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Next Game: Oilers vs Sharks, Rogers Place, Tonight, 2 p.m.
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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner battles with Boston Bruins forward Oliver Wahlstrom at Rogers Place on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Shaughn Butts/Postmedia
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Edmonton Oilers rise from the dead, push Boston Bruins into the grave |
By Robert Tychkowski
It’s been a long time since the Edmonton Oilers dropped a No. 2.
Six weeks and counting, to be exact.
Just when it looked like they were about to lose back-to-back games in regulation for the first time since early November, Connor McDavid scored late in regulation and Mattias Ekholm scored early in overtime to give the hosts a 3-2 comeback win over the shell-shocked Boston Bruins.
“We felt in the first we were a little slow, thought maybe it wasn’t our night, but we had a good conversation during the intermission,” said Ekholm. “We said we might not score six tonight, we can’t do that every night. Sometimes it’s just grind it out, get one goal a period, maybe go to overtime. And that was the case tonight.
“I give us credit for sticking with it, battling, not opening it up and turning it into a two-on-one fest. A different way to win a game, but I don’t mind it.”
The Oilers transformed themselves into a model of consistency since starting the season 0-3, losing back-to-back games in regulation just once in the last 29 games. The last time it happened was Nov. 4 and 6 to Vegas and New Jersey. They’ve gone 13-4-1 since then.
“I don’t know many guys would be aware of that,” said Draisaitl, who had a three-assist night to reach 900 points for his career and extend his streak of multi-point games to seven.
“You try to string them together as much as you can. Consistency is obviously key and it’s a cliché but every team lives by it — you never lose two in a row. It was a gutsy win tonight.” Nobody is more consistent than Draisaitl, who has an astounding 18 points in the last seven games.
“He’s a sniper but he’s also a stud for us defensively and he takes a lot of faceoffs,” said Ekholm. “That’s what impresses me most about his game. There is no situation where he isn’t first over the boards. If there’s a key moment in the game, he’s the first one over the boards.”
It was supposed to help that the Oilers caught Boston on the last stop of a five-game, 10-day western road trip, but the Bruins looked fast and sharp in putting the home team on its heels early on.
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WATCH: Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm speaks to the media after the team's overtime win over Boston on Thursday
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EDMONTON OILERS FORWARD ZACH HYMAN STILL HAS A NOSE FOR THE NET
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Saying Zach Hyman has a nose for the net is a bit of an understatement these days.
And the Edmonton Oilers forward is getting right back to sticking it where it doesn’t belong, as far as opposing goalies are concerned. Of course, after taking a hundred-mile-an-hour slapshot to the face in Monday’s Stanley Cup Finals rematch against the Florida Panthers, he is doing it a little more gingerly at the moment.
And while wearing a full face shield for protection and a splint on the bridge of his nose.
“The puck hit me. My nose moved obviously where it shouldn’t have been and they reset it,” Hyman said.
It’s far from the first time Hyman’s broken his beak. It’s happened at least a handful of times in his life, going back all the way to his childhood days while jumping on the bed with his brother. “It feels OK. I’ve broke my nose a bunch,” Hyman said following Thursday’s morning skate. “This one was a little bit worse than the previous ones probably.”
That’s because the other ones didn’t involve him getting in the way of a second-period slapshot from the point from teammate Evan Bouchard — affectionately referred to as a Bouch Bomb in Oil Country — that deflected straight toward Hyman’s half-visored helmet.
“It’s not his fault, it hit a guy’s stick, just a freak kind of bounce,” Hyman said. “Obviously, it was really close. I tried to turn with it and that’s why it only caught the nose. |
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'I'M REALLY HUMBLED': VETERAN COACH DAVE CAMERON SET TO LEAD CANADA AT WORLD JUNIORS
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Dave Cameron had just hung up his skates. It was 1985 and he needed a new job after 168 NHL games, plus plenty more in the minors.
He found his place working at a young offenders’ facility and as a high-school guidance counsellor. There was passion for the craft _ equalled only by what he felt for the sport ingrained in his soul.
A plan was hatched.
“Coaching combined them both,” Cameron explained. “My love of hockey and my love of teaching.”
The product of Kinkora, P.E.I., coached junior A part-time for nearly a decade after retiring as a player until he made life behind the bench his full-time gig.
It’s been a winding road ever since with stops across North America — including seven seasons in the NHL — along with a stint in Austria and success on the international stage.
Almost 40 years into that journey, Cameron wouldn’t have it any other way as he prepares to lead Canada into the 2025 world junior hockey championship in Ottawa.
