2023-10-30 01:46:00
The Battle of Alberta moved outside for the Heritage Classic while the Edmonton Oilers and the Calgary Flames played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. The Oilers won 5-2.
Evander Kane led the charge by scoring three points, including an empty-net goal for the Oilers. Head coach Jay Woodcroft praised his good work.
“It was a typical matchEvander Kane. He finished his checks and shot on net often. Yes, he was in the dungeon, but he was a determining factor in our victory.
Kane thought he had scored earlier in the third period, but in the end it was the Quebecer Vincent Desharnais who was credited with the goal, his first in the NHL.
The home side started the match strongly, scoring two goals at the start of the first period, courtesy of Brett Kulak et de Zach Hyman. Nazem Kadri cut the lead in half on the power play, but Evan Bouchard scored the winning goal late in the first period for the Oilers with a powerful one-timer from the point. After the first two periods, the Oilers had a 29-16 advantage in shots on goal.
Leon Draisaitl collected two assists in the victory. Upon his return to the game following an absence of two games, the captain Connor McDavid had an assist on Bouchard’s goal.
AJ Greer was the Flames’ other scorer in the second period. The Quebecer grabbed the rebound from Mackenzie Weegar who had made a climb from his own zone.
In victory, Stuart Skinner stopped 25 pucks, while his opposite number Jacob Markstrom made 29 saves. The Swedish goalkeeper has only one victory on his record in six games this season.
Skinner also admitted that this match was special for him.
“I’m from Edmonton, I grew up coming to Eskimos games [maintenant les Elks] here. So to be able to be a part of something like that, it’s pretty remarkable.”
The defender Mattias Ekholm agrees.
“It’s like we were playing for 10 points. The stakes are much higher.”
The 2023 Legacy Classic marked the 20th anniversary of the NHL’s first regular-season outdoor game in the modern era, played in front of 57,167 fans who braved frigid conditions with temperatures reaching -30 degrees Celsius on November 22, 2003. On the occasion, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Oilers d’Edmonton 4-3.
The festivities were going well. The Oilers honored the players who participated in that first game 20 years ago and the band Nickelback performed during the second intermission.
“A lot happened, but I think in the end it was necessary. It was a good distraction, but we knew it was an important game very early in the year,” McDavid said. The Oilers are not having the dream start to the season, having only five points on the clock, good for 30th place in the NHL, just ahead of Calgary.
Since then, the NHL has presented 36 outdoor games. This was a third such game for the Oilers and Flames. Kadri was participating in his fifth away match.
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