The nicked-up Jets draw first blood with 4-1 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1: Player Grades
Jets #Jets
The Oilers fell 4-1 to the nicked-up Winnipeg Jets Wednesday in Game 1 of the North Division Semi-Final.
The home team started quiet, not registering it’s first shot until almost half-way through the 1 st Period. The Oilers opened the scoring on Jesse Puljujarvi’s first Stanley Cup Playoff goal. But then they surrendered the lead 2 ½ minutes later and never regained it. It was a critical turning point.
Connor Hellebuyck did the job after that. The Oilers pressed, out-played and out-shot the Jets from there on in. Edmonton also lead in terms of Cult of Hockey Grade “A” scoring chances 9-7, and in shots at 33-22.
But Hellebuyck was one save better than Mike Smith. And the Jets keeper also quieted Oilers big guns Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for good measure.
Here’s the tale of the tape.
Edmonton Oilers Game Grades
MIKE SMITH . 5. Mike Smith made 2 significant early saves on a Vesalainen wrister shot (glove) and a Scheifele back-hand before his club finally settled in. But he couldn’t lasso the big rebound on the 1-1. Got a piece of the 2-1 but on a deflection like that you don’t pin it on the goalie. Smith Stopped 18 out of 20. Not the reason they lost. But it is fair to say that the guy at the other end out-dueled Mike Smith narrowly in what was otherwise a very tight-checking affair. 2 empty-netters late were obviously not on him.
CONNOR McDAVID . 5. Not his best game. McDavid scooped up a Draisaitl stretch pass and split the Jets D but couldn’t quite get rubber on net. A nice 1 st Period feed to Puljujarvi for a chance. The same 2 guys hooked up again later, but Jesse couldn’t quite cash then either. A smart 2 nd Period stick in the neutral zone. Slung the puck back to the point on the 1-0 but no assist on the play. 2 shots, 3 hits, just 31% in the circle. His line mates actually had better outings than McDavid did. The #1 unit came up empty on their lone Power Play opportunity.
DOMINIK KAHUN . 6. Had lots of jump and was around the net lots. Kahun’s dogged forecheck and then net front presence led directly to the 1-0. No assist for him on the play but they don’t score it without him. Wide on a dangerous 1 st Period opportunity. Couldn’t convert on a Puljujarvi set-up early in the 3 rd . Very next sequence, made a terrific stick check on Scheifele in the D-zone. Funneled the puck to McDavid for a 3 rd period chance.
JESSE PULJUJARVI . 8. The Oilers best player. A strong game and around the net throughout. Jesse Puljujarvi opened the scoring by finding some quiet space in the O-zone and then pouncing on a Tyson Barrie rebound for the 1-0. The celebration was worth the price of admission, wasn’t it? Jesse also just missed batting a puck out of the air and into the net on a 1 st Period setup from Draisaitl. And couldn’t convert another feed from McDavid in the 1 st . But he was dangerous all night. Fed Kahun for a 3 rd Period opportunity. 4 shots and physical, 4 hits.
DARNELL NURSE . 6. Darnell Nurse picked up an assist on the 1-0. A 1 st Period turnover led to a Jets’ jailbreak, but Nurse and Barrie were both able to back-track on Kyle Connor and negate an odd-man rush. An effective 3 rd Period strip on Wheeler. Played a ton, 28:18 to easily lead the club in TOI. Had 4 hits, and a couple giveaways too. But all-in-all, this pairing was fine.
TYSON BARRIE . 6. Tyson Barrie’s point shot led to the 1-0 goal by Puljujarvi. Good back-track to stop a Kyle Connor break in the 1st. Barrie’s PP shot tipped by Chiasson for a chance on the man advantage. Caught up ice on an early Jets rush but Smith made the save. But moved the puck well. All-Events CF of 26-15, 63%. No reason to not go back to this pairing in Game 2.
