Player stats: Edmonton Oilers Seattle Kraken

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The storyline was that the Edmonton Oilers’ effort Saturday night against Seattle showed how much they wanted to play for struggling coach Jay Woodcroft.

If so, goaltenders Stuart Skinner and Zach Hyman showed Woodcroft some love.

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The Oilers were tentative as snowflakes, but Skinner made a monster save early on and Hyman took over with energy and skill, setting the stage for a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. Ta.

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This was Edmonton’s best defense so far this year. They did a great job checking the Kraken in every game.

In total, Edmonton had 10 Grade A shots (made an average of 25 percent of the time) and Seattle had four, while the subset of five-alarm shots (33 for each center) had eight for the Oilers and three for Seattle. Ta. Kraken.

Connor McDavid, 5 years old. How often do the Oilers win if McDavid plays but doesn’t contribute a single significant Grade A shot? Last year he averaged seven points per game. Very quiet game, as quiet as McD is for him. Still fighting the puck. He showed some good slot defense early on – something rare among Oilers forwards this year – winning the puck and forcing his team to fight back. During the rush at the beginning of the third inning, he was unable to get a break-in pass to Voegele, and showed his struggles. Grade A Individual Contribution to Shots (GAS): Even Strength +0/-0; Special Teams +0/-0

Leon Draisaitl, 5 years old. He is having a hard time. He missed the net on an early one-timer, but ultimately hit two hard shots into the net late in the first. He picked off goaltender Joey Daccord’s alley-oop pass but was unable to convert on two golden chances. He made a 2-on-1 Harpoon off a McDavid pass on his third, but it missed the net again. That’s been his story for the past few weeks. His backcheck at the end of the game was great. Gas: ES +2/-0; ST+0/-0

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Warren Vogel, 6 years old. He led the way with his efforts. He made a frantic backcheck early on to thwart a potentially dangerous Seattle rush (of course, every rush against the Oilers feels dangerous at this point). He once again showed strong defense, blocking the first shot by slamming Gourde’s stick wide open in front of the goal. Gas: ES +0/-0; ST+0/-0

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, 6 years old. He passed on Seattle’s first and fifth shot. He hit a wrist star that led to Hyman’s third point. He provided solid checking in the third and led a veteran line. Gas: ES +2/-2; ST+0/-0

Evander Kane, 7 years old. He led the way with his aggressiveness and skill. He got the puck on the D-zone boards, charged hard up the ice, pushed it into the slot to Hyman, and scored. Hyman’s third goal saw him chip RNH’s first shot and push it past the goalie, causing chaos on target. He was forced out of position on Seattle’s power-play goal, allowing a wide-open outside shot. Gas: ES +3/-1; ST+0/-1

Zach Hyman. Ten. They needed a great game from someone, and Hyman brought a great game. He fought his way into the slot and avoided a nasty backhand on Edmonton’s rush to open the scoring. He scored his second of the first period, screening the goaltender on the power play and punching past Evan Bouchard’s wrister. On a well-deserved hat trick goal, he made a nice pinch on the boards to get the puck, brought it to RNH, and hit home a scrambled five alarm. In the second shot, he also hit Kyler Yamamoto with his stick to prevent a dangerous shot. His line thoroughly checked Clark. Gas: ES +3/-0; ST+1/-0

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Ryan McLeod. 7. Where has this person been all year? He was flying around all night, hungry to be a playmaker, just as several Oilers insiders were turning against him. He charged quickly and made a hard wrister early in the second, followed by another Grade A wrister off Holloway’s drop pass made possible by Derek Ryan’s flashing goalie screen. Gas: ES +2/-2; ST+0/-0

Dylan Holloway, 8 years old. His best game as an Oilers player. He blocked a shot midway through the first and may have had a break-in rush, but he stumbled and drew a penalty, and the Oil scored on the ensuing power play. He took and held an inside position and was able to tap home the rebound of Ceci’s outside shot. He almost scored another point, but midway through the second he sprawled out and smashed in the rebound. On the third, he slammed Brian Dumoulin into the boards and earned a penalty. He took on a fight with Vince Dunn, who was seeking revenge. He rushed onto the ice late in the game to set up Ryan Harpoon, but his shot hit the post. Gas: ES +4/-0; ST+0/-0

Sam Gagner, 5 years old. It was the quietest game so far this season. Gas: ES +0/-0; ST+0/-0

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Derek Ryan, 6 years old. Best game of the season. He got the puck on target and passed it back to Ceci, starting a virtuous cycle for Edmonton’s fourth goal. In the second inning, he inadvertently hit a hard ball, felt pain, and went to the bench. But he left immediately. He also got more time on the ice in this game. finally! Ryan was the Oil’s highest-grossing player in the 2023 playoffs, but he has been barely used this year. However, on the third shot, Larsson had a great chance and lost the puck. He hit the post with his third one-timer. Gas: ES +3/-1; ST+0/-0

Raphael Lavoie, 5 years old. He lost an early board battle that led to a hard Kraken high slot shot. He took the ice in just 4 minutes and 11 seconds. But no one can fault this team effort. Gas: ES +0/-0; ST+0/-0

James Hamblin, 5 years old. We didn’t play much, but tonight was a great effort by everyone.

Darnell Nurse, 7 years old. All games solid. He hit an outside shot into the net, and Holloway nearly slammed it home on his second. The second one was a solid takedown of Eeli Tolvanen at center ice. Gas: ES +1/-1; ST+0/-0

Kodi Ceci, 6 years old. After a shaky game or two, he’s back to his reliable self. His shot came off the board and was pushed into Holloway for a goal. He couldn’t beat Jaden Schwartz goalside for Seattle’s first goal, but Schwartz used his skate on a deflection and made a hard play. Gas: ES +1/-0; ST+0/-1

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Matthias Ekholm, 6 years old. solid job. But he couldn’t cover Yanni Gould in Seattle’s first five-alarm slot. In the third game, they were caught up 2-1. Gas: ES +0/-1; ST+0/-0

Evan Bouchard, 7 years old. Some are bad, some are good. He put a hard point shot into the net, and Hyman tapped it in for Edmonton’s second goal. He was caught in the back of the net, creating the worst chance for Seattle to pass to the front, but Matty Beniers couldn’t handle the pass. In the third, his deft sliding block stopped Seattle from going 2-on-1. He rallied hard in the third and took a Grade A shot from Kyler Yamamoto. Gas: ES +0/-1; ST+1/-0

Vincent Descharnais, 7 years old. Best game of the year for him. In the second, he issued a stretch pass and started a dangerous rush. Gas: ES +1/-0; ST+0/-0

Brett Clack, 8 years old. I love crack plays now. He just continues to have a quiet, very consistent game. His skating and solid reads made him a player Woodcroft could rely on. Gas: ES +0/-1; ST+0/-0

Stuart Skinner, 9 years old. The Oilers got off to a shaky start, but made a great save on Yanni Gould’s hard pass redirection in the opening four minutes. Things were pretty quiet after that until Oliver Bjorkstrand hit a powerful slot shot into the net late on. He had zero chance of getting a shot at Seattle’s goal. His second big save came five minutes after the third, denying Adam Larsson’s rebounding chance. This is the kind of goal the team scores regularly against the Oilers. But that’s not the case with this game, folks.

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