Player grades: Edmonton Oilers' defensive spine stiffens as they beat Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 - Edmonton Journal

Photo by Leah Hennel /Getty Images

The Edmonton Oilers finally did it. They held on to two-goal lead. They held on to a third period lead, giving up little in their own end.

And they beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 for a crucial win.

The Grade A shots were 15 for the Oilers, seven for Vegas (Grade A shots go in 25% of the time on average), with Edmonton having seven of the most dangerous 5-alarm variety and Vegas just one (5-alarm shots go in 33% of the time), the second game in a row the Oil have held their opponent to just one 5-alarm shot (running count).

Connor McDavid, 7. A typically fast and threatening rush on his second shift led to a dangerous shot and Draisailt’s rebound goal. He almost scored again a moment later but failed to drain a breakaway shot on Logan Thompson. Not all good, as a puck deflected off him on net and he lost a board battle leading to another Grade A shot late in the third. He was also part of the clusterfrak on the first Vegas goal. But he came up big defensively down the stretch. He also led the Oilers with seven major contributions to Grade A shots and won nine face offs, losing just three.

Derek Ryan, 7. He made a swell hand pass clearance on the PK in the first. Played a sound game at even strength, with one excellent o-zone shift cycling the puck in the last ten minutes of the third, then a key puck steal with three minutes left.

Dylan Holloway, 6. One of those games where the coach didn’t get him much ice time, just 9:24, but did well in opportunities he had, including a few key shifts down the stretch in the third.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 8. He led the Oil’s most effective two-way line. He continues to work well driving a line with Janmark and Kostin and got off a 5-alarm shot in the second. He did some solid defensive work as well, taking out Mike Amadio hard on one play. Down the stretch his line was money, the one Oilers line you could be almost certain would not be scored upon.

Mattias Janmark, 8. He got his feet moving on his first shift, burst up the middle of the ice, took Barrie’s vertical stretch and beat the Vegas goalie with a zinger near the post and in. He burst down the wing all Yvan Cournoyer and put one off the post in the second, with RNH following up with his 5-alarmer. He made a fantastic stretch pass to Kostin on his second period goal.

Klim Kostin, 7. He set up RNH’s 5-alarm shot in the second with a swell pass, the hammered in his own goal on a 2-on-1, making the almost exact same shot as Draisaitl nailed a few minutes earlier. He courageously blocked a point shot late in the second, but took it on the back of the leg.

Leon Draisaitl, 7. So much good in his game but a few glaring and costly defensive errors. He displayed the might of a weightlifter and the hands of a surgeon on his first shift, first chopping down tall tree Pietrangelo with a huge hit, then deftly batting McDavid’s rebound out of mid-air and into the net. A moment later his vertical dart sent McD in on a breakaway but no goal. He got plastered into the boards then got caught in the Red Light Zone — not covering any player or passing lane — on the first Vegas goal. He redeemed himself and restored Edmonton’s two goal lead in the second on a 2-on-1, calmly slamming a sledgehammer of a wrist shot by Thompson. But in his up-and-down game he kicked off the Sequence of Pain on the second Vegas goal, allowing his man to take the puck out from behind the net, leading to one post shot and then the goal against. In the third period, though, his defence was sound. He led the Oilers with six hits as well.

Zach Hyman, 5. OK game, some good, some bad. He made a nice little pass into space, then went hard to the net, his contribution to the Oil’s second goal. He allowed the point shot leading up to the first Vegas goal. He whipped a slot backhander on net early in the third.

Ryan McLeod, 5. He was caught in the Red Light Zone on the third Vegas goal, not covering a passing lane, not covering the shooter Karlsson. But put in good work at other times.

Warren Foegele, 6. Hustled hard. He almost jammed home a crease shot early in the game. Some solid passing and puck protection a few shifts later.

Jesse Puljujarvi, 6. He worked well early on with McLeod and Foegele. He’s looking more confident with the puck and did well on a line with Ryan and Holloway late in the third.

Darnell Nurse, 7. A solid game with few mistakes. He cut off a dangerous slot pass to Eichel early in the third. He led the team playing 24:29.

Cody Ceci., 6 He failed to stick with his man Cotter on Vegas’s second goal but was otherwise solid.

Tyson Barrie, 6. Mostly good. Thrilling heads up dagger of pass to send in Janmark for the early breakaway goal. He was called on a super soft hooking call in the second. He allowed the pass out from the corner on the third Vegas goal.

Brett Kulak, 5. He, too, failed to cover Karlsson on the third Vegas goal, with the puck deflecting in off of him. But he got the job done with the rest of his teammates down the stretch.

Evan Bouchard, 6. Mostly good in this game, did a fine job moving the puck. He found Hyman with a clever slot pass early in the third for a Grade A shot.

Philip Broberg, 7. Solid puck moving and defensive play. He took away a near goal from a driving William Carrier in the second with a strong stick check.

Vincent Desharnais, 6. Huge and hanging in there. He made a heady diagonal pass to help set up Warren Foegele’s early 5-alarm crease shot, but got into a some trouble in his own end a few moments later with tentative play. He made up for it running out Cotter in a puck battle a moment later. Roughed it up in front of the net in the third, a welcome sight. The coaches trusted him with some late game ice time.

Jack Campbell, 6. He got off well, making a fine glove grab off Reilly Smith for his first big save of the game. But after a lengthy mad scramble in front of the Edmonton net, he was down and out and deflected into his own net the first Vegas goal. Not to blame on the second Vegas goal, a rebound off a goal post shot. The third goal was deflected in off Kulak. He blocked Karlsson’s wicked slot wrister with his mask late in the third. Stopped everything he needed to do so in the third. He’s looking more confident in the net, moving better, playing the puck smartly.

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2023-01-15 06:33:45Z
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