Player grades: Embattled Oiler rocks the crease as Edmonton ...

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Published Nov 30, 2024  •  Last updated 39 minutes ago  •  5 minute read

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Stuart Skinner came up with a great game just when he needed one, leading the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-1 thumping of the Colorado Avalanche.

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Skinner has been struggling this year, but not this night. He was solid as the Avs put 12 Grade A shots on net, two of them 5-alarmers. The Oilers had 14 Grade A shots, five of them 5-alarmers.

Connor McDavid, 7. One assist. Relatively quiet night, but a few key plays. He started his shake-and-bake act on a shift half-way through the first, making a number of delicious moves before puck-protecting around Nathan MacKinnon and Devon Toews, then snapping a back hand seam pass to  Kasperi Kapanen to score. He gave a nasty penalized face punch to Calvin De Haan late in the second. Contributions/mistakes on Grade A shots (GAS): Even Strength +1/-1; Special Teams 1/0

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Kasperi Kapanen, 6. He was slow to recognized danger on a line change in the first, leading to a break in Grade A shot by Nathan MacKinnon. But a moment later made no mistake, pounding in McDavid’s pass for Edmonton’s first goal. GAS: ES +2/-2; ST 0/0

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 6. Looking more like his old, better self after a rough start to season. One goal, one assist. He made a solid defensive stop in the slot early on. He lost track of shifty, speedy Cale Makar on two first period wristers.  Hard back check and push to thwart Chris Wagner’s break-in attempt. Battled hard to win a puck, then worked a give-and-go with Connor Brown, almost scoring in the third. He broke up ice to score the empty-net goal. GAS: ES +3/-3; ST 1/0

Leon Draisaitl, 8. Brought his “A” game. His usual excellent job puck protecting and passing. He did a go-go give-and-go with McD leading a dangerous power play shot early in the second. He made a great pass in the Virtuous Cyle leading to Podkolzin’s goal. GAS: ES +4/-1; ST 1/0

Connor Brown, 6. Solid work ethic, decent results. He got taken out by a wicked and illegal pick play by Ivan Ivan on the first Avs goal, but no penalty call. Fed RNH for a Grade A. GAS: ES +1/-2; ST 1/0

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Vasili Podkolzin, 7. He’s bringing it, playing a better two-way game this year than Dylan Holloway brought to the team last year. He jumped on a loose puck and almost pounded in a goal in the second. A moment later, excellent tip on his third goal in three games. Strong defensive work in all situations. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST 0/0

Adam Henrique, 7. Sold, smart veteran game. Jammed on net a power play shot in tight early in the second. He sent in RNH on the fourth goal. GAS: ES +2/-0; ST 2/0

Jeff Skinner, 7. Good game at both ends. He made a stretch pass to send in Janmark on a first period breakaway.  Excellent puck protect and pass to kick off the Virtuous Cycle on Kulak’s goal. GAS: ES +3/-0; ST 1/0

Mattias Janmark, 7. He wiped out Colorado’s goalie and took an early penalty. He held off his check on a breakaway and got off a decent shot. He executed a Total Eclipse of the Sun screen on Kulak’s goal. GAS: ES +3/-1; ST 0/0

Derek Ryan, 5. Quiet game, but nothing too bad. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST 0/0

Corey Perry, 5. Same as Ryan. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0

Drake Caggiula, 4. Same as Perry, just not quite as effective. GAS: ES +0/-2; ST 0/0

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Evan Bouchard, 7. A rare game where he wasn’t much noticed, but in a good way.  He broke up a passing play to kick off RNH’s empty net goal. GAS: ES +1/-2; ST 1/0

Mattias Ekholm, 7. Got the job done in fine fashion. GAS: ES +0/-2; ST 0/0

Darnell Nurse, 6. Another solid game, but he got beat on rush for a dangerous MacKinnon Grade A in the third. Solid block off a Nichushkin shot late in the game, then a key clearance on the PK. GAS: ES +1/-3; ST 0/1

Troy Stecher, 8. He’s coming on strong, skating extremely well just now and making heady plays at both ends. Cleared to safety a wicked rebound in the first. He dangled with the puck to help send off Drai for a Grade A, then worked the puck well on some other Grade A sequences, before slamming his own Grade A on net, then walking the line, firing and having Podz tip in his outside shot. He kept a clean sheet at even strength, not one major mistake on Grade A shot at even strength. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST 1/0

Ty Emberson, 6. He won a slot battle early on, negating a dangerous moment for the Avs. He got out-raced to the puck by MacKinnon on a breakaway but the Avs forward failed to hit the net. Took a MacKinnon harpoon in the chest, a key PK block in the third. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST 0/0

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Brett Kulak, 6. Nasty turnover in the first through the crease but Nichushkin failed to drain it. But it looked like he got enough of a slash on MacKinnon to force a missed shot on a breakaway. Key shot block in second. Fired in the outside shot for Edmonton’s third. He too kept a clean sheet. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST 0/0

Stuart Skinner, 8. Great work on 12 Grade A shots in total. Failed to stop Kovalenko’s power play one timer, but the real failure there was on the refs, missing the interference on Connor Brown. Solid on a MacKinnon wrister a moment later, then fought off two nasty Grade As from Cale Makar. Two quick saves on Lehkonen early in the third, then a fine save on a screened shot by Makar, before thwarting a blistering MacKinnon one-timer.

Note: Kurt Leavins and 9 Things will return next week

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