The Edmonton Oilers’ play has been up and down since seeing their 16-game winning streak snapped at the hands of the Vegas Golden Knights. And, after a lousy outing against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday, and with Dallas scoring 9 goals in their last game, Edmonton needed to be ready. They came to play on Saturday afternoon versus one of the Western Conference’s best in the Stars.
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This game was thrilling from the get-go, as the two sides battled back and forth all afternoon before the Oilers scored an overtime winner to walk away with a big two points. Evan Bouchard was the hero, but there were more notable takeaways from this one.
Bouchard Steps Up in Overtime Against the Stars
Evan Bouchard continued his terrific season in this one, as he had two goals, including the OT winner. Both of his goals came on terrific wrist shots, which beat a very good goaltender in Jake Oettinger cleanly. It is a good reminder of just how elite Bouchard’s shot is.
Bouchard’s second goal of the night gives him 50 points on the season. He is the first Oilers defenceman to hit that total since Sheldon Souray did so during the 2008-09 campaign. The 24-year-old has a shot to hit at least 70 points should he remain healthy down the stretch.
McDavid Continues to Make History
While the stat sheet will show just one assist, those who tuned in are well aware of how dominant Connor McDavid was in this one. The Oilers captain was flying around all game and could have easily had himself a three or four-point night with a couple of bounces. He is likely still trying to figure out how he hit the post on what was an empty net after he beat Oettinger cleanly with a nifty move in front of the net.
With the assist, McDavid now has 60 helpers on the season. He becomes just the second player in NHL history to record eight consecutive seasons of 60 or more assists, a record that was held by Wayne Gretzky before tonight. Suddenly, after his rough start to the season, he now sits 81 points through 49 games.
The Oilers’ Penalty Kill Struggles Continue
The Oilers entered this game having allowed seven goals over their last 15 attempts on the penalty kill (PK). That has been a huge area of concern in their game as of late, and that won’t change after this one, as despite picking up the win, they killed off just one of their three penalties.
To the credit of the Oilers penalty killers, they came up with a shorthanded goal thanks to Derek Ryan, who was able to sneak one past Oettinger on a great setup from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. That goal was huge, as not only would they have lost the game, but the media would have started to pry about their PK struggles.
Looking Ahead for the Oilers After Win Over the Stars
The Oilers will have a day off tomorrow before playing their third and final game of this road trip versus the Arizona Coyotes on Monday afternoon. They will begin a five-game homestand on Wednesday, which will see them take on the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, Calgary Flames, LA Kings, and St. Louis Blues. They will all be big, as the Oilers currently trail the Golden Knights by three points for second place in the Pacific Division while holding two games in hand.
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