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The Edmonton Oilers toe the playoff cut-line after a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars – Edmonton Journal

Published

3 years ago

April 21, 2022

Publishing date:

Apr 20, 2022 • 9 hours ago • 6 minute read • 6 Comments

Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith (41) and Dallas Stars Jamie Benn (14) get into a pushing match during NHL action at Rogers Place in Edmonton, April 20, 2022. Ed Kaiser/Postmedia Photo by Ed Kaiser /Postmedia

To some extent, the Dallas Stars have been the nemesis of the Edmonton Oilers this season.

That changed, Wednesday night, as the Oilers outplayed the Stars over the lion’s share of the 60 minutes en route to a solid 5-2 win. To these eyes, Dallas had trouble contending with Edmonton’s quickness. The Oilers converted that advantage into a 50-36 edge in shots.

More importantly, the victory brings the Oilers tantalizingly close to punching their ticket to the post-season.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

MIKE SMITH. 8. Remained red hot. Stopped 34 of 36. No chance on the 2-1 by Jason Robertson, an absolute rocket that also may have been deflected a touch on the way in. That snapped Smith’s shut-out streak at 144 minutes 39 seconds. The 2-2 was a wild net-front scramble. Smith had many good moments on the evening but perhaps his best was on a 1^st Period Dallas Power Play, when he stopped Gurianov, Seguin and then Gurianov again in quick succession. A late stop on Pavelski (on which he lost his mask) capped off a good night. Also took a couple shots at the empty net late which had the building buzzing. The game’s 2^nd Star. .948 SV% in his last 10 starts.

CONNOR McDAVID. 8. Looks at the top of his game. Burst up the right-hand side at almost 40 km/h and slipped a lovely reverse back-hand to a hard-charging Evander Kane who swept it home for the 1-0. A gritty turnover created in the attacking zone was converted into the 4-2. Topped off the scoring by receiving an excellent pass from Keith and breaking in on the RHS before back handing it home. A terrific defensive sequence deep in his own zone early in the 2^nd. The 3-point night moves him back into the NHL scoring lead with 113.

EVANDER KANE. 7. Kane gave his club an early lead by slamming home a nifty backhander from 97. That was one of 4 shots on his evening. Provided an additional screen on the 4-2. Played a workman-like game. Didn’t at all look like he had just flown clear across the content in order to make it for game time.

KAILER YAMAMOTO. 5. Hustled but ultimately didn’t get a whole lot done. A couple shots, a couple hits. 1:50 on the PK. Threw a bit of a grenade to Ceci at the attacking blueline which very nearly resulted in a Stars odd man break in the other direction.

DARNELL NURSE. 7. Got better as the night went on. Vacated his side of the net during a goalmouth scramble and (of course, as luck would have it) the puck ended up sitting wide open in the very spot Nurse had just left. The author of the hit of the game when he launched Jamie Benn into the Oilers bench, much to the delight of the hometown crowd. Dicey give-away forced Smith to make a good stop on Pavelski. But in his 25:52 of TOI, Nurse amassed 6 shots, 5 hits and 2 shot blocks.

CODY CECI. 7. Logged a lot of hard minutes (23;54). Ceci was part of the scramble against on the 2-2. A desperation play helped prevent a Dallas jail break late in the 3^rd. 3 hits, 2 take-aways. Broke even on 5v5 scoring chances.

LEON DRAISAITL. 7. A super-smart wrist shot by Draisaitl from long range which created a rebound that Zach Hyman hunted down and backhanded in for the 3-2. A 2^nd Period laser pass sent Hyman in all alone but he couldn’t convert on that one. Threw a thundering check on Jacob Peterson in the 2^nd who was clearly wobbled by the collision. Was on the ice for 13 scoring chances 5v5, 9 of them HDSC’s, just 2 against.

ZACH HYMAN. 8. Best player on the ice. Zach Hyman skated miles, a lot of them hard miles with a defender (or two) hanging off his back. 8 shots (!) on net. Scored a huge goal, the go-ahead and eventual game winner, snapping a 2-2 tie. From there, the Oilers mostly took over for the rest of the game. Scooped up a Draisaitl pass and split the Dallas D, only to be denied by Wedgewood late in the 2^nd. On the ice for 15 scoring chances for. Named the game’s 1^st Star.

