9-11) across 25 games.

“I am humbled and honoured to officially end my career and retire as a member of the Vancouver Canucks,” Edler said in a release. “I consider myself lucky to have started my career with such an outstanding organization, in this amazing city, with the best fans in the NHL. Finishing my NHL career where it all began is something very special for myself and my family.”

Edler played two seasons for Los Angeles in 2021-22 and 2022-23. He did not play in the NHL last season.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Sixth-ranked Canadian women to face World Cup champion Spain in October friendly

Published

1 day ago

 on

September 17, 2024

By

 

The sixth-ranked Canadian women will face World Cup champion Spain in an international friendly next month.

Third-ranked Spain will host Canada on Oct. 25 at Estadio Francisco de la Hera in Almendralejo.

The game will be the first for the Canadian women since the Paris Olympics, where they lost to Germany in a quarterfinal penalty shootout after coach Bev Priestman was sent home and later suspended for a year by FIFA over her part in Canada’s drone-spying scandal.

In announcing the Spain friendly, Canada Soccer said more information on the interim women’s coaching staff for the October window will come later. Assistant coach Andy Spence took charge of the team in Priestman’s absence at the Olympics.

Spain finished fourth in Paris, beaten 1-0 by Germany in the bronze-medal match.

Canada is winless in three previous meetings (0-2-1) with Spain, most recently losing 1-0 at the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February 2022.

The teams played to a scoreless draw in May 2019 in Logroñés, Spain in a warm-up for the 2019 World Cup. Spain won 1-0 in March 2019 at the Algarve Cup in São João da Venda, Portugal.

Spain is a powerhouse in the women’s game these days.

It won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2022 and was runner-up in 2018. And it ousted Canada 2-1 in the round of 16 of the current U-20 tournament earlier this month in Colombia before falling 1-0 to Japan after extra time in the quarterfinal.

Spain won the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2018 and 2022 and has finished on the podium on three other occasions.

FC Barcelona’s Aitana Bonmati (2023) and Alexia Putellas (2021 and ’22) have combined to win the last three Women’s Ballon d’Or awards.

And Barcelona has won three of the last four UEFA Women’s Champions League titles.

“We continue to strive to diversify our opponent pool while maintaining a high level of competition.” Daniel Michelucci, Canada Soccer’s director of national team operations, said in a statement. “We anticipate a thrilling encounter, showcasing two of the world’s top-ranked teams.”

—

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Sports

Maple Leafs announce Oreo as new helmet sponsor for upcoming NHL season

Published

1 day ago

 on

September 17, 2024

By

 

TORONTO – The Toronto Maple Leafs have announced cookie brand Oreo as the team’s helmet sponsor for the upcoming NHL season.

The new helmet will debut Sunday when Toronto opens its 2024-25 pre-season against the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena.

The Oreo logo replaces Canadian restaurant chain Pizza Pizza, which was the Leafs’ helmet sponsor last season.

Previously, social media platform TikTok sponsored Toronto starting in the 2021-22 regular season when the league began allowing teams to sell advertising space on helmets.

The Oreo cookie consists of two chocolate biscuits around a white icing filling and is often dipped in milk.

Fittingly, the Leafs wear the Dairy Farmers of Ontario’s “Milk” logo on their jerseys.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version