The Edmonton Oilers got back to their winning ways on Tuesday (Feb. 4), defeating the host St. Louis Blues by a score of 3-2 at Enterprise Center.
Connor Brown scored at 2:33 of overtime to cap off Edmonton’s come-from-behind triumph. Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid also tallied for the Oilers, while Jordan Kyrou and Colton Parayko had goals for St. Louis. Between the pipes, Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner made 22 saves and St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington stopped 35 of the 38 shots he faced.
Related: McDavid’s 3 Points Lead Oilers to 3-2 Overtime Victory Over Blues
With the win, Edmonton snaps a two-game losing streak (one in regulation, one via shootout) and takes over sole possession of top spot in the Pacific Division. The Oilers have a record of 33-16-4 for 70 points, two more than the second-place Vegas Golden Knights.
Another Edmonton Comeback
The Oilers have made a habit of coming from behind this season, with 14 wins when the opponent scores first, which is tied for third-most in the NHL. Edmonton also has four wins when trailing after two periods, which is tied for seventh most in the league.
On Tuesday, it didn’t look like the Oilers would have to worry about any such dramatics: Edmonton got the first goal when McDavid beat Binnington on the power-play at 5:50 of the middle frame and took a 1-0 lead into the third period. But after Kyrou and Parayko scored less than four minutes apart in the third period, the Oilers suddenly found themselves having to rally. And so that’s exactly what they did.
Trailing 2-1, Edmonton gained possession inside the St. Louis blue line and pulled Skinner for the extra attacker with just over two and a half minutes to play. Skating inside the circle to the right of Binnington, McDavid made a perfect pass to Draisaitl, who one-timed the puck past the goalie from the left circle at 17:46 of the third period. It was a vintage McDavid-to-Draisaitl goal.
This was the fifth time this season that Edmonton has scored a game-tying goal in the final four minutes of the third period, and McDavid has factored in on all of them.
Unlikely OT Hero
For a span of more than 13 months, from the end of 2023 through the beginning of this week, Edmonton played in 23 regular season games that went past regulation, and Connor Brown didn’t see the ice during overtime in any of them. So the veteran forward was one of the last players anyone expected to see hop over the boards while the Oilers and Blues were engaged in three-on-three hockey on Tuesday.
But there was Brown, in perfect position at the side of the net to take a pass from McDavid and rifle the puck home at 2:33 of sudden death, lifting Edmonton to victory.
It was the first overtime goal of Brown’s 10-season NHL career. Since signing with Edmonton during the 2023 offseason, he had only previously played during overtime in two games, most recently on Dec. 30, 2023.
“I think I might have been cheating for defence a little bit in overtimes in the past, so it was nice to get out there and look for a goal, but hopefully not the last,” Brown said during a post-game interview on Sportsnet.
Hello, Old Friends
Tuesday marked the second time that the Oilers have faced their former teammates Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. The pair had an acrimonious departure from Edmonton during the offseason, each signing an offer sheet with St. Louis that the Oilers declined to match.
Holloway scored when the Blues visited Edmonton at Rogers Place on Dec. 7, but the home team came out on top that night with a 4-2 victory.
THAT CONNOR CONNECTION ????
— NHL (@NHL) February 5, 2025
Connor McDavid feeds Connor Brown for a beautiful @Energizer overtime winner! pic.twitter.com/DWGZQtX1T9
On Tuesday, Holloway assisted on Kyrou’s goal, but it was the Oilers who once again got the last laugh: McDavid set up the game-winning goal by deking out Holloway and then sliding the puck past Broberg onto the stick of Brown.
Warriors on the Road
On Saturday (Feb. 1), Edmonton was defeated 4-3 by the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rogers Place to conclude its season-long six-game homestand with a somewhat disappointing record of 3-2-1, so going on a trip might have been exactly what the Oilers needed.
Tuesday’s victory was the latest road success for the Oilers, who are now 6-2-0 away from Rogers Place since Jan. 4 and have a record of 13-5-2 over their last 20 games in someone else’s building. Edmonton ranks third in the NHL this season with a road point percentage of .667 (from a record of 15-7-2).
The Oilers will look to continue that trend when they wrap up their two-game road trip with a stop at United Center to take on the host Chicago Blackhawks tonight (Feb. 5).
