The Edmonton Oilers concluded their five-game road trip with a stop in Raleigh to battle the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday night (March 1). They snapped their five-game losing streak with a low-scoring 3-1 victory. This was their first regulation win since Jan. 27 against the Seattle Kraken, and first on the road since Jan. 16 against the Colorado Avalanche. February was a forgettable month as they went 2-6-0, but they started March positively. Here are four takeaways from this much-needed victory.
Connor McDavid Hits 700 Career Assists
It took until the last second, but Connor McDavid notched his 700th career assist. With 0.4 seconds remaining in the contest and the net empty, Evan Bouchard scored his first power-play marker, with Leon Draisaitl and McDavid getting the helpers. The Oilers’ captain reached this feat in only 699 games, becoming the third-fastest player in NHL history to record that milestone. Wayne Gretzky (478 games) and Mario Lemieux (579 games) are the only players to do it faster.
Depth Scoring Was the Difference
The Oilers’ depth has been heavily scrutinized for their lack of production, and rightfully so. But they got two goals in this one, courtesy of Adam Henrique and Corey Perry, and that’s all they needed.
Related: Oilers Snap 5-Game Skid with 3-1 Win Over Hurricanes
Henrique opened the scoring 5:08 into the first period with a shorthanded marker. Goaltender Frederik Andersen kicked a rebound to the slot, which bounced off the veteran forward and into the net. The 35-year-old has struggled this season and isn’t getting to the dangerous areas. That was only his eighth goal and 17th point. He needs to step up down the stretch and provide more offence.
Then, Perry scored the eventual game-winning goal 16:29 into the second period. He tapped in a backdoor feed from Draisaitl for his 13th goal of the season. The 39-year-old veteran continues to contribute offensively. He played a team-low 8:04 minutes of ice time but had a goal, four shots, and a hit. He’s been a rare bright spot in an unproductive bottom six.
Calvin Pickard Was Phenomenal
It’s been a rare occurrence for this Oilers squad, but the goaltender finally stole a game, and it was from their backup. Calvin Pickard was outstanding, stopping 35 of 36 shots for a sparkling .972 save percentage (SV%). He was peppered, especially in the third period, stopping 15 of 16 shots in the final frame to lead Edmonton to victory.
The 32-year-old journeyman made a game-saving breakaway stop on Sebastian Aho with 50 seconds remaining to seal the deal. The Moncton, New Brunswick native improved his record to 15-6-0 with a 2.61 goals-against average (GAA) and .901 SV%. His numbers are better than teammate Stuart Skinner’s, so he has earned back-to-back starts. The Oilers need this goaltending down the stretch.
Oilers With a Gutsy Performance
When things aren’t going your way, you need games like this. The Oilers battled hard, had exceptional goaltending, and got goals from unusual suspects. They were also unlucky at times and could’ve had two more goals in the third period to break the game open. Zach Hyman thought he made it 3-1, but the official indicated that the puck was kicked in, negating the goal. Then, Edmonton almost had another, but a Hurricane defender made a spectacular save off the goal line as the puck was millimetres away from going in. However, Edmonton stuck with it and salvaged the final game of the road trip.
You can’t talk about gutsy without mentioning Brett Kulak. He had another great game. The 31-year-old was coming off a career night against the Florida Panthers, where he registered his career-high seventh goal and added a career-best eight blocked shots. Other than Pickard, he was the best Oiler on the ice. He tallied an assist, was a plus-2, and added two blocked shots. He played a team-high 25:45 minutes and made multiple great defensive plays. Kulak is an underrated player on this team and deserves recognition. He stepped up big time in the absence of Darnell Nurse.
Edmonton also had a solid night on the penalty kill. While they allowed one power-play goal in the third period, they had three successful kills in the first and tallied a shorthanded marker. They went 3-for-4 in the game, and it played a factor in the outcome.
The Oilers will look to build off this performance when they return to Rogers Place on Tuesday night (March 4) to start a three-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks.
