Player grades: Despite short-staffed D-corps, Oilers dominate Ducks

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Ducks 1, Oilers 6

Saturday’s matinée got off to an ominous start for Edmonton Oilers when durable defender Brett Kulak got beaned by a point shot on his very first shift and left the contest after just 49 seconds of action.

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Into the breach stepped Edmonton’s Big Three on the back end as each of Mattias Ekholm (25:59), Darnell Nurse (25:51) and Evan Bouchard (24:20) played in the 24-26 minute range. Vincent Desharnais added a career high 21:26, while Troy Stecher, filling in for Cody Ceci (illness), chipped in 18:04. The group played a major role in limiting Anaheim Ducks to just 22 shots and 1 goal as the Oilers rolled to a 6-1 win.

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In a skirmish between haves and have-nots, it was the third time this season that the Oilers beat the Ducks by at least 5 goals. Edmonton ultimately swept the season series with 4 regulation wins and a composite scoreline of 26-8 in a sequence of games that were far from compelling. In Saturday’s final example, Edmonton dominated all shots and scoring chance metrics and had the goals to prove it. Our own analysis at the Cult of Hockey had the Oil leading by a 19-11 count in Grade A Shots (running count).

Player grades

#2 Evan Bouchard, 7. Another polished game that saw him collect 2 assists, 1 each at even strength and the powerplay. Broke up numerous opposition sorties at or even before they reached the Oilers blueline, and got the puck moving in the right direction immediately thereafter. Played a controlled game and let the puck do the work, likely mindful of the extra workload in Kulak’s absence. Kept a clean sheet defensively. Did find a moment to unleash a screamer of a Bouch bomb that rang the post. Contributions to Grade A Shots (GAS): Even Strength +2/-0; ST 0.

#10 Derek Ryan, 6. Played his part on a strong fourth line that had 70% of the shots and 100% of the goals (1-0) during his 12 minutes of even strength play. 2 shots, 2 hits, a takeaway. Had a great chance to score in the game’s final minute but couldn’t solve John Gibson. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0.

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#13 Mattias Janmark, 6. The event summary suggests he didn’t do much: 0 shots, 0 hits, 0 blocks, 0 points, +1. What it didn’t capture was the work he did away from the puck, including a splendid screen on Ekholm’s goal and another on Bouchard’s blast that rang iron, or the passes he made to help set up 2 other Grade A shots. Really had his skating legs going this last while. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 0.

#14 Mattias Ekholm, 9. An outstanding game starting with boxcars of 1-2-3, +5. Scored on a wicked clapper through Janmark’s screen. Earned a splendid assist as he sold a lead pass to Draisaitl by the side boards before slipping a gorgeous feed to Foegele break free right at the Anaheim blueline. Led the team with 25:59 in ice time and co-led the defence in shots (4), attempts (7) and hits (3). Shots were 18-8 EDM during his 23 minutes at even strength, and did I mention goals were 5-0. Now stands at a towering +40 on the season, second in the NHL. Now has 4-16-20, +24 in his last 21 games. GAS: ES +4/-3; ST 0.

#18 Zach Hyman, 7. Belatedly awarded an assist on McDavid’s solo rush, breaking a remarkable run that had seen him score EIGHTEEN CONSECUTIVE GOALS since his last helper. Took him just 19 games to do that, mind. Returned to his customary spot on the scoresheet when he ethically buried a terrific McDavid pass from 30 feet. GAS: ES +4/-1; ST 0.

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#19 Adam Henrique, 6. Opened the scoring when he deposited his own rebound from close range. Those were his only 2 shots of the game, though he did cjip in 2 hits, a block, and 2/2 in limited duty on the faceoff dot. Did take a late penalty. Now has 4 goals as an Oiler including 3 in the last 4 games. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0.

#25 Darnell Nurse, 6. Logged big minutes and played an active 2-way game. 7 shot attempts (4 on goal) at one end, 3 blocks at the other. A couple og giveaways but nothing costly. GAS: ES +3/-2; ST 0.

#27 Brett Kulak, incomplete. Knocked out of the game on his very first shot when he was beaned by a shot by a man he was once traded for, former Oiler William Lagesson.

