In Edmonton, the Oilers and New York Rangers traded blows for most of the night, but it was the Oilers who got the last 1-2 punch.
On Friday night, Connor McDavid scored a highlight reel goal late in the third period to tie the game, 5-5, and eventually force extra time.
Leon Draisaitl delivered the second punch with the game-winner in the extra session for the 6-5 win.
“I thought we did a great job coming out in the third and getting ourselves back in the game,” McDavid said. “I didn’t like that we gave one up to give them back the lead, but I thought [scoring] was a big moment, the crowd was really in the game, and it was an exciting night. I think it just kind of all escalated then.”
Mikko Koskinen made 20 saves in the Oilers win.
Mika Zibanejad struck for two goals for the Rangers, including his second that gave New York a 5-4 lead in the third period.
“I think we did a good job getting the lead, we had a three-goal lead, and I think we did a good job up to that point,” Zibanejad said. “I don’t know if we get too passive and try to protect the lead in a little too much of a defensive way, but that one obviously stings. They have some good players that can make plays, but I think we just have to find a way to battle through that and end it there.”
Filip Chytil and Chris Kreider had a goal and two points each in the loss.
New York dropped to 6-2-3. They are 1-0-2 on their current road trip.
“It was a fun game to be involved in,” Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said. “There were lots of ebbs and flows in it. Koskinen has played so well over this stretch here, and we made some mistakes that cost us against him. But our guys hung in there and we found a way to win, and that’s kind of what we’ve been talking about all year, find a way to win.”
The trick for New York is playing 60-minute hockey.
“I’m disappointed no doubt, the way it happened. We played a great 35 minutes, then we sort of started watching them a little bit,” Rangers head coach Gerard Gallant said. “We were a little too passive. When you give teams time and space, they’re going to make their plays, especially with their talent. We played too much in the D-zone the last 25 minutes of the game, and it caught up to us.”
Kevin Rooney also scored for the Rangers.
Jesse Puljujarvi struck for two Edmonton goals; his first goal stopped a three-goal run by the Rangers in the middle frame and took some of the momentum away.
“That gave them some good momentum,” the Rangers’ Jacob Trouba said. “We had some good stretches on the PK, but giving up two on the PK, it’s not a good night. We knew their PP was powerful coming in, and we wanted to do better than we did for sure.”
Zach Hyman and Tyson Barrie each had single markers for the Oilers.
“The atmosphere was electric. For a game in November, it felt like a playoff game. It was just awesome,” Hyman said. “It was really fun to be a part of, and when you win a game like that and be a team that doesn’t give up and continues to press and believes in itself this early, it’s just exciting to be a part of.”
Alexandar Georgiev made 33 saves in the Rangers loss.
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