Oilers `secondary' players topple Kraken

 

Heading into last night’s game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Seattle Kraken, both Oiler superstars- Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were kept out of the game due to injuries. It was the first time in their respective careers that McDavid and Draisaitl were sidelined by injuries in the same game.

Conversely, the Kraken’s Chandler Stephenson- the teams leading scorer who didn’t play the third period of Seattle’s last game in Minnesota, was also out of the lineup with an injury.

While nobody would put Stephenson in the class of a McDavid or Draisaitl, Kraken fans hoped that a more balanced scoring attack might lead them to victory.

However, the Oilers have more to offer than the McDavid-Draisaitl combo. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a three-goal hat trick to lead Edmonton to a 5-4 victory last night at Rogers Place.

Mattias Eklund had two assists and Jeff Skinner, a recent trade acquisition had the second period goal that put the Oilers ahead for good. Zach Hyman, who always has a big game against the Kraken had a quiet night with one assist.

The Oilers, who are battling for the top spot in the Western Division with Vegas and Los Angeles, improve their record to 41-24-5 on the season. The Kraken drop to 30-35-5, and a scary looking 14-21-0 record on the road.

Edmonton would score two power-play goals in the contest and add another tally seconds after the conclusion of a power play. Nugent-Hopkins’ third goal was shorthanded, and an empty netter, as the Kraken pulled goalie Joey Daccord when they went on the power play.

“Tonight, we were facing a team that didn’t have their top two guys and the power play and penalty kill become the story of the game,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “Too much penalty killing, that's the story of the game. In those situations, we need a shot block. And in both cases, Joey wasn't able and capable of seeing the shot.”

The Kraken looked much sharper in the game’s opening minutes than they did in their previous game against Minnesota, where they trailed 3-0 less than five minutes into the game.

Seattle could have taken an early lead when Jordan Eberle made a power move through the defense and slid a pass across to Shane Wright who missed an open net. After that, Edmonton’s Adam Henrique and the Kraken’s Kaapo Kakko swapped power-play goals and the first period ended 1-1.

A bright spot for the Kraken was uniting rookie Jani Nyman on a line with his fellow Finn Kakko (and Matty Beniers). Nyman, who has two goals, picked up his first two NHL assists on Kakko’s first two goals in five games – and also leading to some bad puns about a Finland finish.

Kakko’s second goal tied the game, 2-2, but Skinner’s goal and a Nugent-Hopkins power-play marker (Seattle was short-handed five times in the game) made it a 4-2 game at the end of the period.

The Kraken had a goal disallowed early in the third when John Hayden’s goal, in a wild scramble in front of the net, was taken away because Hayden knocked down Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner. Seattle’s `energy line’ of Tye Kartye (four shots), Michael Eyssimont (3) and Hayden (2) would finish the game with nine shots on goal.

After Nugent-Hopkins empty netter, Jaden Schwartz recorded his milestone 20^th goal of the season on a tip-in of Jared McCann’s (two assists) shot.

The Kraken finish their four-game road trip on Tuesday at Calgary and return to Climate Pledge Arena on Thursday for a rematch with the Oilers.

Scoring Summary

First Period

E- Adam Henrique (Mattias Eklund, Darnell Nurse) PPG 14:30

S- Kaapo Kakko 12 (Matty Beniers 22, Jani Nyman 1) PPG 15:49.

Second Period

E- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (Kasperi Kapanen, Nurse) 2:46.

S- Kakko 13 (Nyman 2) 7:01.

E- Jeff Skinner (Connor Brown, Eklund) 12:31.

E- Nugent-Hopkins (Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard) PPG 16:11.

Third Period

S- Andre Burakovsky 7 (Jared McCann 20) 5:57.

E- Nugent-Hopkins (Jake Walman) SH, EN 5:57.

S- Jaden Schwartz 20 (McCann 31, Vince Dunn 22) 17:57.

Shots on Goal- Seattle 31 (Tye Kartye, Jani Nyman 4) Edmonton 29 (Ryan Nugent-Hopkins 5)

Hits- Seattle 18 (John Hayden, Adam Larsson 4), Edmonton 13 (Vasily Podrolzin 6)

Penalty Minutes- Seattle 10, Edmonton 6.

Faceoffs- Seattle 44.2%. Edmonton 55.8.

Blocked Shots- Seattle 21 (Kaapo Kakko, Vince Dunn 3). Edmonton (Darnell Nurse 4).

Referees- Dan O’Rourke, Brandon Schrader. Linesmen- Caleb Apperson, Joe Maher.

Three Stars- 1. Ryan-Nugent-Hopkins, E. 2. Kaapo Kakko, S. 3. Jeff Skinner, S.