Joakim Nygard edged Connor McDavid by three one-hundredths of a second to win fastest skater in the Edmonton Oilers skills competition Sunday afternoon at Rogers Place.
“When I went straight it felt good. On the curves, it wasn’t so good. You haven’t warmed up or anything,” said Nygard, who had a time of 14.014 compared to McDavid’s 14.041.
Nygard had been picked by some of his teammates to top McDavid.
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“I didn’t agree with them,” joked Nygard.
Matt Benning won hardest shot for the second time in the last three years, pounding a slapper at 104.1 miles per hour.
“Nowadays the sticks have so much technology, you can really lean into it. It’s more on mechanics than anything,” said Benning.
James Neal came out on top in accuracy shooting, breaking the four targets in just a shade over eight seconds.
“Hitting the first one is the biggest thing to keep your confidence alive. If you miss the first one, you’re in trouble,” said Neal.
Jujhar Khaira outlasted McDavid and Riley Sheahan to be crowned the King of the Shootout. Josh Archibald won the breakaway challenge, in which players were judged for their creativity on penalty shots. Archibald had his two-year-old son, Brecken, help him score on a shot.
Also on Sunday, the Oilers called forward Kailer Yamamoto and defenceman William Lagesson up from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. Markus Granlund and Brandon Manning were assigned to the Condors after clearing waivers.
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