The Edmonton dropped a 3-2 decision in New Jersey Thursday, on an evening where the Oilers bottom-9 did not piss a drop.
Edmonton pressed hard in the third period, pouring 19 shots on net, on route to a 33-21 edge on the night. But two Devils shots slithered through heavy coverage in a span of a minute-thirty-five to tip the balance. Jake Allen was excellent at the other end.
I suggest this was not a goaltending issue for Edmonton. Stuart Skinner was quite good. But if you were to pick a game where the Oilers missed big Mattias Ekholm clearing out the slot, this was it. Because no one else did.
Here is the tale of the tape…
Edmonton Oilers Player Grades
STUART SKINNER. 6. Made an early toe save as his mates played some ragged hockey in their own end. Another difficult one later on a New Jersey two-on-one. A terrific save on Hughes kept the score 0-0. The 1-0 was a rebound through traffic and all kinds of mayhem right on his doorstep. A massive save on Haula on a Devils’ two-on-one converted into Draisaitl’s 1-1 market at the other end. Turning point save. A great, across-the-crease save on Palat on the PK kept it at 1-1. Zero chance on the 2-2 as the puck slipped through a thick forest of legs and sticks. And the 3-2 was more of the same.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. Tidy feed inside to Draisaitl who just missed on the Devil’s doorstep. The two connected again late in the frame but Draisaitl went oh-fer-three in the first. Picked off a loose puck in the O-zone and threaded a pass over to Draisaitl who did not miss for the 1-1. Dug the puck out of the corner and back to the point on the Bouchard goal. Set up Bouchard for a hard shot in the third. A nifty outside move and a hard back-hand was his best chance in the third period. He appears to be “back”.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 4. Steal on a first period PK. Excellent keep on a second period PP. The Nugent-Hopkins-Podkolzin-Brown trio could not get the puck out on the 3-2. They need more from him.
ZACH HYMAN. 5. Could not jam home a rebound after a great Draisaitl chance. Provided net front on the 2-1. +2, but just one shot.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 6. Could not get his stick on a loose puck on the doorstep after a Draisaitl drive. Hit the post late in the first. Put the club ahead 2-1 on a seeing eye wrist shot from the point midway through the third. A hard slapper off a McDavid feed in the third. Much better defensively. HDSC’s 8-2 5v5.
JAKE WALMAN. 5. The fancy stats were not great, but the eye test saw Walman as one of the better Oilers D-men. A big blocked shot helped extinguish a fire drill in his own end, part way through the first. Kicked off a second period sequence that nearly ended with a Skinner goal at the other end. Hard one-timer on a second frame PP. Primary assist on the Bouchard goal. He does make this club better.
LEON DRAISAITL. 7. Big hit on his opening shift. Guilty of a turnover at the attacking blueline which spring an odd-man rush in the other direction. A hard drive to the net, barging past Hughes, for a dangerous chance. Just missed another off a McDavid feed a couple shifts later. A third chance late in the first, also from a McDavid pass. A fourth great chance came on the PP in the second when he chipped one off the back of the goalie’s mask. Ripped a wrist shot high blocked for his forty-sixth to make it 1-1. A lack of awareness n his part led to a third PK due to too many men but it was also killed off. The screen on the 2-1. A feed out to Walman in the dying seconds but the D-man could not get a stick on it. +2.
JEFF SKINNER. 5. One of the few forwards not named McDavid and Draisaitl to create some chances. First period blocked shot. Good chance on the end of a play started by Walman. Had the puck near the crease a couple times early in the third but could not stuff one home. A couple shots on his next trip out, too. But one of those needs to go in.
VIKTOR ARVIDSSON. 4. Led an attack up night that ended with a good Skinner chance. But he struggled…again.
DARNELL NURSE. 7. The Oilers best D-man in career regular season NHL game 700. Whistled for a first period trip. Blocked shot on the PK. Strong plan on the man in front probably saved a goal. High Dangers 5v5 8-3. Led the team in TOI with 25:34. Not the problem on this night. Far from it.
TROY STECHER. 4. Essentially double-teamed in front on the 1-0. Lots of effort but he was chasing a lot, too.
ADAM HENRIQUE. 4. Lovely feed to spring Podkolzin in on a partial break. Lost faceoff and hen a smidge late to the man in front on the 1-0. Better in the third on a line with Skinner.
VASILY PODKOLZIN. 4. Nasty giveaway in his own zone in the first. Swallowed up a fine Henrique pass for a good chance. A steal and a clear on a very fine PK shift. Yet another steal on a third period PK. Good on special teams, not good 5v5. Did have five hits but was -2.
CONNOR BROWN. 4. Solid PK work in the first. A fine feed to Bouchard who rang the post late in the first. Tenacious forecheck led to O-zone time early in the third. I saw a better effort from him, but the end result was not much different. -2.
BRETT KULAK. 5. Smart retrieval and clear on the first opening frame PK. A clear and a blocked shot on the third PK of the night. Earned a secondary assist on the 1-1 goal.
TY EMBERSON. 2. Was chasing this game from his very first shift. Came back hard to help derail a developing New Jersey two-on-one in the first. Not deep enough into the battle in front on the 1-0. -3 in just 11:15. Rough night.
KASPERI KAPANEN. 3. First period takeaway. Good steal on a second period PK. A decent rush and a hard wrist shot to open the third. The fourth line was pinned in their own zone on the 2-2 goal.
MAX JONES. 2. Called for what I saw as a weak interference call in the neutral one. On for the 2-2. Bad giveaway on the 2-2. Crushed 5v5 (2-8, 20%). Played just 4:45. Will need to be better than that to stay in the lineup.
COREY PERRY. 3. Nice pass on the PP that Walman had a good shot on. On for the 2-2. Little impact.
The Oilers season record goes to 37-24-4, 78 points, second in the Pacific, but now seven back of Vegas. The Islanders are next.
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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