In Edmonton, the Oilers’ Ryan Nugent-Hopkins broke a 2-2 late in the third period to give Edmonton the lead and the win, 3-2, over the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday.
“I had so much time to shoot, I’d have been kicking myself if I missed that,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “I had one in the second period, and I missed my shot.”
Mike Smith made 39 saves for the win.
“We have so much confidence in him and (goalie) Mikko [Koskinen], and tonight showed why,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “He’s a competitive guy and he’s a really good athlete. He’s good positionally, but those extra-effort saves, he can get there because he’s so athletic. He just wants to win and compete, and that makes you want to compete in front of him.”
Logan Shaw and Kyle Connor were the Jets’ strikers.
“We played a pretty good game. Everybody was battling, it was a full team effort,” Connor said. “Everybody was blocking shots, we got scoring from depth players, and it’s too bad we couldn’t come out with at least a point there.”
The are in a tie for the second wild card spot in the Western Conference.
“It doesn’t matter how you play, you’ve got to get results this time of year,” Jets captain Blake Wheeler said. “We’re in a position where we’re tied with five minutes left in the game, we can’t leave with zero [points]. You just can’t do it.”
Leon Draisaitl had two goals and added an assist to reach 102 points on the season.
“Obviously, I’m excited about it, it’s a special milestone for me, but that’s over now,” Draisaitl said. “Now it’s about making the [Stanley Cup] Playoffs. I think I’ve said that a million times. You guys probably think I’m boring.”
[WATCH: All Jets vs. Oilers highlights]
Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves in the loss.
“That’s the painful part of this one; we played a [heck] of a game,” Jets coach Paul Maurice said. “On any given night, that’s a fine, fine game. It’s nine [games] in 16 [days] for us, with a couple of time-zone changes; to play as hard as we did tonight and then lose, that’s a painful one.”
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