‘Yes, we can play defense’: Oilers blank Stars in G2
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Ryan S. Clark
DALLAS — This time, the only comeback the Edmonton Oilers assured the Dallas Stars was that they’ll be back at the American Airlines Center for Game 5.
After squandering a third-period lead in Game 1, the Oilers again carried a cushion into the final frame, but this time they converted it into a 3-0 win in Game 2.
It was the third time in the past four games that the Oilers shut out an opponent, including Games 4 and 5 of their semifinal series against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Oilers went from allowing six goals to the Stars in Game 1 to none in Game 2, leading to questions about Edmonton’s defensive performance that captain Connor McDavid appears tired of answering.
“All right, here we go. Yes, we can play defense,” McDavid said. “We’re a different team than we have been in years past. … We just keep playing good defense. [Stuart Skinner] was great. A couple breakdowns we didn’t like there in the third, but it was great.”
Perhaps the biggest difference between Games 1 and 2 was Edmonton’s penalty kill in the final period. In the opener, the Stars scored three consecutive power-play goals in a sequence of five unanswered that included an empty-netter.
In Game 2, the Oilers allowed only one power-play attempt to the Stars.
The Oilers had watched their penalty kill struggle in the second round, with just a 9.1% success rate.
“The biggest one was obviously the penalty kill,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said about the defensive difference between the first two games. “We gave up three goals and then in the third period, we’re chasing, and we have to cheat a little bit and they got a goal midway through the third period with us absolutely forcing something that wasn’t there. Tonight, when you’re playing with the lead the whole time, you don’t have to force anything.”
Knoblauch also highlighted how the Oilers won more 50/50 battles while blocking more shots. They blocked 17 shots on goal while forcing the Stars to commit 27 giveaways — the most they’ve had this postseason.
Skinner finished with 25 saves, tracking rebounds that were in front of the net and shots from varying distances.
What might have been his signature save on the night came with the Oilers on the power play. Stars forward Roope Hintz deflected a puck in the passing lane that went to Wyatt Johnston, who burst through for a breakaway, only for Skinner to make the save.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins gave Skinner some breathing room when he scored in the first period. Brett Kulak and Connor Brown added some cushion in the second to push the lead to 3-0.
“From my perspective, you’ve seen the growth happen every single game,” Skinner said. “I feel like every single game, we grew and got better and better and better. I think when you look at the teams that win, they’re normally the teams that are pretty stifling defensively, and I know we’ve been improving and getting better because we want to be that team.”
Oilers defenseman Jake Walman told ESPN that facing teams that have at least three, if not four, lines that can provide offensive contributions is the expectation at this stage of the postseason.
Walman said the Oilers’ objective is to find different ways to frustrate their opponents whenever the other team has possession.
“It’s swarming and being all over on the ice to where you make them feel like there’s 10 guys they have to go through,” Walman said. “I think that’s when we play our best. Not just the D, but the forwards too. Guys being physical, cutting plays down and ending plays quickly. That’s the keys to success for us.”
When asked about the message among the Oilers’ players after they shut out two teams ranked in the top five in goals per game in the regular season, McDavid gave a familiar answer.
“I sound like a broken record, but we know how to play defense,” McDavid said. “Everybody’s bought in, everybody’s tracking, the D are holding their gaps, defending the blue line, breaking pucks out and Stewie’s been there whenever we need him.”
SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.
Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.
“That’s a very big accomplishment,” Rodríguez told reporters, according to MLB.com. “I know my family’s very happy, and I’m sure they’re thinking of all the things I had to do to be able to get here. To be able to do it with this team and this organization is awesome. I’m just excited to see where things are going to go from here.”
Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.
The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
MIAMI — Kyle Stowers hit a three-run homer and the Miami Marlins defeated the New York Yankees 7-3 on Sunday, completing their first-ever sweep of the Yankees in a series of three or more games.
The Marlins (55-55) reached .500 for the first time since April 15, when the team was 8-8. Since June 13, the Marlins are 30-14; that’s tied with the 2003 team for the most wins in a 44-game span in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
The 2003 Marlins went on to beat the Yankees in the World Series in six games.
Marlins starter Edward Cabrera (5-5) pitched six innings of two-hit ball with seven strikeouts and one walk. His only blemish came against the first batter he faced. Trent Grisham drove Cabrera’s 98.1 mph four-seam fastball to right-center.
Miami rookie Jakob Marsee, who made his major league debut on Friday, was 2-for-4 and finished a single short of the cycle.
Stowers made it 6-1 when he connected on an 0-2 fastball from Brent Headrick, who entered in the fourth with two on after starter Luis Gil (0-1) was lifted 3⅓ innings into his season debut.
Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year, struck out three and surrendered five runs and five hits while issuing four walks in his return from a high-grade lat strain. He threw 77 pitches.
Gil’s shaky debut comes at a rough point in the season for the Yankees, whose inconsistency has prompted a rash of criticism, the latest coming from former Yankees stars Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez on Fox’s pregame show Saturday night.
“They make way too many mistakes,” Jeter said. “Way too many mistakes, and you can’t get away with making that number of mistakes against great teams.”
Added Rodriguez: “Where’s the accountability?”
Boone addressed those criticisms before Sunday’s game, saying it comes with the territory of being the Yankees, but he added after the loss that it’s “gut-check” time for his club.
New York’s weekend series at Miami included the Yankees blowing a six-run lead in a wild 13-12 loss on Friday, before a 2-0 loss on Saturday.
The Yankees had a seven-game lead in the AL East in late May. By July 2, the lead was gone and the Yankees have been looking up at Toronto in the division ever since. The red-hot Boston Red Sox, who were more than 10 games behind the Yankees about two months ago, have overtaken their rival for the second spot in the AL East and AL wild-card lead.
“It’s getting late,” Boone said. “And it’s certainly not too late for us. I am confident that we’re going to get it together. But that’s all it is right now is, you know, it’s empty until we start doing it.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
SEATTLE — Julio Rodriguez homered to become the first player in major league history with 20 or more home runs and 20 or more stolen bases in each of his first four seasons, and the Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 on Sunday.
Rodriguez hit a two-run shot in the third inning — his 100th career homer — and the slugging and speedy center fielder also added his 21st stolen base of the season after singling in the fifth inning.
Jorge Polanco added a solo shot in the second, and shortstop J.P. Crawford smacked a two-run blast in the fourth against Rangers starter Jacob deGrom (10-4), who became the fastest pitcher in major league history to reach 1,800 career strikeouts by games and innings Sunday.
The Rangers kept things close by pushing across three runs against Mariners starter Logan Evans (5-4), but tallied only one run against the Mariners bullpen before closer Andrés Muñoz locked down his 25th save of the season.
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