In Edmonton, the St Louis Blues scored twice in the third period on Friday night to force extra time.
Connor McDavid rescued the Oilers with an overtime strike for a 6-5 win
“It was a good start, 4-1 at the end of the first, we’ll take that any night,” McDavid said. “Credit to [the Blues], I thought they did a good job of adjusting and making it hard on us, and they got themselves back in the game. Ultimately, we hung in there, and it sounds cliche, but that’s really all that matters.”
The Oilers improved to 39-25-5.
“I’m pleased we found a way to get the two points, that’s first and foremost the goal heading into each and every night,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. “We found a way to get it done, but there was some sloppy play that I think has to get cleaned up. But anytime you score six goals on a team like that, I think that’s a positive sign.”
The Oilers held a 5-3 lead heading to the third period before Pavel Buchnevich scored his second the game, and Ivan Barbashev hit for the tying goal in the third.
“They started pretty well, super fast, and it looked like we couldn’t handle their speed,” Buchnevich said. “They capitalized on their scoring chances and after that, we bounced back and had a solid second and third period. I think it’s a good point for us after that first period. They’re a good team, but we’re a good team and we believed in each other.”
Mike Smith made 31 saves in the Edmonton win.
Robert Thomas and Brayden Schenn added single markers for the Blues.
“I felt like we were going to get opportunities, and we stayed with it and we got a big point,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “We talked about shooting the puck tonight and we did that and we were rewarded with five goals.”
McDavid and Zach Hyman hit for a pair of goals in each in the Oilers win.
“I think it’s important to play with leads and we have to learn how to play properly with leads,” Hyman said. “In the LA game (a 4-3 shootout win against the Kings on Wednesday), we were up 3-1 and it goes to OT and then a shootout. And then this game, we’re up 4-1 and then 5-3, so two leads that got away from us. It’s important to learn from those.”
Evander Kane also scored for the Oilers, his strike gave them a 3-1 lead.
“The start was not ideal, it was a combination of everything,” the Blues’ Colton Parayko said. “There’s always a combination of things when things aren’t going your way. They came out hard, but that was a good comeback by us, that’s big for our group, being down 4-1 and coming back like that and knowing that if we’re down, we can step up and get back in it.”
Darnell Nurse scored in the middle frame to give the Oilers a 5-3 lead heading to the third.
Jordan Binnington got the start for the Blues, he surrendered four goals and made eight saves before getting the hook.
“We need saves,” Berube said. “That’s it.”
Ville Husso made 25 saves in relief.
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