In Edmonton, Roope Hintz hit for a double on Thursday night, and the Dallas Stars edged out the Oilers, 4-3.
Dallas built a 4-1 lead into the third period, and then withstood a rally from Edmonton’s Sam Gagner who scored twice in the frame to get the Oilers within one.
“We got some really timely goals tonight at important moments in the game to extend the game to 3-1 and extend it to 4-1, and then obviously down the stretch we were hanging on there,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “We knew they were going to push, it’s a real good team over there. So, it wasn’t the prettiest game, but for less than 10 games into the season we’ll take a win on the road here anytime.”
Scott Wedgewood made 46 saves in the win.
The Oilers outshot the Stars, 25-9, in the third period.
“We’re disappointed we lost the game,” Oilers coach Jay Woodcroft said. “I thought we had a pretty competitive first period, [then] we made some errors in the second period that led us to falling behind. We made really strong push in the third period, but when you spot a really good team that lead it’s tough to come back.
“Ninety-nine shots attempts, 50 on net, all that kind of stuff. That’s nice, but when you spot a good team a lead like that usually you don’t end up on the right side of it.”
Dallas took a 1-0 lead at 8:08 of the first on goal from Matt Duchene.
Evander Kane tied it, 1-1, with three minutes left in the first.
In the middle frame, the Stars took control of the game with a pair of markers.
Joe Pavelski put the Stars back in front, 2-1, at 3:25.
Hintz then pushed the lead to 3-116:06.
Hintz scored his double at 2:37 of the third for a 4-1 advantage.
“We know they’ve got a high-powered offense and they’re going to keep coming,” Wedgewood said. “No matter what kind of lead you have, it’s not really safe in this league, let alone [against] these guys. Credit to them, they fought back but credit to us, we kept them off the board late when we needed it on a back to back against two hard teams is a big bonus for us. In this role, you’re going to get these tough situations as a backup. I’m here for a spark and some energy. I’m in it and I’m going to give these guys everything I’ve got every night.
“I love going against the top players in the League. You’ve got those two (Oilers forwards Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl), and even throughout their lineup they’ve got some talent. You put your best against the best in the League, it’s always a fun challenge.”
Gagner then tried to rally the Oilers on his own with his pair of strikes.
Gagner scored at 10:35 and 13:36 to get the Oilers within one, but that was as close as Edmonton would get in the 4-3 final.
“I thought we were still in that game and you want to make a big play and score a goal to try and help us rally,” Gagner said. “We had a lot of chances. We created a lot and had a lot of looks with the goalie pulled, but [we] just couldn’t find a way to get the equalizer.
“But there was a lot to like, and we have to make sure we are looking at positives, too, and building those into our game.”
Stuart Skinner made 23 saves in the loss.
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