Edmonton Oilers Can't Hold a Lead in 6-5 Overtime Loss to Utah: Player Grades Analysis
The Edmonton Oilers experienced a frustrating night on Tuesday, failing to maintain three separate leads in a sloppy 6-5 overtime loss to Utah. Despite salvaging a single point from the contest, the team's defensive inconsistencies proved costly in a game filled with momentum swings.
Game Summary: A Rollercoaster of Momentum
After conceding a goal on the first shot against them, the Oilers responded with three consecutive goals to establish a 3-1 lead after the first period. However, old defensive habits resurfaced, allowing Utah to tie the game at 3-3. Edmonton regained a 4-3 advantage but surrendered a sloppy short-handed goal late in the second period to level the score once more.
The clubs traded goals in the third period, sending the contest into overtime. In the extra frame, a tripping penalty by Matt Savoie 200 feet from his own net ultimately led to the decisive 6-5 goal for Utah, sealing the Oilers' fate.
Edmonton Oilers Player Grades
Tristan Jarry: Grade 4
Beaten by a one-timer on the first shot of the game, Jarry then made six consecutive saves. He recorded a secondary assist on the 2-1 goal and made a terrific glove save on a slot shot by Yamamoto before his teammates scored the 3-1. Jarry made penalty kill saves on Sergachev and Peterka in the second period but had little chance on the 3-2 goal. The 3-3 goal was a deflection off Walman, and he made a good save on Guenther to maintain the 4-3 lead. However, he allowed a somewhat soft short-handed goal for the 4-4 tie. Jarry made a tough save on a Guenther one-timer in the third and another scrambling denial later but was screened on a redirection for the 5-5 goal. He was beaten high for the 6-5 overtime winner.
Connor McDavid: Grade 7
McDavid scored one of the season's more spectacular power-play goals, beating three defenders on a 180-foot rush before deking the goaltender for the 2-1 tally, clocked at 36 km/h. He sifted a pass into the slot that Ekholm nearly tipped home and executed an excellent penalty kill retrieval and clear in the second period. McDavid fed Nugent-Hopkins for a power-play chance and dug a puck off the end boards for a secondary assist on the 4-3 goal. He was pitch-forked by Weegar on a would-be breakaway for a power-play opportunity but could not knock down the loose puck on the 4-4 goal. McDavid had a partial break in the third, skated a loose puck out of danger, and won a faceoff deep in his zone late in the game. He was easily the Oilers' best player, recording 4 shots and winning 63% of his faceoffs.
Vasily Podkolzin: Grade 6
Podkolzin could not pull the trigger on a puck in the high slot in the second period but delivered a hard shot up high on the power play. He parked in front of the net and swung home a Nurse rebound for the 4-3 goal and added a third-period shot block. Overall, a solid performance.
Matt Savoie: Grade 4
Savoie made two dogged plays on a second-period penalty kill and recorded a third-period takeaway. However, he took a costly offensive-zone tripping penalty in 3-on-3 overtime, which led to Utah's game-winning goal.
Mattias Ekholm: Grade 6
Ekholm was the only Edmonton defender who performed well tonight. He registered his 400th career point on the 1-0 goal with a headman pass to Henrique. Ekholm did not miss a wrap-around attempt by much and tracked down Cooley on a clear-cut breakaway early in the second. He nearly deflected home a McDavid pass but left his man in front, who scored seconds later. Ekholm posted a High Dangers count of 3-2 at 5-on-5, the only defenseman above water in that category.
Evan Bouchard: Grade 4
Bouchard struggled with the "yips" tonight. He made a drop pass to McDavid on the 2-1 power-play effort but took a soft interference call on a Yamamoto entry in the first period. Bouchard turned the puck over early in the second, though Ekholm cleaned it up, and turned it over again to Yamamoto but mopped up his own mess this time. He failed to manage the puck in the middle on the 3-2 goal and, while correctly playing the pass on the 4-4 goal, his approach was questionable. Bouchard's High Dangers count was 2-2 at 5-on-5.