#29 Leon Draisaitl, 7. Racked up a pair of assists to reach 60 on the season. Both were primaries, a slick drop pass to Henrique on the opening goal and a lovely give-and-go with McDavid on the powerplay. No luck with his own shots, drilling a low-angle shot off the post while his stick exploded on what appeared to be a sure powerplay goal set up by a sublime McDavid feed. Played a conscientious 200-foot game, with the Oilers outshooting the Ducks 10-4 and outscoring them 3-0 during Leon’s14½ minutes at 5v5. GAS: ES +3/-1; ST +2/-0.

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#30 Calvin Pickard, 7. Strong bounceback game from a rare off-night in Ottawa, holding the Ducks at bay until a late, well-executed powerplay goal ruined his shutout bid. Cool under pressure the few times the visitors pressed, most notably a 27-second span late in the second when he turned aside 4 of the 11 Grade A shots he faced on the night. Has now started 6 of Edmonton’s last 14 games. 22 shots, 21 saves, .955 save percentage.

#37 Warren Foegele, 7. Notched his 17th of the season when he timed his rush perfectly to receive Ekholm’s feed right at the blueline, jumped in alone and powered a shot right through Gibson’s paddle and in. 2 shots, 2 hits, 1 block with Edmonton producing 72% of shot attempts during his 14 even-strength minutes.

#39 Sam Carrick, 7. Returned to the line-up after a 2-game tour of the pressbox and delivered a strong game. Earned the primary assist on Ekholm’s blast. Nearly had a goal of his own with a nifty between-the-legs shot from the edge of the crease. His line with Janmark and Ryan controlled play, in part due to Carrick’s 10/14=71% on the faceoff dot. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 0. 

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#51 Troy Stecher, 5. Banged up early but gutted it out. Played 18 active minutes with 3 shots, 3 blocks and 3 hits. Leaked a little oil on the back end, however, being burned for 4 Grade A shots. GAS: ES +0/-4; ST 0.

#71 Ryan McLeod, 6. His speed and defensive acumen are a good fit for the veteran guile of wingers Kane and Perry. Good shot shares, even as he was himself held without a shot on goal. 10/16=63% in the faceoff circle. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0.

#73 Vincent Desharnais, 7. His best game in quite some time saw him named the third star. Finally ended a 17-game pointless drought with not 1 but 2 assists. Skated well and was solid defensively. Oilers enjoyed a 12-5 advantage in shots during his 19:11 at 5v5, which he shared with a range of D partners (Bouchard 6:07; Nurse 5:58; Ekholm 3:55; Stecher 2:24) after his would-be mate Kulak left early. A very encouraging performance. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST 0.

#90 Corey Perry, 6. The lower the puck is in the offensive zone, the better for Perry, who opened his bag of tricks with a few different power moves around the net. Nothing that resulted in a goal, but some entertaining moments all the same. 3 shots on net. Took a penalty for an extended battle behind the play with Troy Terry where both men took liberties with the rules but only one was called. GAS: +2/-0; ST 0.

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#91 Evander Kane, 5. Frustrated around the net with 0 official shots on goal, a rarity for the volume shooter. His best moment was the heavy hit he laid on Gustav Lindstrom in the immediate aftermath of his linemate McLeod being crunched by Frank Vatrano. An appropriate, tit-for-tat response within a couple of seconds. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0.

#93 Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 5. His struggles around the net front continued, as he missed the target with 3 of his 4 attempts including a couple of real good looks. A couple ofrugged moments defensively, but he delivered a key stop that likely prevented a goal. Was wrongly tagged with a penalty on the play but in the rarest of rarities, it was overturned and he was released from the the sin bin. GAS: ES +1/-2; ST 0.

#97 Connor McDavid, 8. A tough game physically for the captain, who survived a crash into the net at top speed, a blown tire at the blueline, and a disappearance down the tunnel that turned out to be a skate issue. Played a season-low 15:49 but made the most out of it with 2 goals and 1 assist. His first goal was highlight-reel material, a steal at the defensive blueline, a dash up ice, an outside move around Bo Groulx and then a nifty deke against the grain to his forehand for the finish. Added another on a splendid give-and-go with Draisaitl on the powerplay. Set up Hyman’s snipe with a terrific pass off the rush, and came close with a few other creations, notably the great feed to Draisaitl that was thwarted by an equipment fail. A couple of lax moments defensively, but nothing costly. Now has 125 points on the season, and for a time on Saturday afternoon held the league lead. 7 shots, 3 giveaways. GAS: ES +5/-2; ST +3/-0.

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