Player grades: Heart and back-breaking, Winnipeg Jets’ OT win puts Edmonton Oilers in deep hole
Oilers #Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers played a strong game, out-chancing the Winnipeg Jest, but they’re nonetheless now in a deep, deep hole.
Paul Statsny’s outside shot in overtime was screened by both Dmitry Kulikov and Adam Larsson and found its way past Mike Smith.
Overall, Edmonton had 13 Grade A chances to 10 for the Jets, with Winnipeg dominating the first, but Edmonton coming on strong after that ( running count ). But not to be.
Connor McDavid, 6. He made major contributions to four Grade A chances, good but not good enough. He and Draisaitl came out charged up, banging bodies and setting up Darnell Nurse for outside shots on net on their first two shifts. But as the game progressed, McD’s line started to struggle against Winnipeg’s Scheifele line, though McDavid was slowed by all kinds of Jets interference. He had a great chance off a Draisaitl power play rebound but could get it through the madness of the crowd in front of the Jets net.
Leon Draisaitl, 8. Great game from from the Great German. He made major contributions to nine Grade A chances, many of them of an extremely lethal variety. His quick mid-air puck pick and breakaway in the first was thwarted by a Hellebuyck poke-check. A moment later the puck jumped over his stick on an open net off a rebound shot. He had a strong rush to set up a Nurse crease crash shot in the second. He got off his first deadly Executioner’s Shot off a Barrie feed in an early third period power play. A moment later he got off a second slashing one-timer but again Hellebuyck’s thwarted him.
Jesse Puljujarvi, 6. He looked good on the first line, but was unable to execute near the Jets net. He was hooked on a slot chance in the first, but no penalty call from referees. He almost jammed in the rebound of Nurse’s rebound jam.
Dominik Kahun, 5. He was having a quiet game, then took an Ethan Bear stretch pass and shredded a right-left seamer to Slater Koekkoek in the slot for a 5-alarm shot early in the third. He got benched after that, with Neal taking his place on the RNH line.
Kailer Yamamoto, 4. Buzzing around but not to great effect. On Adam Lowery’s first period breakaway he failed to pick up the Jets trailer, who got off a 5-alarm rebound shot. he drew a roughing penalty in a joust with Perreault.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 4 . He made three solid clearances in a row on a first period penalty kill. But he chipped in little of note on the attack. He’s not a driver of his own line, yet that’s what was asked of him this game. I’m not sure why the coach went with this line, to be honest, as it had limited success in the regular season and it’s not built for any kind of heavy hockey action.
Jujhar Khaira, 6 . He took an ill-advised interference penalty on a late hit in the first. He got off a solid shot in the second off passes from linemates Archibald and Chiasson. He got his second Grade A chipping it in, picking it up, and jamming the net hard with a shot. He led the team with six hits.
Josh Archibald, 5. He came out hitting, drilling huge Logan Stanley into the boards. He was over-aggressive on an early kill, leading in part to a 5-alarm Mark Scheifele one-timer from the slot, which Larsson was able to block. Solid otherwise with usual hustling effort.
Alex Chiasson, 4. He could not find a way to help out much. Workmanlike effort, but not much in way of results. He was benched with McLeod and Kahun in the third, then got a good look in overtime, but could not get the shot off quickly enough.
Ryan McLeod, 4. He missed the net on a shorthanded chance in the first. He was benched in the third, as the Oilers went to three lines.
James Neal, 5. He came on as the game went on, getting moved up to the RNH line.
Zack Kassian, 3. He finally got a crunching hit on Winnipeg’s Trevor Lewis early in the second. But did not contribute much else.
Darnell Nurse, 7. Much more good than bad in his 32:53 of ice time, although the bad was pretty rotten. Horrendous moment early in the game when he and Tyson Barrie got beat on a first period face-off, allowing Kyle Connor in for a quick breakaway and rebound shot. But he got broke out for a strong rush chance early in the second. Next, he crashed the net and with two jam shots almost put in Draisaitl’s rebound. He led the team with six shots.
Tyson Barrie, 3. Weak defensively, to the point he was in the middle of most of Winnipeg’s most dangerous chances. Five mistakes on Grade A chances against. He was an equal partner on the horrendous breakdown in the first. He also got deked by Copp for a Grade A shot against. He got off a few solid outside shots at net in the second, then broke in off clever passing from McDavid and Draisaitl late in the second to put a shot off Hellebuyck’s head. He got deked by Connor, leading to a 5-alarm backhander by Connor half-way through the third. He allowed a scary pass to Connor in the deep slot late in the game, but Smith poke-checked the Winnipeg attacker.
Adam Larsson, 6. He blocked a one-timer slot shot from Scheifele early in the first. He had another solid block on Perreault in the third. But he and Kulikov made a double screen of Smith on the winning goal in OT. Docked them both a full mark for that.
Dmitry Kulikov, 6. He made two stretch passes in the second leading to Grade A Oilers chances. He also beat Connor to a juicy rebound in the second. Screened Smith on the winner, which was a bit of bad luck, the only kind the Oilers are getting just now.
Ethan Bear, 6. He got the Oilers off on the wrong foot early on when he got caught on a bad pinch and allowed an Adam Lowery breakaway, taking a penalty on the same play. He made a fine stretch pass on Koekkoek’s slotter. Otherwise he looked OK.
Slater Koekkoek, 6. He was having a fine game until he allowed the sneaky Copp to sneak in behind him for a dangerous shot in the second. Had a great chance to score early in the third but could not drain it.
Mike Smith, 7. He kept the Oilers in this game, with six saves on Grade A shots in the first. His first save came quick, a Grade B outside wrister off the stick of Blake Wheeler, through a Barrie screen. A moment later, held his position, stick on ice, to thwart Lowery’s breakaway and a subsequent rebound shot. Next got his pad on a wicked Kyle Connor power play one-timer. His most stupendous saves in the first came on the two Connor 5-alarmers in the first. Things were generally quiet for him until Connor deked Barrie for yet another 5-alarmer. Smith also poke-checked Connor as he cut to the net late in the third. He was screened by Kulikov and Larsson on the winner. Even though it wasn’t his fault, I had to bump his mark down a full grade for that because the bottom line is it beat him for the OT winner. Otherwise he was great.
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