1 week Ago By David Staples, Edmonton Journal
Article content The Edmonton lost lost their third-period lead, lost in overtime and lost Darnell Nurse in a tough night in Toronto. Nurse left the game after taking a head shot from Ryan Reaves early in the second period. In total the Grade A shots were 13 for Edmonton, eight for Toronto, with the subset of more most dangerous 5-alarm shots being six to four for Toronto.
Related: ‘Ugly, ugly hit’: How many games will Ryan Reaves get for head-hunting Darnell Nurse? Here are the Cult of Hockey game grades: Connor McDavid , 7. A goal, an assist, 24:46 of ice but also some bad luck and one or two bad plays. Some good moments on the attack early on.
But a turnover from the normally sure-handed McD kicked off the Sequence of Pain on Toronto’s first goal. He was weirdly part of what went wrong on Toronto’s second and third goals, but more by way of weird bounces than anything else. That said, his pass on the third Toronto goal could have been safer if he’d put it around the boards.
His wild and aggressive attack on net led to Edmonton’s monster third goal. He may have (smartly) knocked Anthony Stolarz’s stick out of his hands on the third goal, but there was no Toronto challenge on the play. Charged up ice for the first Grade A of overtime.
Contributions/mistakes on Grade A shots (GAS): Even Strength +3/-3; Special Teams 2/0 Zach Hyman, 5 . Good hustle, not much in the way of results. He was thwarted by a good stick at the side of an open Toronto net in the first.
He got called on a super chintzy interference call as two players collided late in the first. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 2/0 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 6. Early backhander for a Grade A shot.
He chased behind his own net on an early PK, opening the door to a wicked Toronto slot shot. Solid stick-check on the 5-on-3 kill in the second. Battled hard in front of Edmonton’s third goal.
GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/1 Leon Draisaitl, 6. His line looked out of sync in the first with Drai holding the puck too long. He made an excellent clearance late in the second to relieve a lengthy Toronto possession spell.
He picked himself up off the ice to slam in the game-tying goal late in the third. His turnover on the attack was the key mistake in the Sequence of Pain on Toronto’s winning goal, though a save from Stuart Skinner certainly would have been nice. GAS: ES +4/-1; ST 1/0 Corey Perry, 3.
Not much to report in this one. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Vasili Podkolzin, 6. Excellent rush up the ice and Grade A shot in the second.
A moment later made a great pass to setup Emberson for a dangerous shot. Solid on defence. Tied with Emberson for team lead in hits with four.
GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 0/0 Adam Henrique, 7. Good game from the vet. Excellent high tip from in tight — a Rico specialty — for the first goal.
He almost buried another one late in the third on another tight slot shot. Some good defensive coverage on Mitch Marner in the last minute of regulation. GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 0/0 Connor Brown, 6.
Kicked off the Gold Rush of Edmonton’s first goal, sending a high lob pass to send in Janmark and Henrique. Later that period he allowed a Nylander slot shot but got a wee piece of it so it hit the post. He broke in late in the first for a sharp PK shot.
GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/0 Mattias Janmark, 7. Excellent backhander into space on Henrique’s goal. Set up Henrique for a great shot late in the third.
Did his bit. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Derek Ryan, 4. OK in limited role.
Could not get off a shot — due to solid defending — on two excellent passes from Skinner in the first. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Jeff Skinner, 6. A few good moments on offence.
Has earned a bump up the line-up. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0 Evan Bouchard, 2. A few good moments but a few horrendous and momentous ones as well.
He blasted a solid shot on net in the second — the only really good one of the Oil’s 5-minute power play — but missed the net on a wide open 95-mph look in the third. The Oilers seemed to have this one under control but he tried a risky pass up the middle in his own zone, which got deflected off Connor McDavid to Matthew Knies on the game-tying goal late in the third. Not OK.
Not even close to freakin’ OK. A moment later, after the puck took a weird bounce to the Edmonton end, he and Ekholm got beat on the rush for Bobby McMann’s breakaway goal. GAS: ES +1/-3; ST 2/0 Mattias Ekholm, 6.
High event, some good, some bad. His heavy stick thwarted a Nylander goal at the side of the net in the first. He took an ill-advised cross-checking penalty on Knies in the second, leading to a 5-on-3 powerplay for Toronto, but no goal.
He was one of the two culprits on McNann’s race-to-the-puck go-ahead goal in the third. He won the puck to kick off Edmonton’s Virtuous Cycle on the Oil’s third goal. GAS: ES +2/-2; ST 0/0 Darnell Nurse, 7.
Monster block of a Rielly PP harpoon late in the first. He took a illegal hit to the head from Ryan Reaves early in the second, leaving him bloody, knocking him from the game. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0 Travis Demott, 5.
OK in limited minutes. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Ty Emberson, 6. One of his better games, even with a few weak moments.
He lost his man McMann out of the corner on Toronto’s first goal. He got a rare Grade A shot off late in the second. Threw a hard hit in the third.
GAS: ES +1/-2; ST 0/1 Brett Kulak, 6. Solid game, but ee lost his man John Tavares out of the corner on the first shot of Toronto’s first scoring sequence. GAS: ES +1/-3; ST 0/0 Troy Stecher, 7.
Earned his keep in this one. Solid skating in this one. Quietly got the job done.
Won a huge battle to key a 5-alarm shot by the Oil late in the third. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0 Stuart Skinner, 3. Eight Grade A shots, four goals against, not good enough.
He got the first shot, but not the second, on Toronto’s early goal, then came up huge to thwart a Morgan Rielly PP slotter a moment later. Little action in the second and early third periods, then little chance on the second goal against. But looked awkward and too far out of his net on the third Toronto goal.
He likely should have come out to play the puck. A save on the OT goal would have been nice as well. Not his best game for sure.
Related: ‘Ugly, ugly hit’: How many games will Ryan Reaves get for head-hunting Darnell Nurse?.
