Connor McDavid scored once and added an assist to lead the host Edmonton Oilers to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues on Saturday night.
Corey Perry, Zach Hyman and Troy Stecher also scored while Leon Draisaitl recorded two assists for the Oilers, who have won five of their past six games. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 30 saves.
Dylan Holloway and Jake Neighbours scored for the Blues, who lost in regulation for the first time in six games, a run that started when Jim Montgomery first took over as coach. Goalie Jordan Binnington stopped 18 shots.
Perry opened the scoring with his fifth goal of the season at the 12:25 mark of the affair, lighting the lamp with a nifty deflection of Darnell Nurse’s shot-pass.
McDavid doubled the lead at 5:19 of the second period with his 13th marker of the campaign. Philip Broberg’s clearing attempt ricocheted off a skate and went right to McDavid in the slot, and the Oilers captain made no mistake in putting the puck past Binnington.
Hyman’s power-play goal at 14:37 of the middle frame gave Edmonton a 3-0 edge, an easy redirection of McDavid’s pass for his sixth goal of the season.
With the assist, McDavid has collected 123 helpers during the calendar year– counting the regular season and playoffs. Only Wayne Gretzky has racked up more in a single calendar year, accomplishing the feat nine times, with a personal best of 167 assists in 1985.
Holloway put the visitors on the board at 5:02 of the third period when he converted a one-timer from the slot for his ninth tally of the season. He extended his point streak to a career-best six games.
Neighbours made it a one-goal game with 6:51 remaining in regulation when Jordan Kyrou’s shot banked off him and went into the net.
However, Stecher restored the Oilers’ two-goal edge 69 seconds later with a sharp-angled shot for his first goal since Nov. 11, 2023.
–Field Level Media