2 weeks Ago By David Staples, Edmonton Journal
Article content In the absence of their best player, the Edmonton Oilers played their best game of the 2024-25 season, a hard-working, hard-checking, hard-punching, hard-shooting 5-1 win over the Nashville Predators. The top line of Leon Draisaitl, Viktor Arvidsson and Vasily Podkolzin led the way, Drai with two goals, Arvidsson with one, and Podkolzin with the most devastating punch in an Oilers hockey fight I’ve seen in years. In the end the Grade A shots were 14 for Edmonton, eight for Nashville, with the subset of 5-alarm shots six for the Oilers, four for the Predators.
Leon Draisaitl, 9. Leon led from start to finish. Two goals, one assist.
Came out flying, setting up Arvidsson with a cool-hand pass on the first goal. He got caught too deep a moment later and allowed a 5-alarmer from Marchessault. He pounced on the puck at the o-zone blueline and broke in for a breakaway and excellent snipe in the second.
He won a hard puck battle, a solid d-zone stop late in the second. He put the game away 4-1 with a great break-in snapper off the post and into the net. Contributions/mistakes on Grade A shots (GAS): Even Strength +4/-2; Special Teams 0/0 Viktor Arvidsson, 8.
Great hustle, good results. He’s burning to shoot and it’s finally paying off. Went to the net early, getting two Grade A chances on his first shift, one of them a gimme putt into an open net.
GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 0/0 Vasili Podkolzin, 8. Wow. Just as we were complaining about a lack of aggression on the Oilers Podkolzin brought a heater of a physical game.
He forced the turnover to kick off the Virtuous Cycle on Edmonton’s first goal. He took a fight in the third with Jeremy Lauzon, who threw two Mike Tyson over hand right hands to blast the Nashville d-man to the ice, then to the locker room. Rarely will you see such two hard punches land in a hockey fight.
A brutal beating. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0 Zach Hyman, 7. Did his bit.
Got a goal. Good game, good night. Took a puck hard to the net in the first, but,yet again, no cookie.
But he broke in in garbage time in the third to snipe it top shelf where Momma keeps the cookies. GAS: ES +2/-0; ST 0/0 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 5. A better game.
He reached in where he should not have and took an early o-zone penalty. He made a swell drop pass on a Nurse one-timer. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Jeff Skinner, 7.
Some good work here. He made a swell stretch pass to send in Hyman for a Grade A in the first. Almost scored on a third period wrap-around.
A moment later he blocked a hard outside shot. He made a cold-blooded past through the d-zone slot to kick off Hyman’s breakaway scoring sequence. GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 0/0 Adam Henrique, 5.
Some good work on the PK. At evens, his line held in there. Not much on the attack but they kept it clean on defence.
GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/1 Connor Brown, 5. After Scissons knocked down Pickard with a stiff shoulder (no penalty for some reason), Brown smartly buried the puck under Edmonton’s goalie. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/0 Mattias Janmark, 6.
He made a nervous play, shooting the puck over the glass for a penalty late in the second. But he likely saved a goal against when Pickard lost his net on an early third period wrap-around. “It was a great defensive play,” Sportsnet’s Louie DeBrusk said.
Janmark also set up Philp for a jam shot. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/1 Noah Philp, 8. Great way to start an NHL career, a bonus grade for that.
Got it done. Some good patience and puck protection in his first NHL game. He kicked off one of Edmonton’s best o-zone cycles of the year with a face-off win, then made a slick pass into the slot for Drake Caggiula’s harpoon, which Perry cashed in.
He won ten out of 14 face-offs. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 0/0 Corey Perry, 7. Caggiula failed to scored on his slotter, but Perry had better luck, grabbing the rebound and slamming it in for Edmonton’ second goal.
Quiet otherwise but that was a huge goal. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0/0 Drake Caggiula, 7 . Came out all bristling and hard work, and quick found a quiet spot to take a pass and wire a hard shot on net on Perry’s goal.
GAS: ES +2/-0; ST 0/0 Evan Bouchard, 6. His uggo turnover led to O’Reilly’s nasty first period harpoon. Took a hit to make the initial play on Draisaitl’s second goal.
GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0/1 Mattias Ekholm, 7. Edmonton’s best d-man got it done yet again. Some solid passes in the first, then a super solid hit on Luke Evangelista in the second.
Snapped a fine pass to Drai on Edmonton’s fourth goal. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0/2 Darnell Nurse. 8 .
That is more like it, Mr. Nurse. He was called on a cheap penalty in the second.
He moved up with the rush and launched a hard one-timer on net a few shifts later. Beautiful stretch pass to send in Human on his goal. Best of all, he kept a clean sheet at even strength, not one mistake on a Grade A shot against at even strength.
GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 0/0 Travis Demott, 6. Sold game, best of his short Oilers career. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST 0/0 Ty Emberson, 7.
I’m starting to like this player. Solid game. He blasted Zachary L’Heureux with a hit, then beat up his defender Cole Smith in a fight.
He made a key defensive stop and shot block on Gustav Nyquist early in the second. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST 0/0 Brett Kulak, 6. Good game marred somewhat by one bad mistake.
He tried to force a puck out up the middle on an early PK and it blew up in his face, Filip Fosberg picking it off and snapping in a 5-alarm slotter. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0/1 Calvin Pickard, 7. Was steady when that was called for and made a few big saves.
Little chance on Forsberg’s early rocket, but stopped a nasty slotter from Marchessault shortly thereafter, then an even more dangerous shot from Ryan O’Reilly off of Bouchard’s turnover. Stoned O’Reilly again late in the third..
