The Edmonton Oilers defensive game which looked so good against Boston two nights earlier totally abandoned them in the first ten minutes of Thursday night’s tilt against Pittsburgh.
They gave up four goals in a period for the first time all year. And in the process failed to grab a lead for the first time in eight. But then, they fired 20 shots on net in a comeback second frame. Sixteen more came in the third.
But in the end, between score effects and Oilers pressing hard, Edmonton was the better team over the final forty but could not make up for their earlier sins.
Make the final 5-3 Pens.
Here is the tale of the tape…
Edmonton Oilers Player Grades
STUART SKINNER. 4. Allowed five on twenty-six shots. But that is misleading. He had zero chance on the first three. You perhaps wanted him to have the 4-1, but it certainly was not all on Skinner. And it was a fortuitous bounce for the Pens on the 5-1. A late save on Crosby to keep the game 5-3 was perhaps his best. But a couple of partial breaks stopped as well. Deserving of a better fate.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Kris Knoblauch went to the McDavid-Draisaitl-Hyman trio about 5 minutes in with great effect. Secondary assist on the 3-1. Perfect pass across to Draisaitl for the 5-2. Fed Nugent-Hopkins in the high slot for the 5-3 after drawing the penalty that put the Oilers on the PP.30-17, 64% 5v5. I did not have much fault with his game.
CONNOR BROWN. 4. Not much rhymed for Brown tonight. A shot, a hit, and a block. Lost the possession battle 5v5.
ZACH HYMAN. 5. Most of the game with 97 and 29 and was very effective on the attack. But slow to his man on the 3-0. A hard drive to the net, his backhand shot creating the rebound that Draisaitl drained for the 3-1. Then, overcommitted on the 4-0. No assist on the 5-3 but his recovery below the goal line was critical to the play. Three shots.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 6. Eleven shots on net. Eleven! Caught puck watching on the 1-0. But he was otherwise pretty good overall, and very good with the puck. Top-to-bottom pass for an assist on the 5-3. Played 26:53.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 5. High Events game. His man managed to get a stick on the 1-0 right in the deep slot. A bad bounce off the end boards shot the puck out front, and Ekholm could not react fast enough, resulting in the 5-1. Excellent keep at the blueline on the 5-2. High Dangers 4-5 5v5.
LEON DRAISAITL. 7. The best Oilers skater and the only Plus player among Edmonton’s Forwards. Jumped on a rebound for his 30th of the season to make it 3-1. Hammered home a one-timer to make it 5-2, just after ringing one off the post seconds earlier. And it was Leon that drew the penalty that led to the man advantage. Just missed scoring the 5-4 on back-to-back chances in tight. Seven shots.
VASILY PODKOLZIN. 5. Industrious effort. Took a penalty. A shot and a hit.
VIKTOR ARVIDSSON. 6. Five shots. Solid possession game.
DARNELL NURSE. 4. A godawful start. It got way better as the game wore on, but the damage was done. A turnover deep in his own zone then got running around on the 2-0. Same problem on the 4-0. Three shots, -2.
JOSH BROWN. 6. Solid performance. Part of the problem deep in his own zone on the 4-0. But he was quite good otherwise. Credited with four hits but was physical all night.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. Whistled home the 5-3 on a wicked wrist shot from the high slot on a very patient play. But struggled in the middle away from 97.
KASPERI KAPANEN. 3. This line was crushed. HDSC’s 5v5 0-3.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 3. An uncharacteristically bad night in his own end. Numerous High Dangers allowed with him on the ice.
BRETT KULAK. 4. Rare off game. Screened his own goalie on the 2-0. Lost a puck battle in the corner on the 3-0. High Dangers 0-5.
TY EMBERSON. 5. Led the club in hits with four. High Dangers 0-2 5v5.
ADAM HENRIQUE. 5. Lost his man on the 3-0. A 50-50 game otherwise. 71% on draws.
JEFF SKINNER. 4. Caught on the wrong side of his man on the 3-0. One shot in about eight minutes of work.
COREY PERRY. 5. Terrific possession game, a 5v5 CF of 13-3, 81%. Two shots.
The Oilers season record goes to 25-13-3, 53 points, second in the Pacific. They are in Chicago Saturday.
Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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