The Edmonton Oilers showed once again Saturday night that even when downed, they never recover.
Zach Hyman scored twice, including the game-winner, and Connor McDavid had a goal and two assists as Edmonton scored twice in the third to claim a 3-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
“We are one of the teams there that can come from behind. We have enough talent and our ability to score goals, we are confident in that,” Hyman said.
“We are not discouraged by a deficit. We don’t like to be down, but when we are down, we believe a lot in the locker room that we can come back to par and win the game.
Edmonton had scored just one goal on Flames goaltender Jacob Markstrom heading into the halfway point of the third period.
Oilers defenseman Cody Ceci circled the center puck. Markstrom left his net in an attempt to stop him, but he rounded the glass and ran past him. He couldn’t get back into the net in time to prepare for McDavid’s quick shot, which went under his arm, tying the game.
“I saw him chase the rim. Obtained by him. I think he may have even come the long way,” McDavid said. “I don’t think I’ve had a shot on net yet, so I thought it was a good chance to get one and luckily he got in.”
Three minutes later, pressure from Edmonton caused a turnover in front and McDavid’s attempted pass deflected off Hyman’s skate and into the net.
“When it’s 2-2, you have to play better in your own zone, especially when you know McDavid is on the ice,” Flames coach Darryl Sutter said.
Chris Tanev was one of the players on the ice for that costly streak.
“I went D-to-D to (MacKenzie Weegar) and he tried to make a play in the middle and he deflected right into the slot,” Tanev said. “We win with 10 minutes to play and we lose in regular time, so I take responsibility for that.”
PERFECT
The win caps a perfect three-game road trip for Edmonton (6-3-0).
Mikael Backlund and Brett Ritchie replied for Calgary (5-2-0).
“Obviously it’s not the start we necessarily wanted at home, but coming on the road and winning three against really good teams was really important for us, a good confidence booster to go home for another three.” , Hyman said.
Stuart Skinner made 40 saves to take the win and move to 2-1-0.
“I thought Stuart Skinner was exactly what I expected: confident,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. “I felt good about his ability to come in and help us win the game tonight.”
Markstrom, who made 22 saves, suffered his first loss of the season. It’s 4-1-0.
Seeking to rebound from a dismal playoff performance against the Oilers last spring in which he allowed 24 goals in five games for an .852 save percentage, Markstrom was excellent for 2 1/2 periods before the things do deteriorate.
“We didn’t play badly. A few bad rebounds at the end and obviously the better player took advantage of that,” said Flames left wing Jonathan Huberdeau.
Calgary had broken a 1-1 tie at 16:06 of the second on Ritchie’s third of the season as the Flames’ fourth line connected.
Scoreless after the first period, Calgary took a shorthanded lead at 4:14 of the second with Backlund escaping on the wing and firing a shot past Skinner.
Less than 30 seconds later, Backlund came on alone again, but this time his pass went into Elias Lindholm’s skates.
With both penalty killers caught deep, Edmonton quickly transitioned to the top of the ice with Leon Draisaitl dropping the puck to McDavid who sent a cross pass to Hyman, who provided the finish.
POWER SHOWDOWN
The game featured two of the top two power plays in the league, with Edmonton entering the night ranked second and the Flames ranked fourth. The Oilers went 1-for-4, making it nine straight with a power-play goal.
Calgary, which does so with a completely revamped top unit with Nazem Kadri, Huberdeau and Tyler Toffoli replacing Matthew Tkachuk, Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan, went 0-for-3.
BATTLE OF ALBERTA NEARLY OVER
After finally meeting last year in the playoffs for the first time in 30 years, the two rivals have only faced each other three times this season and two of those games are now over.
Calgary won 4-3 two weeks ago in Edmonton. The season streak ends Dec. 27 when the Oilers return to the Saddledome.
NEXT
Oilers: Open a three-game homestand Tuesday against the Nashville Predators.
Flames: Eight straight home games continue Tuesday with the visit of the Seattle Kraken.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on October 29, 2022.
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