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

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2 years ago

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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

 

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Jays reliever Green and Canadian slugger O’Neill nominated for comeback player award

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17 hours ago

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October 21, 2024

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NEW YORK – Toronto Blue Jays reliever Chad Green and Canadian slugger Tyler O’Neill of the Boston Red Sox were named finalists for the Major League Baseball Players’ Association’s American League comeback player award on Monday.

Chicago White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet was the other nominee.

New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. were named player of the year finalists.

The award winners, selected via player voting, will be named Saturday before Game 2 of the World Series.

Green, who missed most of the 2022 and ’23 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, was a high-leverage option for the Blue Jays this past season and filled in at closer over the second half of the campaign.

The right-hander converted his first 16 save opportunities and finished the year with a 4-6 record, 17 saves and a 3.21 earned-run average over 53 appearances.

O’Neill, a native of Burnaby, B.C., also endured back-to-back injury-plagued seasons in ’22 and ’23.

After being traded to the Red Sox in the off-season, O’Neill set an MLB record by hitting a homer in his fifth straight Opening Day. He finished with 31 homers on the year and had an OPS of .847.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Panthers’ Reinhart named NHL first star after posting nine points over four games

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October 21, 2024

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NEW YORK – Florida Panthers centre Sam Reinhart was named NHL first star of the week on Monday after leading all players with nine points over four games last week.

Reinhart had four goals, five assists and a plus-seven rating to help the Stanley Cup champions post a 3-0-1 record on the week and move into first place in the Atlantic Division.

New York Rangers left-winger Artemi Panarin took the second star and Minnesota Wild goaltenderFilip Gustavsson was the third star.

Panarin had eight points (4-4) over three games.

Gustavsson became the 15th goalie in NHL history to score a goal and had a 1.00 goals-against average and .962 save percentage over a pair of victories.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Browns QB Deshaun Watson’s season ended by ruptured Achilles tendon, team said he’ll have surgery

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October 21, 2024

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CLEVELAND (AP) — Deshaun Watson won’t finish the season as Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the second straight year.

He’s injured again, and the Browns have new problems.

Watson ruptured his right Achilles tendon in the first half of Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati, collapsing as he began to run and leading some Browns fans to cheer while the divisive QB laid on the ground writhing in pain.

The team feared Watson’s year was over and tests done Monday confirmed the rupture. The Browns said Watson will have surgery and miss the rest of the season but “a full recovery is expected.”

Watson was injured on a noncontact play in the second quarter of Cleveland’s 21-14 loss to the Bengals and carted off the field in tears.

It’s the second significant injury in two seasons for Watson, who broke the glenoid (socket) bone in his throwing shoulder last year after just six starts.

The 29-year-old went down Sunday without being touched on a draw play late in the first half. His right leg buckled and Watson crumpled to the turf. TV replays showed his calf rippling, consistent with an Achilles injury.

He immediately put his hands on his helmet, clearly aware of the severity of an injury similar to the one Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers sustained last year.

As he was being assisted by the team’s medical staff and backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson grabbed a ball to begin warming up, there was some derisive cheers and boos from the stands in Huntington Bank Field.

Cleveland fans have been split over Watson, who has been accused of being sexually inappropriate with women.

The reaction didn’t sit well with several Watson’s teammates, including star end Myles Garrett, the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, who was appalled by the fans’ behavior.

“We should be ashamed of ourselves as Browns and as fans to boo anyone and their downfall. To be season-altering, career-altering injury,” Garrett said. “Man’s not perfect. He doesn’t need to be. None of us are expected to be perfect. Can’t judge him for what he does off the field or on the field because I can’t throw stones for my glass house.

“Ultimately everyone’s human and they’re disappointed just like we are, but we have to be better than that as people. There’s levels to this. At the end of the day, it’s just a game and you don’t boo anybody being injured and you don’t celebrate anyone’s downfall.”

Backup quarterback Jameis Winston also admonished the uncomfortable celebration.

“I am very upset with the reaction to a man that has had the world against him for the past four years, and he put his body and life on the line for this city every single day,” he said. “The way I was raised, I will never pull on a man when he’s down, but I will be the person to lift him up.

“I know you love this game. When I first got here, I knew these were some amazing fans, but Deshaun was treated badly and now he has to overcome another obstacle. So I’m going to support him, I’m going to lift him up and I’m going to be there for him.”

The injury is yet another twist in Watson’s tumultuous time with the Browns.

Cleveland traded three first-round draft picks and five overall to Houston in 2022 to get him, with owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam approving the team giving Watson a fully guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract.

With a solid roster, the Browns were desperate to find a QB who could help them compete against the top AFC teams.

The Browns had moved on from Baker Mayfield despite drafting him No. 1 overall in 2018 and making the playoffs two seasons later.

But Watson has not played up to expectations — fans have been pushing for him to be benched this season — and Cleveland’s move to get him has been labeled an abject failure with the team still on the hook to pay him $46 million in each of the next two seasons.

Watson’s arrival in Cleveland also came amid accusations by more than two dozen women of sexual assault and harassment during massage therapy sessions while he played for the Texans. Two grand juries declined to indict him and he has settled civil lawsuits in all but one of the cases.

Watson was suspended by the NFL for his first 11 games and fined $5 million for violating the league’s personal conduct policy before he took his first snap with the Browns. The long layoff — he sat out the 2021 season in a contract dispute — led to struggles once he got on the field, and Watson made just six starts last season before hurting his shoulder.

Cleveland signed veteran Joe Flacco, who went 4-1 as a starter and led the Browns to the playoffs.

Before Watson got hurt this year, he didn’t play much better. He was one of the league’s lowest-rated passers for a Cleveland team that hasn’t scored 20 points in a game and is back in search of a franchise QB.

___

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