EDMONTON — It is one thing to play the Tampa Bay Lightning hard, outshoot them 30-23, and walk away after a 5-3 loss with your head held high. Nice try, played well, and all that rot.
It is quite another, however, to outplay the two-time Stanley Cup champs for most of 60 minutes and walk away with a commanding 4-1 win, as the Edmonton Oilers did on a raucous Saturday night at a nearly sold-out Rogers Place.
Look, when it comes to the National Hockey League playoffs, it’s less about where you finish, and more about how you are playing when the tournament begins. We can’t all be the Calgary Flames — winning every night and miles ahead of everyone in first place, their game an impeccable product that reeks of pending playoff success.
Edmonton is fighting for a spot. But with a new coach, and players beginning to return from injury, you’ve got to admit: they’re game is trending in a direction that will give them a chance when we start playing for real.
“We’ve spent a lot of time over the last three and a half weeks or so on rounding out our five-on-five game — specifically defensively. We haven’t given up a lot,” said head coach Jay Woodcroft, whose Oilers outshot Tampa 49-32 and never trailed Saturday. “That’s a positive sign for our team, because I think as you work your way down the stretch run and into playoff rounds it comes down to your five-on-five game.”
And the other thing? Edmonton’s best hockey of late has come in games against Tampa, Carolina, Washington, Calgary and Florida.
“Those are the best teams in the league,” said Leon Draisaitl, who sewed this one up with a breakaway goal that made it 3-1 late. “We have had a lot of them against us in the last couple of weeks and we have played well every game. We are hurting a little bit right now and it is going to help is a lot when those top guys are coming back. But all-in-all, I think we are finding our gear here and taking steps in the right direction.”
Connor McDavid opened this Hockey Night in Canada affair with a trademark goal, going wide on Victor Hedman and depositing the puck behind backup Brian Elliott, who was stellar. This one could have been worse — Edmonton went 1-for-7 on the powerplay, although McDavid’s crucial powerplay marker made it 2-0 right before the second intermission, a huge goal.
“The PK was really good,” pointed out Draisaitl, a unit that was perfect in four attempts — including a critical, lengthy five-on-three in a one-goal game in the third period. “I think our power play could have been sharper, but we did score a big goal to make it 2-0 at the end of the second there. You have to find the right time to score sometimes too. We did that and, five-on-five, I thought we were really solid.”
Solid?
How about big Mikko Koskinen, who quietly has shed his label as a goalie prone to the bad goal, and taken over the No. 1 job in Edmonton. The “Three Metres of Koskinen” is 9-1-2 in his last 12 starts, and with home games on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday against Detroit, Buffalo, and New Jersey respectively, you can bet Koskinen will get two of the three as the Oilers enter the easier stretch of a five-game homestand having won the opening two games against Washington and Tampa.
Tyson Barrie and Josh Archibald returned to the lineup Saturday, and Zack Kassian had another strong game coming back from a broken orbital/cheek bone. Jesse Puljujarvi is now skating in regular practices as well, leaving Ryan Nugent-Hopkins as the only major part still absent, once Puljujarvi returns.
One might say, if this Oilers team can find some health, they might just be acquiring their game at an opportune time.
“I like a lot of things about our game,” said McDavid (32-51-83), who moved back into the NHL scoring lead. “Our power play could have been better, but we found a way to get a big goal there. Obviously our PK stepped up — that five-on-three was serious — and Leo and Nurse were blocking those shots, Dunc (Duncan Keith) doing a great job, and Mikko doing his thing. I thought it was a well-rounded win.”
A win is great.
But learning how to win? That’s what is really important around here, for an up and down team that is trying to find a consistent groove.
“We had 49 shots on net tonight. That’s a real positive sign offensively, and we hit numerous posts and crossbars,” said Woodcroft, whose troops will get a day off of practice on Sunday. “We went into that third period against the two-time Stanley Cup champions and I thought we played a really mature third period.
“It didn’t go exactly according to script. There were some high drama moments. But we found a way to get the win.”
They’re right in the race, these Oilers, and looking like a team that is finding a sustainable game.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings signed forward Lucas Raymond to an eight-year, $64.6 million contract Monday, completing a deal with one of their best young players less than 72 hours before training camp begins.
Raymond will count $8.075 million against the salary cap through 2032. The 22-year-old was a restricted free agent without a contract for the upcoming NHL season and was coming off setting career highs with 31 goals, 41 assists and 72 points.
The Red Wings have another one of those in defenceman Moritz Seider, who won the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year in 2021-22.
Detroit is looking to end an eight-year playoff drought dating to the Original Six franchise’s last appearance in 2016.
Raymond, a Swede who was the fourth pick in 2020, has 174 points in 238 games since breaking into the league.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Kirk Cousins led a flawless last-minute drive for Atlanta and connected with Drake London for a 7-yard touchdown with 34 seconds left to give the Falcons a 22-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night.
Saquon Barkley dropped a short pass that stopped the clock with 1:46 left and forced the Eagles to settle for a field goal instead of a game-sealing first down. That was plenty of time for Cousins — especially against an Eagles defense playing soft coverage with a nonexistent pass rush.
The 36-year-old veteran, playing his second game since tearing his Achilles tendon last Oct. 29 while playing for Minnesota, shook off an uneven effort and hit Darnell Mooney for 21 and 26 yards on consecutive plays during the decisive drive.
