Edmonton Oilers kick Canucks 6-2, exact some revenge for McDavid incident: Cult of Hockey Player Grades

In the wake of controversial circumstances at the end of a loss to Vancouver a few nights earlier, Edmonton pumped the ‘Nucks 6-2 in a game that left little to be debated as to who was the better and more engaged club.

Leon Draisaitl continued his MVP-type season with a three-point game. Zach Hyman buried two and could have had four. Calvin Pickard was strong early.

CALVIN PICKARD. 7. A key figure early in this game. A sharp glove save after Hyman had turned the puck over in the high slot. Spilled a rebound on an initial shot but then stretched out a pad to deny Boeser on the second chance. Marvelous stop. Got another pad on a DeBrusk shot in tight. Notably, all this came before his mates eventually scored three unanswered goals to end the period and (mostly) put the game out of reach. After that, he absorbed a hard stick from Garland at the whistle, drawing a full, five-man Oilers response behind him. A victim of three poor defensive decisions in front of him on the 5-1. And yes, there was a screen on the 5-2, but…it was a high screen. Bang-bang chance from Miller turned aside in the third.

LEON DRAISAITL. 9. Elite-level game. A high light reel pass backhanded from his own defensive corner to Hyman the attacking blueline on the 1-0. Made the game 2-0 with a one-timer off a Nugent-Hopkins feed but had been instrumental in building the pressure on that shift and had hit the post seconds earlier. Another backhand pass created an opportunity for Bouchard. A sweet back-hand dish almost set up Hyman for a hat trick. Feed to Skinner for a PP chance. Dished a tidy pass into the low slot for Nugent-Hopkins on the 5-0. Set up Podkolzin for a shot late in the second. A feed for a Bouchard shot in the third. Pretty much dragged three defenders around on his back before setting up Arvidsson for a good look.