The Edmonton Oilers eliminated by Winnipeg in a hard-fought 4-3 loss in Triple overtime: Game Grades
Oilers #Oilers
The Oilers stared elimination square in the face Monday night and despite forcing triple overtime could not pull out a victory in Game 4.
Kyle Connor scored the winner on a partial break at 6:52 of the 3 rd extra period for the 4-3 final.
After the collapse in Game 3, it was fair to wonder which Oilers team would show up in Game 4. But to their credit, Edmonton arrived with their work boots on and gave it everything they had. But in the end, that was not enough…by the narrowest of margins. And yes, it was a 4-game sweep. But 3 of the 4 games ended in Overtime. One of the closest sweeps ever.
Also: No disrespect to the Jets who earned the win, but it was highly dubious of the officials in this one to hand out the only (2) man advantages in extra time to Winnipeg. And they had opportunities.
Here’s the tale of the tape.
Edmonton Oilers Game Grades
MIKE SMITH . 7. Made a tough save through traffic on the very first shift of the game. Minutes later, stoned Mark Scheifele on a terrific opportunity. Little or no chance on the 1-0, which was a terrific pass though a seam and one-timed home by Mark Scheifele. The 2-1 deflected twice including off Darnell Nurse on it’s way past Smith and into the net stick-side. A great stuff on Stastny late in the 1 st kept the Oilers in it. A glorious save off Wheeler late in the 3 rd after a Larsson giveaway. Tremendous in the 1 st OT with point-blank stops off Appleton, Wheeler, and 1-2-3 times on Nick Ehlers. Flashed out his blocker just in time to nick another Appleton drive wide in 2OT. Kyle Connor was coming back late in overtime and caught the Oilers on the long change, wristing it home for the winner. Smith stopped 39 of 43 tonight. Faced 19 Grade “A” shots, according to our Cult of Hockey count. The Oilers didn’t get swept because of him.
CONNOR McDAVID . 7. Scored just a lovely goal to tie the game at 1, taking a quick reverse from Draisaitl and then executing the successful wrap-around. Also, on the ice for both goals against in the 1 st . A smart neutral zone intercept early in the 2 nd frame. Part of the sequence on the 3-2 PP marker. Couldn’t cash on the backhand off a 2-on-1 in the 3rd Period. A slick skate-to-stick pickup off a Draisaitl pass in full flight led to a dangerous back-hand chance later that same period. Slid a shot through Hellebuyck’s pads but it ticked off the keeper’s skate and wide in the 1 st OT. His dump-in attempts in 3OT got steered in the other direction on the 4-3. No call on what was a dirty and dangerous 3 rd period knee courtesy Dylan DeMelo that the league should look at. Just edged out Draisaitl for the most TOI among forward at 45:46.
LEON DRAISAITL . 8. A powerhouse. Set up Connor McDavid for the 1-1 with a tidy reverse. Also earned the primary assist on the Chiasson Power Play goal. Lost the faceoff on the 2-1 and was on the ice for both goals against in the first 20 minutes. Whistled for a retaliatory slash late in the 1st frame. A great 3 rd Period back-hand-for-hand chance off a feed from McDavid. Just missed a great chance in the 1 st OT off a faceoff win by 97. A glorious chance on a 1-timer feed from McDavid in 2OT but hammered it wide. And he had the Oilers best chance in 3OT when he drilled a shot off Hellebuyck’s glove and mask and out. Played 44:37. Named the game’s 2 nd Star, and deservedly so. Left nothing in the tank.
JESSE PULJUJARVI . 7. Jesse earned an assist on the 1-1 with a headman pass through the neutral zone, although it was his aggressive play in front which took out 2 Jets that was more key in the sequence. Couldn’t make the play high along the wall on the 2-1. Another turnover part-way through the 2 nd . Shuffled to a new line in an attempt to spread out the offence a little and performed well in that role. Got away a good shot on a pass from Russell. Drew a late 2 nd Period slash to give his mates a 5-on-3 advantage. And had a terrific 1 st OT Period overtime chance on a feed from Nurse. For a moment looked like he’d scored the winner in Double-OT, but the disk had slipped beneath the net and was rightly waved off. One of the best Oilers over the entire series.
DARNELL NURSE . 9. Any question whether Darnell Nurse has elevated to a top-tier NHL D-man should be erased after this performance. Darnell played an incredible 62:07 and was excellent. Was the innocent victim of a double deflection on the 2-1 goal. Fired a hard shot off the side of the Jets net after a good setup from Zack Kassian and McLeod. Huge shot-block in the 1 st OT, during which one of his shifts clocked in at 4:47. Beat Kyle Connor back to his own goal-line to force a draw back in the Winnipeg zone. Fed McDavid for a wonderful chance in 2OT but a smart Josh Morrissey stick interrupted the chance. The 62:07 Nurse turned in was 3rd highest in a single game of all-time, behind only Seth Jones (65:06) and Sergei Zubov (63:51). And neither of those other 2 did it on the 2nd of back-to-back nights. Damned impressive.
TYSON BARRIE . 8. Perhaps Barrie’s best 2-way game as an Oiler. Played a whopping 49:15 and was very strong defensively. Barrie broke up the play deep in his own zone, starting the puck headed in the other direction for the eventual 1-1. A bad pass at the point cost the Oilers zone time on a 2 nd period PP, one of the few blemishes in his game. Took a feed from McDavid in the 3 rd but fired it wide. A key defensive stick in the 1 st OT. A big shot block of a Kyle Connor drive in 2OT. In all, 5 shots, 3 hits, 3 blocks. The club has a big decision to make on Barrie. He was good this year. Hard not to want the NHL’s leading scorer among D-men back on your squad.
