Player grades: Bouchard, Holloway and Edmonton Oilers go from misery to joy in win over New York Rangers
Holloway #Holloway
Evan Bouchard and Dylan Holloway have been getting no shortage of criticism this year, but the two came up big as Edmonton launched a brilliant four-goal third period comeback against the New York Rangers.
There likely won’t be a more inspired comeback by the Oilers, at least in the regular season, so I’ll suggest we savour this one and hope it’s a signal of things to come, especially for Bouchard and Holloway.
Bouchard fired in two rocket shots, while Holloway twice screened the goalie on Bouchard’s goals, then fired home his own wrister to tie the game 3-3.
The young guys took it that far, then Leon Draisaitl scored the winner, 4-3 Oilers.
The Oilers could not score on their Grade A shots early in the game and could not benefit after the Rangers had two goals called back. They eventually found themselves in an extended Sequence of Pain as the Rangers got up by three goals after two periods.
But then the Young Guns came alive.
In total, the Grade A shots were ten for the Rangers, nine for the Oilers, with a subset of eight 5-alarm shots for New York and six for Edmonton (running count ).
Connor McDavid, 6. Not his best game, not close, but came up big in the clutch. He has been willing the Oil into the fight for a few weeks, but not today. He failed to rev it up with Draisaitl most of the game. But fast feet and excellent short pass was key to Draisaitl’s winning goal. He also won 10 faceoffs and lost just two.
Leon Draisaitl, 7. Did not have much jump, but made a few nice passes early on. He found Puljujarvi with a drop pass early in the second, then found McD in the slot a shift later but neither could score. Cheap call on him in the second when he was penalized for the kind of slash you see almost every shift. He hit the crossbar on a third-period wrap-around. He fired in the winner, winning a puck battle at the side of the net, bumping his grade up a full two points.
Jesse Puljujarvi, 7. He won battles all game. Hammered a wicked slot shot on net early in the game but hit the post. The Hockey Gords not helping out JP or the Oil just then. Failed to score on a wide open look early in the second. He hustled to pop a puck a moment later, leading to a dangerous McD shot. He made a fine pass to set up Bouchard’s first goal. He also won a battle to help set up a dangerous Nugent-Hopkins’ tip. He made a key d-zone clearance late in the game.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 5. Failed to make an impact until the third when he almost scored on a hard play in front of net, where his collision injured Ryan Lindgren. He made a beauty pass to set up Drai’s winning goal.
Zach Hyman, 4. Not his best game. He allowed the outside shot on the second disallowed Rangers goal. He missed the net on three dangerous slot opportunities, including a fine set up from McD late in the game.
Mattias Janmark, 5. Too quiet, but came alive in the third starting to win battles and make plays.
Ryan McLeod, 6. He deked and charged with the puck to set up Foegele late in the second but no goal. He was part of the Virtuous Cycle on Bouchard’s goal, feeding Puljujarvi in the slot, who then passed off to Bouchard,
Warren Foegele, 8. The best Oil forward. He lost a board battle leading up to the Rangers first goal. But he worked his way to wrap-around shot in the second, then got off a Grade A slot shot a moment later. He drew a penalty early in the third. Next he won the puck battle to set up Bouchard’s second goal. Unfortunately he left the game after a collision in the third. Overall, he fired 10 shots at net, four of them hitting the target.
Klim Kostin, 3. He was unable to shut down Adam Fox on the Rangers first goal. He went full Benoit Pouliot, taking an ill-advised o-zone crosschecking penalty in the second. He played must 6:29, so not his best game.
Brad Malone, 4. He won a puck behind the net and set up Holloway for a nasty slot shot. His missed shot kicked off the Sequence of Pain on the third Rangers goal.
Dylan Holloway, 8. Best game of his young NHL career by far. He made a solid horizontal pass leading to a hard Barrie shot early in the second. Failed to score on Malone’s slot pass, shooting the puck wide. He was part of the chaos in front of the Oil net on the third Rangers goal. But his moving screen was crucial to Bouchard’s goal. He set another great screen on Bouchard’s second goal. Then came his first NHL goal, snapping it by the NHL’s best goalie with an outside wrister.
Derek Ryan, 4. Like Holloway, part of the failed Oil effort on the third Rangers goal.
Darnell Nurse, 6. He played a team high 25:57. High event game for Nurse, not his first, won’t be his last. He abandoned the net front on an early NY power play 5-alarmer by Zibanejad, then lost a battle to Kreider for another 5-alarmer. His excellent back-hand pass sent in McD, Drai and JP on a dangerous rush early in the second. Made an excellent poke check to stop a driving Kakko without taking a penalty. Some solid play down the stretch.
Cody Ceci, 4. Some solid defence this game but his unforced turnover kicked off the Sequence of Pain leading to the second Rangers goal. A crucial mistake, bumping his grade down two full points.
Tyson Barrie, 5. Barrie has been solid this year so it was a sharp move to put him back with Kulak. Kulak has been struggling but had success with Barrie last season. He moved the puck well all game. But he failed to keep the puck in on the boards, allowing a 2-on-1 rush on the third Rangers goal.
Brett Kulak, 5. He rushed up in the first and set up Hyman for a harpoon, but Hyman missed the net. Overall he kept his own head above water.
Evan Bouchard, 7. He had his own mini-comeback this game. He allowed a horizontal pass into the deep slot on the first goal against. But in the third he kicked off the comeback, scoring a beauty of a goal off a rocket shot. A moment later he fired in another rocket from the point area. By the way, Oilers great Paul Coffey had some excellent advice for Bouchard in an interview between periods: “You got to do what you do best. Evan is great when he has the puck, when his feet are moving and when he puts shots on net.” And: “You want McDavid and Draisaitl to like you? Put the puck on their stick, stop putting the puck around the boards when those two are on the ice.”
Philip Broberg, 3. Welcome back, kid! On his NHL shift of the season Broberg got outmuscled in the slot and allowed a gimme putt of a goal from the crease. It was a play so wretched I feared coach Jay Woodcroft might bench him, but the coach stuck with the player. He got beat down the wing and in front of the net on the second Rangers disallowed goal. He played just 10:22. Struggled, but survived it. On to the next game for the young player.
Jack Campbell, 5. He came out with the win, which is job one for any goalie. A few good saves but struggled and gave up too many rebounds all game. Not to blame on the first goal against but got beat by Panarin a moment later only to be saved by the Hockey Gords as Panarin had earlier forced his team a smidgeon offside. He made a huge save on a Panarin harpoon at the end of the first. He spilled a bad rebound to Kakko early in the second, but Kakko missed the net. He got interfered with on what looked to be another Rangers goal in the second. His good luck on over-turned goals ended when a puck deflected in off of him late in the second. He wasn’t to blame on the third Rangers goal, and made a great early save on this particular Sequence of Pain. He made a big save on a Grade A shot by Vince Trocheck late in the game.
Death highway runs through Edmonton’s inner city. Is there an off-ramp?
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