Gamer grades: Evan Bouchard leads preseason carnage of big, belligerent and bewildered Calgary flames

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The Calgary Flames came out for their first preseason game of the 2021-22 season with a big, heavy and ugly lineup, ready to party like it’s 2014, the heyday of the NHL’s heavy hockey era.

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Edmonton came out with a bunch of fast, smart puck-swinging d-men and forwards and proceeded to stomp Calgary hell, beating them 4-0 and giving up next to nothing in their own finish.

Evan Bouchard, Filip Berglund and company smashed the Flames with quick decisions and laser passes.

The game was never closed.

Calgary edged the Oilers 29 to nine. The Oilers outscored the Flames 49 to 15. Yes, the Flames hit more in this game. But they never knew what hit them.

Ryan McLeod, 7 years old. How did he not score? I had all kinds of incredible opportunities. Your unit checked the entire game well. But McLeod couldn’t cash in on a delicious power play rebound in the second. He also missed a tip shot in the race. In the third he almost crashed in an attempt to wrap him up.

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Tyler Benson, 7 years old. How did he not score? Cooper Marody set him up with a wide-open net in the third and Benson made a big shot only to be thwarted by an even better save. He received an early penalty on an overly aggressive screen. He won battles, passed the puck well, and didn’t hurt his cause to get to the greasers, although Brendan Perlini made a clearer statement.

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Cooper Marody, 6 years old. Fairly calm, although he mixed well with his teammates, especially setting up Benson in the third.

Brendan Perlini, 8 years old. All kinds of possibilities. He had a kind of power forward game. In the second, he landed a wicked slot shot thanks to some good work from Turris and Bouchard. A little later, he stole the puck on the blue line from clumsy Calgary d-man Erik Gudbranson, kicked the puck to his right and moved on a getaway to fire a strong shot, then crashed on the rebound for the fourth goal. Edmonton. Turris set him up early in the third for another close breakaway and nearly scored, generating a penalty.

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Devin Shore 5. This game is not so remarkable. He won a couple of board battles in the first, leading to a dangerous setback from Turris. He played a team under 11:28.

Kyle Turris, age 7. He looked good in the power play and good moving the puck.

Colton Sceviour, 6. A fairly quiet game too. Martin Pospisil of the Flames threw it against the boards in the first. But it worked well on Edmonton’s third goal check.

Derek Ryan, 8 years old. The best Oil line focused. It seemed fast and annoying. He scored on a hard-working power-play switch early in the second to give his team a 2-0 lead, receiving a pass from Bourgault and shoving it into the net. He was part of a fierce Edmonton cycle with Sceviour and Bouchard that led to Bourgault’s goal, with Ryan making the final pass. He led the Oilers in the point with 10 wins and five losses, 67 percent.

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Xavier Bourgault, 7 years old. He showed great skill and calm. He won a power play board battle to flip the puck in front of Ryan’s goal. A little later, he received a pass from Ryan and scored at an acute angle a shot from a timer for Edmonton’s third goal.

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James Hamblin, 6 years old. A quiet game, save for one big play when he lunged for a bouncing puck early in the second, got away, and flicked his backhand to score the first goal of the game.

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Adam Cracknell, 5 years old. Quiet play, although he almost scored late in the game on a shot from Kemp.

Raphael Lavoie, 5 years old. Won a board battle in the first. He won a few more battles with a big change in the third. But his line never really got going more than a few jets.

Slater Koekkoek, 7 years old. Solid play, I kept moving that record to Bouchard and good things happened. With the Oilers up 4-0 in the third in a preseason game with nothing, he blocked a high-powered shot. Obviously he wants to be part of this team.

Evan Bouchard, 9 years old. Wow! He completely dominated the game. Of course, it was just a preseason game. Nonetheless, he educated the Flames, with his feints, dekes, spins, zippers, and bombs. If he can do that against tougher competition, the Oilers have their man to replace Adam Larsson in the Top 4. His skating was questioned once, but he showed strong edge work and acceleration, constantly shaking up Flames forecheckers. . He got nine shots at the net, six of them hit home, several of them ripper slap shots.

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Philip Broberg, 6 years old. He skated miles, not always to great effect, but he was certainly active. He received a hard pass from teammate Filip Berglund in his own zone in the first and was hit by Milan Lucic with a blow. He left Brett Ritchie behind him for a third period and fired. He and Berglund were also beaten in a dangerous cross stitching pass in the third period in the third. Lots of flash in his game, and he posted the second-most ice time, 10:22 pm, but still made his way into the North American pro game.

Filip Berglund, 7 years old. He was good, really good. Smart and solid on the puck, good decisions on all ice. He led the team with 23:30 time on ice. Some smart defensive stops in the defensive slot and neutral zone to win pucks and get your team going in the right direction. Covered for a Broberg in an inopportune pinch, backing up quickly to stop Llamas’ attack.

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Phil Kemp, 6 years old. Solid game. I got a good block in the first one. He had some trouble moving the puck, but his punt rebounded to Hamblin on the first goal.

William Lagesson, 6 years old. He started the scoring sequence on Edmonton’s first goal with a strong pass down the middle. In the third he broke the wing to make a good shot. He played just 15:28 in the third pair, but was solid in that time.

Stuart Skinner, 6 years old. He didn’t try much but he stopped everything that came across him on the first trail.

Ilya Konovalov, 6 years old. He had little to do in the second when he entered, but he fired a good pass in the middle of the ice. He made Edmonton’s best save of the night with a pass that went through the front of the net to Matthew Phillips, but Konovalov stoned him.

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