RYAN McLEOD . 5. Part of the sequence in the 1 st that led to a good chance for Nurse. Two excellent defensive plays part-way through the 2 nd , a neutral zone back-check and then hustled back to erase Mark Scheifele on a dangerous looking Jets jailbreak. A 3 rd period clear. A neutral zone intercept snuffed a Jets rush a shift later. Didn’t play much after that and not at all in OT as Dave Tippett shortened his bench. Solid.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS . 8. A tremendous individual effort by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on the 2-2 as he fired a wrist shot that Hellebuyck couldn’t handle cleanly, then Nuge beat Neal Pionk to the rebound and sliced the backhand home for his 1 st of the series. Just missed giving the club the lead on the PP later but couldn’t drain a hot cross-the-crease pass from Chiasson. Later, his slot-to-the-circle pass to Draisaitl led to the 3-2. Couldn’t convert a 3 rd Period wrap-around. Won a key D-Zone faceoff with just 3 minutes left in the 3 rd and added a late period strip. A terrific pass right onto the doorstep for Kassian in 2OT but the puck hopped over 44’s stick. Fired a shot high in 3OT off a feed, also from Kassian. A key battle and clear later in 3OT. Easily his best game of the series if not in months. Will he be back?
ZACK KASSIAN . 7. Earned the primary assist on the Nugent-Hopkins goal. Nice pass to McDavid in the 1 st but 97’s shot was deflected high. 1 st Period takeaway. Closed hard and erased Scheifele along the wall late in the 3 rd . An excellent battle won along the wall and then a clear of his zone. Bad-luck bounce on an OT chance at the doorstep on a setup by 93. Led the club in hits with 6. These 2 last games were vintage Zack Kassian.
KRIS RUSSELL . 7. Russell was tremendous in his first game back from injury and played an impressive 32:40. Imagine how hard it is to get back up to game speed AND play that much. 1 st Period shot block. Picked up and cleared a dangerous rebound on a 1 st Period PK. Fed Puljujarvi for a 2 nd Period shot. 3 rd period shot block at the top of the red zone. Solid hit on Wheeler in the 3 rd . A major battle won in his own zone that Nugent-Hopkins cleared to safety. Another clear the very next shift. Stripped Connor of the puck in 3OT, allowing for a Nurse clear.
ADAM LARSSON . 5. Larsson was in the box on a holding call on the 1-0. He earned the secondary assist on the 2-2. Drew a 2 nd Period holding call which ultimately led to the 3-2. Failed to get the puck deep, instead turning it over and forcing Mike Smith to stone Wheeler at the other end. Took the wrong turn on the final play of the game. Played 39:00. But it wasn’t the best performance we’ve seen from Larsson.
GAETAN HAAS. 6. An eye-opening performance under pressure by Gaetan Haas who skated miles. He took a no-doubt tripping call in the 1 st, but his mates managed to (barely) hang on to kill it off. Excellent blocked shot off Connor in 2OT. Held bis breath in 3OT after a shot over the glass landed him in the box. Stepped up on the PK with Archibald out on a 1-game suspension, and performed well. 4 hits, 6 blocks, 67% in the circle.
TYLER ENNIS . 5. A sneaky 1 st Period wrap-around. A very good chance in 2OT off a feed from Puljujarvi. Narrowly on the chances for-against battle. Smart veteran game with lots of hustle.
KAILER YAMAMOTO. 6. His best game of the series and was elevated onto the McDavid-Draisaitl line for most of the game. Drew a 2 nd period PP. Set up by Draisaitl and McDavid for an opportunity in front but the Jets defender tied him up. Drew a 2nd Period slashing call. Just missed a tip in the 3 rd from a Nurse-Draisaitl setup. Whistled for an OT penalty when you normally need to commit a heinous offence. It was killed off, but a subsequent call against the Jets was not forthcoming. Fed Nurse for a chance in 2OT but it skittered wide.
ETHAN BEAR . 4. Bear helped bail out a wandering Mike Smith with a clear under pressure in the 1 st . Threw himself in front of a shot after Slater Koekkoek had turned it over in the 1 st . A terrific takeaway and clear early in the 2 nd . But a 5-alarm turnover in his own zone (with the puck under control and with time) off is back foot led directly to the 3-3. Bear sat on the bench from then until 3OT, when he made an excellent defensive stop in his own zone. The goal was scored on his change, but Larsson was on in time to make the read.
SLATER KOEKKOEK . 5. A 5-alarm 1 st Period turnover. An exchange between Koekkoek and McDavid led to a Nurse point shot on net. Only played 9:58 and none of that in overtime. A little surprising, considering how well he played in the first 3 games. Maybe he was hurt?
JUJHAR KHAIRA . 5. An important clear in 3OT after having sat on the bench for ages (2 periods). That’s damn tough to do. 5:10 shorthanded over-all. 4 hits. 50/50 on draws.
ALEX CHIASSON. 6. A terrific, patient look on the 2 nd Period PP gave the Oilers their first lead of the night. His net-front work is exactly why he’s on the Man Advantage. But sat the back-half of the game as the bench shortened.
DEVIN SHORE. 5. A poor turnover led to a Jets 3-on-2 in the 2 nd, but Wheeler fired it high. Another turnover in the 3 rd but nothing came of it. But Shore elevated his play considerably in the back half of the game. 3 rd Period takeaway. Excellent back check on Scheifele in 2OT. A gritty steal and chance in 3OT.
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