The Edmonton Oilers played 14 games in the month of November, which included a heartbreaking loss to the New Jersey Devils, two big come-from-behind wins against the New York Rangers and the Florida Panthers, and numerous highlight reel plays. With that in mind, let’s recap ten significant Oilers’ stats from the month of November.
First NHL Goal for Dylan Holloway
Oilers’ forward Dylan Holloway was the talk of the preseason. In six exhibition games, he scored four goals and added two assists, including a hat trick against the Vancouver Canucks on Oct. 3. However, he’s had some bad luck and has made rookie mistakes along the way, and his offensive production hasn’t transitioned well into the regular season.
Heading into the game against the Rangers on Nov. 26, he had only tallied two assists in 16 games, but he scored his first NHL goal in dramatic fashion. The Oilers were riding a two-game losing streak, and they were down 3-0 heading into the third period. Evan Bouchard scored two goals to start the third frame, and then later in the period, Holloway streaked down the wing and his wrister beat goaltender Igor Shesterkin short side, to tie the game.
The goal itself was huge — it was the tying goal in Madison Square Garden and he scored it while beating a former Vezina Trophy winner. It was also a big come-from-behind win, which could be a confidence booster for Holloway, and the team as a whole, moving forward.
Oilers Tied the Game With 4.4 Seconds Left
The Oilers were looking to follow up their dramatic win over the Rangers by securing two points over the Panthers on Nov. 28 at Rogers Place. They appeared to be in the driver’s seat when Tyson Barrie scored the go-ahead goal early in the third. However, Anton Lundell tied the game and then Brandon Montour scored to put the Panthers ahead.
The Panthers were on their way to securing a win with only a few seconds left in the game. However, the Oilers got possession off the faceoff and Connor McDavid made a stealth pass over to Bouchard and he wired it home, tying the game with only 4.4 seconds left on the clock. In the process, he scored the fifth latest goal in franchise history.
Oilers Gave Up Goals 7 Seconds Apart
The Oilers faced the Devils on Nov. 3 at Rogers Place. They drew first blood as McDavid scored his 12th of the season in the first period. The Devils tied the game, but the Oilers came out hot in the second period, with goals by Leon Draisaitl and Derek Ryan. The Oilers appeared to be in control, but New Jersey came out flying in the third period.
Miles Wood scored his fourth of the season just over a minute into the third period. With only 3:55 remaining, defenseman Ryan Graves tied the game and only seven seconds later, Jesper Bratt was sprung on a breakaway off the ensuing faceoff and beat goaltender Stuart Skinner for the eventual game-winner.
7 of Evan Bouchard’s Shots Blocked in a Game
Bouchard established himself as a full-time NHLer and a scoring threat last season, and in a combination of the regular season and playoffs, he scored 15 goals in total during the 2021-22 campaign. He was goalless this season but ended that streak when he scored two gigantic goals against the Rangers on Nov. 26.
However, for the majority of the season so far, Bouchard has had trouble getting pucks through and on the net. In the game against the Los Angeles Kings on Nov. 16, Kurt Levins of the Edmonton Journal noted that the blueliner shot the puck ten times, and remarkably, seven of them were blocked by Kings defenders (from “L.A Kings Win a Gritty, Chippy 3-1 Effort Over the Edmonton Oilers: Cult of Hockey Player Grades,” Edmonton Journal, 11/15/22).
7:59 of the First Period Was the Oilers’ First Shot
It took until the 7:59 mark of the first period against the New York Islanders on Nov. 23 for the Oilers to officially register their first shot on net. And it wasn’t much of a shot. Ryan McLeod feathered a backhand pass from his blue line and missed his winger. The puck bounced off the boards and rolled onto goaltender Ilya Sorokin’s stick, which counted as a shot.
The first real shot came at 6:35 of the first period off the stick of Jesse Puljujarvi. Overall, the Oilers had some chances in the game in a losing effort, registering 49 shots in total, which was the most saves Sorokin has made in his NHL career.
10 Shots in a Game for Zach Hyman
The Oilers lost the game against the Islanders on Nov. 23, but they were credited with 49 shots on goal, and Natural Stat Trick indicated they had 63.16% of the high-danger chances for. They also had 2.94 expected goals for, despite being shutout 3-0.
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Yet, one Oiler that rose to the occasion was forward Zach Hyman. In 20:19 of ice time, he had 13 high-danger chances and recorded ten shots on goal in the losing effort.
46th Game-Winning Goal for Leon Draisaitl
The Oilers had a spirited affair with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 8 and the most notable play from the game was when Patrick Maroon skated over Evander Kane’s wrist; however, a couple of Oilers played their best games of the season — Jack Campbell only gave up two goals, and Warren Foegele scored his first goal of the 2022-23 campaign.
Yet, it was Draisaitl who ended up being the hero of the game. He extended the Oilers’ lead to 3-1 at 4:07 of the second period with a backhand shot. The Lightning later scored to make it 3-2, but Edmonton held on to win. In the process, Draisaitl recorded the 46th game-winning goal of his career, passing Ryan Smyth for fifth most in Oilers’ history.
100 Power Play Goals for Leon Draisaitl
On Nov. 21 the Oilers took on the Devils for the second time in the month. Late in the first period, Edmonton was on the man advantage and McDavid threaded a cross-ice pass to Draisaitl. He held onto the puck, fired it, and it bounced off the defender’s stick, beating goaltender Vitek Vanecek.
With that power play tally, Draisaitl scored his 100th career power-play goal and became only the fifth Oiler in franchise history to do so.
The Number 200 Was Significant for 2 Oilers
The number 200 was significant for two Oilers in the month of November. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins became the 10th Oiler in franchise history to record 200 power-play points with an assist on Draisaitl’s power-play goal against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 5. Also, in the same game, Darnell Nurse registered his 200th career point when he scored his third goal of the season. Unfortunately, the Oilers ended up losing 6-2.
McDavid Played Game No. 500 in His Career
When the Oilers took on the Washington Capitals on Nov. 7, it marked McDavid’s 500th game played in the NHL. At the time, the Oilers’ captain ranked sixth all-time in points through the first 500 games of a career in the NHL with 722 points. Former Oiler Jari Kurri was just ahead of him in fifth spot with 730 points, and just behind him was none other than his childhood hero, Sidney Crosby, at 722 points.
On the night when he was going head-to-head with one of the greatest goal scorers of all time, Alexander Ovechkin, McDavid scored a beautiful goal of his own. The Oilers were down 2-1 in the second period, and McDavid skated in from the blue line and beat four Capitals and goaltender Charlie Lindgren.
Related: 10 Significant Stats From the Oilers’ October
The Oilers visit the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 1, and then they’re at home for four games, taking on the Montreal Canadiens, Capitals, Arizona Coyotes, and the Wild once again. They have a busy schedule in December, playing 15 games in total, so stay tuned next month for another list of 10 significant Oilers’ stats.