The Edmonton Oilers got up three goals to zero but found a way to lose to the Calgary Flames, 4-3 in round eight of the shootout.
All three Calgary goals were flukey to a greater or lesser extent, but they managed to comeback for the win.
In total the Grade A shots were 16 for Edmonton, 10 for the Flames, with the subset of more dangerous 5-alarm shots six for the Oilers, three for Calgary.
Cult of Hockey player grades
Leon Draisaitl, 8. One goal, one assist. Drove the net on an early power play and almost hit top corner, then one-timed a seamer to RNH for the season’s first goal. Banged in a power play goal off a brilliant Tomasek pass in the second, his 400th career goal. He busted in to draw a key penalty late in the third. Almost drove in a slot shot with three minutes left. Contributions/mistakes on Grade A Shots (GAS): Even Strength +6/-0; Special Teams +3/-0
Connor McDavid, 8. Two assists, great game. Fourteen major contributions to Grade A shots. That meant he was in on 14 of Edmonton’s 16 Grade A shots. Solid pass to kick off the Virtuous Cycle on Edmonton’s first goal. A few shifts later he gobbled the puck at centre ice, charged across the blueline, executed a perfect Gretzky-like cutback, and snapped a seamer to Mangiapane, who scored. He almost scored off a Drai feed in the second, drilling a slotter on Wolf. He drew an OT call after Weeger grabbed him. GAS: ES +8/-0; ST +6/-0.
Trent Frederic, 6. Made some solid connecting passes on the attack. But he battled too hard and took a late third period penalty. GAS: ES +4/-0; ST +0/-0.
Andrew Mangiapane, 7. He burst in to take McDavid’s pass and blasted home a goal scorer’s goal, putting it from just inside the dot over Dustin Wolf’s shoulder, top shelf where momma keeps the cookies, as the legendary Edmonton skills coach Jim Fleming likes to say. That was the kind of goal Edmonton hoped to regularly get from Viktor Arvidsson or Jeff Skinner last season, but only rarely got. But Mangiapane got beat at the blueline on the PK, allowing the outside shot leading to Calgary’s second goal. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST +0/-2.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 7. Slammed home Drai’s pass in tight on the power play. Good work on the power play. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST +4/-0.
Matt Savoie, 5. Made some sharp passes, played well on defence, but not much on the attack. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-0.
Vasily Podkolzin, 7. He picked up where he left off last year. Executed Edmonton’s first big hit of year, a nasty boarding of Jake Bean of the Flames. He snapped a tricky backhander on net early in the second. He led the team with seven hits. GAS: ES +3/-0; ST +0/-0.
Noah Philp, 6. Led his line on effective forechecking sequences in the first. He pounded on net the rebound off Ekholm’s outside shot in the second. Bad luck play to deflect in a slot pass for Calgary’s first goal. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST +0/-0.
Kasperi Kapanen, 5. Good hustle. He cycled the puck around town in the first before driving a tricky deflected shot on net. Threw a big hit on Hanley. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST +0/-0.
Ike Howard, 5. Did OK. Shooter came out shooting. Ripped a hard outside shot on net early on. He muffed on his shot on a great slot opportunity in the third. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-0.
Adam Henrique, 4. He came into a scrum with ill intent after Howard got roughed up in the first. But failed to make an impact in this one. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-2.
David Tomasek, 7. Strong debut. He came on as the game went on, making solid passes. Took an ill-advised o-zone tripping penalty in the first. He redirected a McDavid pass on net for a power play Grade A shot in the second. Brilliant backhand pass to set up Draisaitl for a PP tap-in in the second. Almost scored in OT with a power play backhander. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +3/-0.
Mattias Ekholm, 7. Good game. Moved well in this game, looking as agile as ever, a bonus after significant injury last season. Blocked a snarling and dangerous Coronato wrister on the PK in the first. GAS: ES +2/-0; ST +0/-1.
Evan Bouchard, 6. High event game. Got beat off the rush early on for the first Grade A against. He drove a hard one-timer on net late in the first. Big shot block on Zary in the second. It’s not clear to me that he was at fault on the third Flames goal, but it’s evident he was involved in a communication breakdown. He almost scored late on a wicked slapper. Launched a wicked OT wrister. A moment later he broke in but was wickedly slashed, yet no penalty call. GAS: ES +5/-2; ST +2/-0.
Darnell Nurse, 3. Not a great start to the season. He lost the puck up ice kicking off the goal rush on Calgary’s first. Not a great decision there from Nurse to try to deke three Flames with his team up 3-0. He lost the slot battle on the second Calgary goal. He went down and allowed a dangerous pass and shot in OT. GAS: ES +0/-2; ST +0/-2.
Alec Regula 4. Good moments but also bad. He wasn’t the main culprit on Calgary’s first two goals, but he was one of them. Solid early touches, including a difficult backhand breakout pass. He got beat at the blueline on Calgary’s first goal. Out-battled by Connor Zary on the second Flames goal. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST +0/-1.
Brett Kulak, 6. Solid game. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST +0/-0.
Ty Emberson, 4. OKish. Allowed or caused a tough deflected shot on net on the PK in the first, then allowed a shot from the side of the net. He failed to clear the puck twice on a key Flames power play in the third. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-2.
Stuart Skinner, 4. Involved in the stinker play of the game but was otherwise good. Solid in the first on limited action. Not at fault on the two second period goals against. But a huge mental error on the third Calgary goal, failing to clear the puck from his crease on a Flames dump-in. He made up for his mistake with a gargantuan save off Morgan Frost in OT.
At the Cult of Hockey
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