The Edmonton Oilers were defeated 4-3 by the host Nashville Predators in a game that went to overtime at Bridgestone Arena on Tuesday (Jan. 13) night.
Oilers forward Zach Hyman scored twice on the power play for the visitors, who also got a goal from Leon Draisaitl. Edmonton goalie Tristan Jarry stopped 23 of 27 shots he faced.
Roman Josi had two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, while Erik Haula and Steven Stamkos also scored for Nashville. Predators netminder Juuse Saros picked up the win after making 28 saves.
The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period and 3-3 through 40 minutes. Neither team scored in the third period, when the Oilers outshot Nashville 11-10.
Edmonton now has a record of 23-16-8. The Oilers and Vegas Golden Knights are tied for first place in the Pacific Division with 54 points apiece.
Jarry and Walman Return
Tuesday saw both Jarry and defenceman Jake Walman return to Edmonton’s lineup after being sidelined with injuries. Walman was hurt blocking a shot against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Nov. 20, while Jarry suffered a lower-body injury against the Boston Bruins on Dec. 18.
Walman, who skated with Spencer Statsney on the team’s third defensive pairing, showed a bit of rust after missing 23 games but was otherwise solid over 17:14 of ice time. He fired two shots on goal, recorded a blocked shot, and finished the game with a plus/minus rating of minus-1.
Jarry had an uneven performance. The 30-year-old goaltender came up with a couple spectacular saves in the third period to keep the game tied, ensuring the Oilers picked up a point. But he made a costly gamble in overtime when he came way out of his crease to try beating Josi to the puck and couldn’t get back in position to stop the Predators captain from scoring at 3:43 of sudden death.
Three Streaks End, One Continues for Oilers
Coming into Tuesday’s game, everything seemed to favour the Oilers: they were wearing their new alternate jersey, which they had a record of 5-0 while wearing; they were playing the Predators, who they had beaten five straight times (including just last week) and had a record of 15-2-1 in the teams’ last 18 meetings; and they were starting Jarry, who had a perfect 3-0 record since being acquired by Edmonton in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins last month.
Related: 5 Takeaways From Oilers’ 6-2 Win Against Predators
But while all three of those streaks came to an end on Tuesday, the one streak that everyone is talking about survived, as Connor McDavid assisted on both of Hyman’s goals, making it 20 straight games for the Oilers captain with at least one point.
McDavid joins Hall of Famers Paul Coffey and Wayne Gretzky as the only players in Edmonton’s NHL history with a single-season point streak lasting at least 20 games. The feat had not been achieved by an Oilers skater in nearly 40 years, since Gretzky went 39 straight games with a point during the 1985-86 season.
Oilers Desperate for Depth Scoring
Tuesday’s game was just the latest this season where the Oilers could have dearly used one more goal but didn’t get it: With the loss in Nashville, Edmonton now has a win percentage of .381 (8/21) in one-goal games, which is sixth lowest in the NHL and lowest among Pacific Division teams.
The Oilers’ stars continue to carry the load — Draisaitl, McDavid and Hyman combined for eight points on Tuesday — but they can’t do it all every night.
Over Edmonton’s last 15 games, Draisaitl, Hyman, McDavid, Evan Bouchard and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins all have at least 12 points, while no one else has more than five. Since Christmas, the quartet of Bouchard, Draisaitl, Hyman and McDavid have accounted for more than three-quarters (23/29) of their team’s goals.
Mangiapane Continues to Struggle
Andrew Mangiapane has become the symbol for Edmonton’s dearth of depth scoring. After failing to get on the scoresheet on Tuesday, the 29-year-old forward has now scored just once in his last 28 games. He played just over 10 minutes against the Predators, registering one shot on goal.
Before returning to Edmonton’s lineup on Monday (Jan. 12) against the Chicago Blackhawks, Mangiapane had been a healthy scratch for five of the prior six games. The Oilers have reportedly tried to trade the veteran winger, but there likely isn’t much of a market for a player that has only three goals in the last three months.
Will the Oilers continue to play Mangiapane, hoping that he can rediscover his scoring ability and contribute to their success while also increasing his trade value? Edmonton has only 11 games remaining before the Olympic break and will be back in action against the visiting New York Islanders at Rogers Place on Thursday (Jan. 15).