Cousins found London on a short pass to his right for the tying score, and Younghoe Koo put Atlanta (1-1) on top with a 48-yard extra point after London was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. The go-ahead drive took just 65 seconds.
Jalen Hurts had his final pass intercepted by Jessie Bates III to seal Atlanta’s win and set off a wild celebration on the sideline.
The Eagles (1-1) went ahead on Hurts’ 1-yard tush push score with 6:47 left. Barkley finished with 95 yards on 22 carries in his home debut for Philadelphia, but his drop provided the Falcons with some hope.
And then Cousins started playing like the QB Atlanta thought it was getting when it signed him to a four-year, $180 million contract.
Cousins finished 20 of 29 for 241 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta’s first TD was a 41-yarder from Cousins to Mooney, who finished with three catches for 88 yards.
Hurts was 23 of 30 for 183 yards, including a touchdown pass to DeVonta Smith. With No. 1 receiver A.J. Brown out with a hamstring injury, Smith led the Eagles with seven catches for 76 yards and a score.
Jake Elliott kicked two field goals for the Eagles. His 28-yarder with 1:39 left made it 21-15.
Atlanta kept stalling in the red zone, getting three field goals from Koo, before Cousins fired over the middle to Mooney, who shook loose from C.J. Gardner-Johnson and left him on the turf before he somersaulted into the end zone with 1:21 left in the third quarter for a 15-10 lead. Cousins failed on the 2-point conversion pass.
Hurts had some juice in his step during a second-quarter TD drive, running with abandon for big plays much like he did in the 2022 season. He spiked the ball in a rare, raw show of emotion on a 23-yard run, earning a delay-of-game penalty. He shrugged off the 5-yard setback and scrambled for 9 yards and 15 yards to move the Eagles to Atlanta’s 19.
With comedian Shane Gillis and actor Bradley Cooper among the fans cheering on the Eagles, Hurts connected with Smith in the back of the end zone for a 7-yard TD that made it 7-3.
Under new defensive coordinator Vince Fangio, the Eagles have established an early knack for allowing long drives that end with three points instead of seven. Koo kicked field goals of 39, 22 and 34 yards, the last one enough for a 9-7 lead in the third quarter. In their opener, the Eagles held the Packers to just three field goals when they drove inside the 20.
Questionable call
Rather than take a chip-shot field goal from Elliott, the Eagles’ fourth-and-4 gamble at Atlanta’s 9-yard line in the first quarter failed when Hurts threw an incomplete pass.
Elliott kicked a 29-yarder with 4:31 left in the third quarter for a 10-9 lead.
Running wild
Bijan Robinson ran for 97 yards for the Falcons. The Eagles stuffed him late on fourth-and-1 at the Atlanta 39.
Barkley was quiet until the go-ahead drive, a week after he rushed for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns against Green Bay. Eagles fans booed when the opening drive of the game ended without Barkley touching the ball. They went wild when he had consecutive 9-yard runs to open the second drive. Barkley had 40 yards rushing in the first half.
Foles honored
Former Eagles QB Nick Foles, who led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title, served as an honorary captain and led the crowd in a rendition of “Fly, Eagles, Fly.”
Injuries
The Falcons played without LB Nate Landman (calf, quad).
Up next
Atlanta hosts Super Bowl champion Kansas City on Sunday.
TORONTO – Singles star Leylah Fernandez and doubles specialist Gabriela Dabrowski will anchor Canada’s five-player lineup when the team tries to defend its Billie Jean King Cup title in mid-November.
The 26th-ranked Fernandez, the 2021 U.S. Open finalist from Laval, Que., is the lone Canadian in the top 100 of the WTA Tour’s singles rankings.
Dabrowski, from Ottawa, is ranked fourth on the doubles list. The 2023 U.S. Open women’s doubles champion won mixed doubles bronze with Felix Auger-Aliassime at the recent Paris Olympics.
Marina Stakusic of Mississauga, Ont., returns after a breakout performance last year, capped by her singles win in Canada’s 2-0 victory over Italy in the final. Vancouver’s Rebecca Marino is also back and Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion from Mississauga, Ont., returns to the squad for the first time since 2022.
“Winning the Billie Jean King Cup in 2023 was a dream come true for us, and not only that, but I feel like we made a statement to the world about the strength of this nation when it comes to tennis,” Canada captain Heidi El Tabakh said Monday in a release. “Once again, we have a very strong team this year with Bianca joining Leylah, Gaby, Rebecca and Marina, making it an extremely powerful team that is more than capable of going all the way.
“At the end of the day, our goal is to make Canada proud, and we’ll do our best to bring the same level of effort and excitement that we had in last year’s finals.”
Fernandez, who beat Jasmine Paolini to clinch Canada’s first-ever title at the competition, is ranked No. 42 in doubles.
Canada, which received an automatic berth as defending champion, will play the winner of the first-round tie between Great Britain and Germany on Nov. 17 at Malaga’s Martin Carpena Arena.
Australia, Italy and wild-card entry Czechia also received first-round byes. The tournament, which continues through Nov. 20, also includes host Spain, Slovakia, the United States, Poland, Japan and Romania.
Stakusic is up 27 spots to No. 128 in the latest world singles rankings. Marino is at No. 134 and Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, is ranked 167th.
Canada will look to become the first team since Czechia in 2016 to successfully defend its Billie Jean King Cup title.
Malaga will also host the Nov. 19-24 Davis Cup Final 8. The Canadian men qualified over the weekend with a 2-1 victory over Great Britain in Manchester.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024.
