The Edmonton Oilers got back into the win column tonight, defeating the Montreal Canadiens by a 3-2 overtime final. This marked the second straight game that went past regulation for the Oilers, as they fell 3-2 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.
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This game was far less action-packed than Saturday’s outing versus the Avalanche, but the Oilers will like the results much better. They were able to walk away with a big two points as they attempt to hunt down the Vancouver Canucks for first place in the Pacific Division. Here are the three main takeaways from this one.
Oilers Escape with an Overtime Win
Despite entering the third period with a 2-0 lead, it never felt like this game was secured for the Oilers. They lacked jump right from the get-go, struggling to get looks of any sort on Habs goaltender Sam Montembeault. That nearly proved costly, as the Canadiens were able to score two in the third to force overtime, though Leon Draisaitl was able to come up with the game-winner in an outing his team probably didn’t deserve two points.
Wins like this will happen throughout the season, and while the Oilers will gladly take the two points, it isn’t a game they should be overly thrilled with. The effort seemed to be lacking all evening, and they will need to be much better on Thursday against the Buffalo Sabres.
Pickard Solid Once Again
Calvin Pickard hasn’t had a lot of playing time this season, but when he has been given the opportunity, he has stood up to the challenge more often than not. The 31-year-old doesn’t have the most orthodox style between the pipes, but as long as he continues to stop pucks, the Oilers don’t mind one bit. He kicked aside 23 of 25 shots in this one for a .920 save percentage (SV%).
Pickard made some key saves in this one, none bigger than late in the third on a Josh Anderson opportunity that caught just enough of his glove and wound up falling between his pads for a whistle. He improved his record to 10-4-0 on the season, which is all the Oilers could have asked for when they chose to bring him up to replace Jack Campbell.
McDavid Puts on a Show
Connor McDavid seemed like he felt he had something to prove in this one after being held pointless in Saturday’s loss to the Avs. The Oilers captain opened the scoring less than 10 minutes into the first period on a highlight reel play, dancing by several Canadiens before going around a sprawled-out Montembeault.
That wasn’t all the magic Oilers fans saw from McDavid, as he made a nice play to keep the puck in the Canadiens zone in overtime before dishing an excellent pass to Draisaitl, who made no mistake. With the two-point effort, he is up to 108 on the season.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers
As mentioned, the Oilers will next be in action on Thursday versus the Sabres. They will then face the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday night, before ending their weekend with a game on Sunday against the Ottawa Senators. These two points have them six shy of the Canucks with two games in hand, though the Canucks could remain eight points ahead if they are able to defeat the Sabres tonight.
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