“You bounce around a little bit and you have to accept the challenge,” Cameron said. “I started in what we would call ‘old-school hockey’ and ‘old-school coaching.’ I’ve been able to adapt and keep up with the changing game. |
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Edmonton Oilers 2024-25 statistics
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Leon Draisaitl: 32 GP, 23 G, 27 A, 50 PTS Connor McDavid: 29 GP, 15G, 30 A, 45 PTS Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: 32 GP, 6 G, 12 A, 18 PTS Zach Hyman: 27 GP, 11 G, 6 A, 17 PTS - Connor Brown: 32 GP, 6G, 7 A, 13 PTS
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| Evan Bouchard: 32 GP, 6 G, 17 A, 23 PTS Darnell Nurse: 29 GP, 3 G, 12 A, 15 PTS Mattias Ekholm: 32 GP, 4G, 10A, 13 PTS Brett Kulak: 32 GP, 5G, 6 A, 11 PTS
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| - Stuart Skinner: 22 GP, 12-8-2, .893 SV%, 2.93 GAA
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Calvin Pickard: 11 GP, 7-3--0, 0.901 SV%, 2.41 GAA
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Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner tracks the puck, while Boston Bruins forward Mark Kastelic attempts a backhand shot on goal at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. Shaughn Butts/Postmedia. |
The Edmonton Oilers' best player this year in on all 3 goals in an O/T win over Boston: Cult of Hockey Player Grades |
By Kurt Leavins
The Edmonton Oilers looked out-classed early in this one. But the Oilers top-end players prevailed in the end.
Edmonton was firmly on their heels for the first eight minutes. By the time they started to find their feet Boston had a 2-0 lead, having outshot Edmonton 11-5 in the first and was in full command of this game.
The Oilers righted the ship after that, though, and narrowed the lead to 2-1, where the score stayed deep into the third frame until just two minutes and change in the third until a net drive by McDavid knotted it at two and sent it into O/T. In extra time, Draisaitl registered his third point of the night and 900th career point with an assist on Ekholm’s winner.
Make the final 3-2 Edmonton. Here is the tale of the game tape…
STUART SKINNER. 7. First goal against was a fortunate bounce for Boston, a shot that deflected off Draisaitl’s stick, rolled over his shoulder and in. But does it go in at all if he is on his feet? Good question. Rebounded with a save in tight on Zacha and another on a spin-around attempt by Walstrom. Then, stopped Pastrnak on a breakaway. Victimized by a folding chair of an Oilers defence in front of him on the 2-0. Opened the second with a post-to-post save on Kastelic. Managed to stretch back and get his stick on a puck Kastelic tried to squeeze in past the post. Ended the second by stopping a Pastrnak one-timer. Bang-bang save on Frederic early in the third. Another big save on Lohrei just ahead of the tying goal by McDavid. Stopped 24 of 26 to give his team a puncher’s chance and they rewarded him.
CONNOR McDAVID. 7. A terrific headman pass to Bouchard which drew a PP. Whistled for a highly questionable interference call on which Marchand as if he had been caught by a sniper. No assist but part of the sequence on the 2-1. Drew a holding call. Third period O-zone turnover led to a long Bruins O-zone press. This was not McDavid’s finest performance until the a most critical moment of the night to that point. But he tied the game at two with a hard drive to the net, first slipping past Zadorov and then willing the puck into the net five-hole. 25-18 5v5.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 6. Struggled 5v5 but he came up big when it really counted. Missed the net from a prime area in the first. Fine stick & clear on the PK. Whistled for a second period slash. A critical play mid-ice to move the play into the Bruins zone then a calm and collected pass in front of the Boston net to Mattias Ekholm for the 3-2 winner.
ZACH HYMAN. 7. Scored his eight in seven games, protected by a shield after the broken nose from the last game. Slammed home the 1-timer from the circle after Draisaitl had beaten two men along the wall for the puck. Fed McDavid who powered to the net and tied it at two. Three hits. Have to admire him playing with the injury.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 7. Tripped up after he toe-dragged Zadorov. Leading to a PP. Fed Draisaitl for an A-grade in the second. Started the play on the 2-1. He and Draisaitl exchanged give & go chances on a second period PP. Part of an early third period miscue with Kulak but busted his ass to get back and break up the resulting Bruins sortie. Kicked off the sequence on the 2-2. Played 25:52. Led the team in 5v5 CF (23-16, 59%). Was very good. |
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▶️ The Cult of Hockey's "Oilers aces silent, then loud in huge win over Bruins" podcast |
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