Player grades: Edmonton Oilers lose a weird one 3-2 to St. Louis ...

The Edmonton Oilers came up short against the St. Blues, losing 3-2 in a strange over-time game.

It was a weird one with two Oilers goals called back on video review and two St. Louis goals stopped by Oil d-men with last micro-second goal mouth clearances. Edmonton had more Grade A shots on the penalty kill than on the power play.

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In total the Grade A shots were 15 for the Oilers, 15 for the Blues, with the subset of 5-alarm shots, five for the Oilers, seven for the Blues.

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Connor McDavid, 6. He came alive at just the right moment late in the game to earn Edmonton one point. Super quiet in the first half of the game, getting little done until he got a shift with Draisaitl and Hyman more than half-way through the second. Brilliant rush created a 5-alarm shot late in the third, then he won the puck on the forecheck and set up Draisaitl for Edmonton’s second goal. Contributions to Grade A Shots (GAS): Even Strength +5/-1; Special Teams +0/-0.

Ryan Nugent Hopkins, 7. He had a goal called back on an iffy video review, then almost scored on a short-handed rush. He made a solid clearance on St. Lou’s second period 5-on-3, the key moment on that big kill. Almost drained a one-timer that same period. His bobbled puck led to a dangerous St. Lou break-in. GAS: ES +2/-1; ST +1/-0.

Zach Hyman, 8. The most dangerous forward, had his feet moving fast all game. His hard charge to the net led to a Grade A shot for him, but his slight contact with the St. Louis goalie saw RNH’s goal called back. He charged hard up the ice to set up an RNH one-timer, and almost jammed in a goal late in the third. He got off a decent shot in OT as well. GAS: ES +6/-1; ST +0/-0.

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Leon Draisaitl 7. Made his everyday, ordinary brilliant backhand pass to set up Henrique in the slot in the second.  He took an ill-advised tripping penalty while killing a penalty in the second. He got a breakaway as soon as it was over, but failed to cash in. A moment later he set up Bouch for a Grade A slotter, then took a second penalty, hauling down Robert Thomas. He pounded in Edmonton’s second goal off McD’s pass. GAS: ES +5/-1; ST +0/-0.

Adam Henrique, 6. He almost scored on a bullet shot from the slot in the second. GAS: ES +2/-0; ST +1/-0.

Corey Perry, 4. Quiet game from a noisy player. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-0.

Ryan McLeod, 5. Some good checking in this one, including a great backcheck to stop a slot shot late in the second. He lost a board battle on the winning goal. GAS: ES +2/-2; ST +0/-0.

Warren Foegele, 5. He drove hard to the net on an outside shot early in the third and almost created a goal. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-0.

Evander Kane, 6. Had a goal disallowed in the first, a tough call where he batted a high shot off his foot into the net. He beat the hell out of  Blues tough guy Tyler Tucker in a second period fight. GAS: ES +0/-0; ST +0/-0.

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Connor Brown, 7. He won a key board battle to kick off the Virtuous Cycle on Ekholm’s blast. GAS: ES +2-0; ST +1/-0.

Sam Carrick, 5. Was part of the passing sequence on Edmonton’s first goal. GAS: ES +1/-1; ST +0/-0.

Mattias Janmark, 6. Executed a great screen on the Ek-hammer, Ekholm’s first period goal. Had a great rush in the third. GAS: ES +1/-0; ST +1/-0.

Evan Bouchard, 4. High event with one ugly and consequential mistake but one huge positive play. Involved with some nice combo plays with Draisaitl. He may have saved a goal with a solid defensive stop on a scramble play late in the second. But his fumble off the puck at the offensive blueline led to the second Blues goal. A missed pass a moment later led to another Blues 2-on-1, then he broke his stick as Neighbours broke in for a 5-alarm shot. GAS: ES +5/-4; ST +0/-0.

Mattias Ekholm, 8. Such a great game until his last shift. He got beat on the deke by Jake Neighbors early on for a 5-alarm shot. But he drilled a slapper in early in the game. We’ve got the Bouch Bomb. How about the Ek-hammer? If he keeps shooting it like that we’ll have to come up with something. He sent Drai in on his second period breakaway. Almost won it in OT with a hard slapper, but then allowed the winning goal on a bad read and a St. Lou breakaway. GAS: ES +6/-2; ST +0/-0.

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Darnell Nurse, 3. Had some good moments. But a super iffy start to the game. He got wandering on an early Blues Grade A shot, then allowed a 2-on-1 rush next shift, then a scary opportunity a few moments later, and finally a dangerous goal mouth scramble, much of it due to over-aggressive reads. He was caught up ice again when Toropchenko broke in for two dangerous shots late in the second. He led the team with six shots on net, but none of them too dangerous. GAS: ES +0/-4; ST +0/-0.

Cody Ceci, 5. Solid enough. He cleaned up an ugly goal mouth scramble in the first, batting away the puck. GAS: ES +1/-2; ST +0/-0.

Vincent Desharnais, 6. Some sound work on the PK and even strength on defence. GAS: ES +0/-1; ST +0/-1.

Brett Kulak, 5. Solid enough game, but allowed the pass across on the second St. Lou goal. GAS: ES +0/-2; ST +0/-0.

Stuart Skinner, 7. Good game. Fine stop on Neighbours’ break-in chance early on, then Kyrou on a 2-on-1. He got beat by Schenn’s harpoon, then came up big on Faulk’s one-timer and Kyrou’s scramble shot. Not much chance on the second Blues goal after the Bouch bobble. But thwarted Hayes on a 2-on-1. Stopped a Neighbours break-in shot late in the third. Could not come up big in OT, tho.

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