The Edmonton Oilers picked up a huge two points in the playoff race on Saturday (March 29), when they defeated the Calgary Flames 3-2 in overtime at Rogers Place.
Returning from a four-game absence to an undisclosed injury, Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl scored to tie the game with 3:12 remaining in the third period, then potted the winning goal at 2:25 of sudden death.
Related: Leon Draisaitl’s 2-Goal Game Lifts Oilers to 3-2 Overtime Victory Over Flames
Draisaitl also assisted on Edmonton’s first goal, from Viktor Arvidsson, while Yegor Sharangovich and Braydan Pachal tallied for the Flames. Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard and Calgary goalie Dustin Wolf each made 26 saves.
Calgary led 1-0 after the first period, and the game was deadlocked at 1-1 through 40 minutes. The Flames never trailed during regulation.
With the victory, Edmonton is now tied alongside the Los Angeles Kings for second place in the Pacific Division with 89 points apiece. Calgary remains fifth in the division with 80 points, one point back of the Vancouver Canucks. The Vegas Golden Knights continue to lead the Pacific with 98 points.
MVP Performance From Draisaitl
After watching the Oilers go 1-2-1 without Draisaitl, including an ugly 6-1 defeat to the Seattle Kraken on Thursday (March 27), Edmonton fans were equal parts ecstatic and relieved to see the NHL’s leading goal-scorer back on the bench Saturday.
Many observers believe that Draisaitl is one of the leading candidates for the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player, and against Calgary, he showed exactly why.
Behind 2-1 late in the third period, the Oilers were less than four minutes from suffering a regulation loss to Calgary that would have allowed the Flames to pull within six points of Edmonton while also holding a game in hand. Furthermore, Edmonton would be blowing a crucial chance to gain ground on the Kings, who were beaten in regulation at home for just the fourth time all season, falling 3-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs, earlier in the evening on Saturday. Staring down a third-straight loss, the Oilers desperately needed a hero. Cue Draisaitl.
Edmonton’s alternate captain put his team on his back and simply refused to let them lose, potting the tying goal with a beautiful shot from the wing. In OT, he won a puck battle with Calgary’s Nazem Kadri in the Oilers’ zone, started a break by passing to Jeff Skinner, then got the puck back and rifled a laser for the game-winner. The performance was so clutch that it had local media comparing Draisaitl to Michael Jordan, but that was just one aspect of what made Draisaitl’s night so special.
Draisaitl Makes History
Here’s how it gets even better: In a span of less than six minutes of game time on Saturday, Draisaitl made history not once, not twice, but three times.
Draisaitl’s goal at 16:48 of the third period was his milestone 50th of 2024-25. He is now just the 15th player in NHL history to score at least 50 goals in four or more seasons. The German centre also reached the 50-goal mark in 2018-19, 2021-22, and 2022-23.
In sudden death, Draisaitl simultaneously set one record and tied another with a single shot. He notched his sixth overtime goal of 2024-25, setting a new single-season NHL record. Draisaitl also recorded the 72nd regular-season-game-winning goal of his NHL career, equalling injured teammate Connor McDavid and Hockey Hall of Famer Glenn Anderson for the most in franchise history.
Draisaitl now ranks third in the NHL with 104 points, from 51 goals and 53 assists. With less than three weeks to play in the regular season, he has all but locked up the Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy, as he leads the race by nine goals over second-place William Nylander of the Maple Leafs.
Pickard Deserves Credit
Draisaitl was named First Star of the Game, and given the sheer magic of his performance, he easily could have been Second Star, too. But Pickard would have deserved to be Third Star, because, without the goaltender’s efforts, Draisaitl might never have had the opportunity to play the hero.
Pickard made two huge saves in the second period. At 9:36, with Calgary ahead 1-0, Pickard robbed Adam Klapka from in close, keeping Edmonton within one goal. Minutes later, Arvidsson tied the game for the Oilers. Then, Pickard prevented Calgary from taking the lead and a ton of momentum into the second intermission when he stopped Joel Farabee on a breakaway with 45 seconds left in the middle frame, and also denied the Flames forward on the rebound. If either one of those plays results in a Calgary goal, the Oilers likely aren’t winning this game.
Pickard continues to be a more than dependable backup for Stuart Skinner, who has missed the last two games with an injury and is considered day-to-day. In fact, Pickard has better numbers than Skinner this season: the former is 18-8-1 with a 2.71 goals-against average (GAA) and .899 save percentage (SV%), while the latter is 24-18-4 with a 2.91 GAA and .894 SV%.
Perry Says Enough Is Enough
Skinner was hurt after being run into by the opposition multiple times during Edmonton’s loss 4-3 to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday (March 26). Following the game, Oilers elder statesmen Corey Perry expressed disappointment in himself for not standing up for his goalie, clearly feeling he should have gone after Stars players in retaliation.
On Saturday, he took the opportunity to try sending a message that Edmonton won’t be pushed around.
Pickard was bumped late in the second period, prompting a scrum with Perry in the middle of things. As he was being escorted away by an official, Perry broke free and went after Calgary’s Mikael Backlund, getting in a couple shots on the Flames captain.
The 39-year-old was assessed a two-minute minor for his transgressions, resulting in a Calgary power-play. But the Oilers killed off that penalty, escaping unharmed. Meanwhile, most Oilers observers will concur that Perry’s actions were a statement that needed to be made.
Up next for the Oilers is a visit to T-Mobile Arena, where they will face the host Golden Knights on Tuesday (April 1). If Edmonton is to have any hope of catching Vegas for first place in the division, the Oilers will need to win that game in regulation.