JESSE PULJUJARVI. 7. Planted himself strategically between shooter and net and had the puck go off him and in for the 4-2. Jesse Puljujarvi has been doing a lot of things right lately. Sometimes you just need one to hit you and go to a good place. But his 5v5 CF on the evening shows how the flow of play was with him on the ice (26-7, 79%). 4 shots, 3 hits. Hopefully lighting the lamp helps them start to go in a little easier.

EVAN BOUCHARD. 8. Is picking a good time to play some of his best hockey of the season. Earned a 2^nd assist on the 3-2 with a pass to Draisaitl. Then, it was his shot that deflected off Puljujarvi and in for the 4-2. Named 3^rd Star. High Danger Scoring Changes For/Against was 8-1 with him on the ice. He and Keith were excellent.

DUNCAN KEITH. 8. Keith and Bouchard had a most excellent evening on the 2^nd pairing. A sharp headman pass to Connor McDavid for the empty netter. On the ice for all 5 goals for, +5 on the night. Only a single HDSC against in 17:24. The +5 is a career high in his 1,251 game stay in the league.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. Was “just o.k.”. His line broke even on scoring chances. Nugent-Hopkins couldn’t find the puck on an excellent 2^nd Period setup from McLeod. I thought he was his best at 4v5, where he offered 1:33 of solid work. That included back-to-back zone clears during a critical Dallas PP in the 3^rd Period. 45% on draws.

WARREN FOEGELE. 6. Playing his best hockey as an Oiler. No points but played hard and fast in straight lines and was a physical as I have seen him all season. 5 shots, 5 hits, a couple good defensive back-tracks too.

KRIS RUSSELL. 6. Earned the 2^nd assist on the 1-0. Russell’s man passed off on the 2-1. Over-all a steady, veteran game. Also pitched in on the PK. As a former D-man I’d like to point out that playing both sides interchange-ably in-game is not an easy task at any level, let alone in the best league in the world.

TYSON BARRIE. 7. Earned a helper on the 2-0 with a smart slap pass down low to McLeod. 2 shots. Moved the puck well, made mostly good decisions when he was under pressure and was solid defensively. Seems to have found a home with Kulak.

BRETT KULAK. 7. Too cautious coming across to his man on the 2-1. I also thought the puck may have clipped a bit of Kulak’s stick on the way on. But it was one of precious few iffy moments for the tall defender. Led all Oilers in 5v5 CF (21-4, 84%).

RYAN McLEOD. 6. Flying. McLeod earned as assist on the 2-0 when his shot went off the bar and to the waiting Derek Ryan net side. Could have had another when he flew into the zone and zipped a pass in front to Nugent-Hopkins who couldn’t pull the trigger. Effective yet again in a minute of PK work.

DEREK RYAN. 7. Slammed home the 2-0 on a McLeod rebound. Threw himself in front of a Hakanpaa drive in the 3^rd and limped off but would later return. A part of the confusion on the 2-2. Gritty, effective performance.

ZACK KASSIAN. 6. No assist but helped create the 2-0 goal with an aggressive forecheck. Missed the puck, and his man, in the neutral zone on the 2-1. Good defensive stick in the 1^st. 3 hits.

The win, their 45^th of the season, gives the Edmonton Oilers 96 points. It was a regulation victory. So, Edmonton is now 5 points up on the Stars for the final wild card spot. And L.A. is now 4 back (with just 4 games left) and in 3^rd place in the Division.

Find me on Twitter @KurtLeavins

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Ravens win fifth straight game by beating Bucs 41-31

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15 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.

The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.

Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.

Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.

The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.

Elsewhere in the NFL:

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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.

Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.

Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.

It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.

Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.

Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.

It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.

Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

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Struggling Whitecaps, Timbers set to meet in MLS wild-card matchup

Published

15 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.

With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.

The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.

The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.

An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”

Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.

There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.

“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.

Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.

“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”

Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.

“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.

“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”

The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).

The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.

Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).

The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.

To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.

“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”

A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.

The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.

“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”

VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)

Wednesday, Providence Park

HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.

ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.

POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.

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No rugby, field hockey, badminton, triathlon or cricket at leaner 2026 Commonwealth Games

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15 hours ago

October 22, 2024

Anne Joseph

GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.

Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.

The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.

There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.

The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.

It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.

“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.

Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.

More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.

The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”

Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.

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