LEON DRAISAITL . 6. Distributed the puck expertly. A terrific stretch pass to McDavid late in the 1 st but 97 couldn’t convert. Could not find the range on a good 2 nd Period set-up from Yamamoto. Leon’s pass to Larsson and the resulting shot led to a goalmouth scramble that the Jets barely managed to keep out. Draisaitl’s best chance of the night came in the 3 rd , when he beat Neal Pionk and fired a stiff wrist shot that Hellebuyck nabbed. Won a 3 rd Period face-off that led to a near-miss by Jesse Puljujarvi. Stoned by Hellebuyck with a terrific toe save after a spin-o-rama move late in the 3 rd and the Jets up by 1. On for the 3-1 but that bad bounce off the ref’s skate is hardly an indictable offence.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS . 5. Smart game. Excellent 2 nd Period chance on a rebound from a Slater Koekkoek shot. That was 1 of 2 on the net for The Nuge on the night. 3 rd Period takeaway. Lots of good work on the cycle deep in Winnipeg’s zone. Dinged for a -3, but he wasn’t even partially at fault on any of them. Context matters.
KAILER YAMAMOTO . 5. Took a beating but to his credit never backed down. Drew a 2 nd Period penalty. Set up Draisaitl for a dangerous 2 nd Period shot. Late to the shooter on the 2-1. As referenced above, this line was dangerous and a little unlucky not to score one.
DMITRY KULIKOV . 6. Kulikov and Larsson could not contain the forechecker on the 1-1, but it was primarily Larsson’s man as Kulikov had fronted the shooter. Was otherwise calm and collected under pressure in his own end. Physical, 4 hits, 2 blocks. Solid.
ADAM LARSSON . 5. Lost his man on the 1-1. That’s a play your best defensive D-man has to make. And Larsson’s failure to do so swung the momentum in Winnipeg’s favor. Wasn’t bad past that, 3 shots, 5 hits. But the one mistake he made was a critical one at a critical time. Docked him a full mark for that.
RYAN McLEOD . 5. A tidy play right in front of his own net in the 1 st and then cleared the zone. Just missed a chance in front early in the 2 nd on a scramble in front. 3 rd Period takeaway. 50/50 on draws. Up-ice (in fact, he was on the bench by the time the puck went in) on 2-1. Played just 7:58 as McDavid & Draisaitl picked up a few extra shifts with this line. But for the most part you’d never have known it was McLeod’s first Stanley Cup Playoff game.
JAMES NEAL . 4. 1 st Period turnover. His lost battle up at the attacking blueline started the sequence leading to the eventual 1-1 at the other end. 2 shots, 4 hits. Effective at times with the puck (helped set up McLeod for a chance in the slot, a tip on a McDavid shot) and on the body but far from a clean slate defensively.
ZACK KASSIAN . 4. Kassian was moving well early but seemed just a tick off, perhaps not a surprise in his 1st game back after injury. Up-ice on the 1-1, but the resulting rush was at one point a Jets 1-on-2. Helped set up McLeod for an excellent chance. 2 hits, a couple near-misses but also a couple turnovers.
ETHAN BEAR . 5. Very active and effective with the puck and easily won the chances for-against battle. Solid 2 nd Period defensive play on Copp. His pass led to a Koekkoek shot on net in the 2 nd . Tremendous shift deep in his own zone in the 3 rd to win several battles and eventually work the puck out to safety. Was with his man atop the slot but did not tie up Toninato’s stick on the 2-1. And he has to. I docked him a full mark there. A rare but critical error for Bear on this night.
SLATER KOEKKOEK . 5. Slater Koekkoek was active & effective with the puck. His shot created a dangerous rebound that Nugent-Hopkins couldn’t find net with. Also helped trigger a Khaira chance late in the 2 nd . But lost a puck battle in the 3 rd deep in his own zone that led to the 2-1 seconds later. Played 11:00.
JUJHAR KHAIRA . 5. Fed Chiasson for a 2 nd period chance. Later, took a feed from Archibald but couldn’t find the netting. A 3 rd opportunity in the same Period went wide. 3 shots, 2 hits, only 38% in the circle. His line was effective on balance. I don’t see any reason to change this trio up for Game 2.
ALEX CHIASSON. 5. Played an effective game for most of the night. His tip was the Oilers lone chance on a 2 nd Period PP. That was 1 of 3 shots, added 5 hits. Caught an unlucky break on the 3-1 EN goal when the puck went off the official’s skate, past Chiasson and right to a Jets player leading to the zone exit.
JOSH ARCHIBALD. 6. Engaged. Archibald led the club with 7 hits. Threw just a thundering check in the Winnipeg end on Dylan Demelo in the 1 st which left the Jets player staggered and seemed to help Archibald’s mates find a higher gear. His 2 nd Period hit led directly to a good scoring chance by Khaira.
Next up? Game 2 versus the Jets, Friday at Rogers Place.
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