KOSKINEN OUTSHINES THE LOCAL KID
Homecoming ruined for Sherwood Park youngster as Oilers swarm Flyers
EDMONTON 6, PHILADELPHIA 3
If home is where the Hart is, Edmonton Oilers broke Carter’s.
In his homecoming, the Sherwood Park youngster’s first game in net at Rogers Place, the Edmonton Oilers scored early and often against the Philadelphia Flyers’ goalie, enough for a 6-3 victory on a night when they were often very sloppy with the puck but rode their own netminder Mikko Koskinen’s hot hand and the league’s best power play to its ninth and 10th goals in 22 attempts.
Leon Draisaitl scored on the game’s first shot, Ethan Bear on their sixth in the opening period, and Connor Mcdavid on their 11th and Ryan Nugent-hopkins on their 14th in the middle period to send a kid with who, as former NHL goalie Jamie Mclellan says, “has all the tools to be a great goalie, reminds me of a young Carey Price,” to the bench for Brian Elliott in the game’s 35th minute.
Draisaitl scored on a ripper off the post and by Hart 73 seconds in, and Bear scored on a sweet 20-footer. Then Mcdavid outfought and out-legged Flyers’ defenceman Justin Braun on a long alley-oop pass from Kris Russell to beat Hart before Nugent-hopkins got one past the 21-year-old on a power play. Elliott came in and was helpless on Draisaitl’s sixth of the year, off a Mcdavid feed, two minutes later, also on the PP.
TA tough pill to swallow for a great kid Hart, who had an army of friends and family in the seats Wednesday night. “It’ll be special to have them there and share in this moment,” he said before the game. Unfortunately, he was on the bench with a ball-cap on his head after giving up the first four Oiler goals.
“Connor’s goal was the big momentum shift, then the power play took over,” said Nugent-hopkins, who got his first goal of the season.
“That play by Connor … and bang the game’s over,” said an NHL pro scout, watching the game. Mcdavid had four assists for the third five-point game of his career, and has 17 points in the Oilers 6-1 start.
Lost in all the pyrotechnics was an outstanding effort from Koskinen, who is now 3-0 on the year.
The Oilers had the game’s first four shots, then the Flyers outshot them 24-6 before Mcdavid scored to make it 3-1.
“We have the luxury of two goaltenders playing well (Mike Smith, who is 3-1) and we have one who’s always fresh,” said Oilers coach Dave Tippett.
Koskinen was fantastic in a game where the Oilers were outshot 52-22. He gave up two to Jake Voracek on two power plays (one on a 6-on-3) and one on a tip by Oskar Lindblom.
HISTORY LESSON
Mcdavid’s other five-point nights were against Tampa and Toronto. He had four goals and an assist Feb. 5, 2018, in a 6-2 win. He had two goals and three helpers against the Maple Leafs on Feb. 11, 2016. They were also in Edmonton.
POWER PLAY
The Oilers are almost 50 per cent on their man advantages through the first seven games, but on this night James Neal wasn’t the big weapon. Neal leads the NHL with six PP goals but in this one, Nugent-hopkins and Draisaitl scored, both within 10 feet of the net, just where Neal has been setting up shop.
“It’s the personnel out there. Give them room, they’ll make plays,” said Neal, who has been getting open but, in this game, was a cheerleader for other people.
“You want to be good on your power play and we’ve set the standard high with the guys we have,” said Neal.
AN OILERS HERO
The Oilers players all have an orange decal on their helmets with the initials TG to celebrate the life of Ted Green, the late former assistant/associate coach who won five Stanley Cup rings here from 1984-1990, and became head coach in the early ’90s. The team had a moment of silence and a video tribute to Green, who passed away Oct. 8 after a long illness at 79.
“Being completely honest I don’t know a lot about him,” said Alex Chiasson, who should know he played with Bobby 0rr.
HOW SWEET IS THAT?
Brandon Manning, who had sat as the seventh defenceman for the first six games, ripped a third-period 40-footer past Elliott. He came in for Joel Persson against his former team after running the team stretch at the morning practice, a tipoff that he might be playing. Persson skated and had some power play time at practice but was scratched, perhaps because he wasn’t cleared to play after absorbing a huge hit from Andrew Shaw behind the net in Chicago Monday night.
Persson’s done very well moving the puck but he’s taken some wallops.
“There has to be a recognition that it’s not like it is in Europe where guys skate by you. You have to be aware,” said Tippett.
This ’n that: Neal picked up his first assist after eight goals, feeding Bear for his first snipe of the season. There goes the Cy Young … Flyers centre Nolan Patrick (migraines) skated with the team in Vancouver but nobody knows when he’ll return. The headaches aren’t concussion-related; he had migraines growing up in Manitoba, too … Oilers winger Patrick Russell’s mother flew in from Copenhagen to see her boy play live in the NHL for the first time Wednesday … Oscar Klefbom picked up his 100th NHL assist on Mcdavid’s goal.