The Edmonton Oilers outplayed the Blues for long stretches of Tuesday night’s tilt in St. Louis but still had to come from behind and win it in overtime and pocket both standings points up for grabs.
The Oilers played a near-perfect road game until a questionable call against Mattia Ekholm turned the tide, allowing the Blues to draw ahead 2-1. But Stuart Skinner slammed the door shut from there. St. Louis’s Robert Thomas also missed a wide-open cage that would have put it away. Instead, the whiff turned the tide.
Leon Draisaitl tied it 6-on-5 to send it to overtime. Then, Connor McDavid picked apart two former Oilers in the extra frame before passing it across to Connor Brown for the OT winner.
Make the final 3-2 Edmonton, vaulting the Oilers into top spot in the Pacific.
Here is the tale of the tape…
Edmonton Oilers Player Grades
STUART SKINNER. 8. He was terrific in this one. Close call in the opening seconds as a chance by Schenn was mishandled but fluttered away to safety. Made a smart read on Thomas’s first chance. Then, fired a left pad out to deny him again from the slot. Faced but three shots in the first but two were Grade A’s, and after an extended period of no action at all in the Oilers’ end. Came up huge with a stop on a Neighbours breakaway in the second. Stuffed Holloway at the top of the crease. A PP goal on a rebound made it 1-1. Back-door pass behind coverage led to the 2-1. Big glove save on Broberg in Overtime.
CONNOR McDAVID. 9. Strong first period backcheck. Fed Perry for a chance in tight. Back-to-back feeds to Draisaitl for one-timers, one of them just a lovely sift through a narrow seam and the other on a wrap-around. Directed a quick pass out to Bouchard who nicked the bar. Wired a hard wrist shot home glove side past a screen on the PP for the 1-0. Two good feeds on the second period PP but nothing would go in. Unable to knock down the pass in front on the 2-1. Teed it up for Hyman on the PP in the third. Hard pass through a narrow seam to Draisaitl (his thirty-seventh) for the 2-2. Practically broke Dylan Holloway’s ankles on an all-world deke in front before he threaded it past Broberg to Brown for the winner. The game’s First Star.
COREY PERRY. 6. A glorious chance in the first period off a fine pass by Mattias Ekholm. Another opportunity off a McDavid feed. An ill-timed drop pass led to a Blues breakaway in the other direction. Ripped a pass in front to Leon for a tip late in the third. Four shots.
LEON DRAISAITL. 8. Could not cash on an early one-timer. Had two more later in the frame. Started the second by beating two men in the front-end of a sequence that ended in Bouchard ringing the post. Secondary assist on the 1-0. A near miss deep on the slot on a second period PP. Just missing a tip from Perry in the third. Tied it at two with the net empty when he drilled a hard McDavid pass home from the opposite faceoff circle. Hit the crossbar in OT. Eight shots. The game’s Second Star.
EVAN BOUCHARD. 7. Hammered one off the post early in the second. Primary assist on the McDavid 1-0. A nifty scamper up the ice through coverage and a shot on net in the second. Absorbed a high stick, resulting in an Oilers PP. Gained the zone on the 3-2, then drew a man to him before dishing it off to McDavid. And it was Evan Bouchard who knocked the puck off the Blues attacker’s stick to regain possession just in advance of that. This is the kind of heady play Bouchard critics conveniently ignore. Played 25:30. Led the club in 5v5 CF (24-10, 71%). HDSC’s 7-1.
MATTIAS EKHOLM. 6. Terrific pass to Perry for a Grade A in the first. A couple second period slappers. Drew a call early in the third, then, a highly questionable interference call on a heavy hit on Schenn in the third, which St. Louis scored the 1-1 on. Award an assist to the officials. The veteran pointed an accusatory finger at the referee as he exited the box. The man behind him, scored the 2-1. Secondary assist on the 2-2. HDSC’s 6-1.
RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 4. A dangerous tip early. That was his only shot. Just 30% in draws. 5v5 CF 13-14, 48%.
VIKTOR ARVIDSSON. 5. Second period takeaway and shot (on a partial break). Good defensive stick. An industrious trip up the right side, tossing it out front to Podkolzin whose stick was tipped at the last moment. Four shots.
ZACH HYMAN. 5. Could not squeeze a rebound past Binnington in the second. Drew a hooking call in the second and then was net front for the 1-0. PP shot from the high slot in the third. Absorbed a hit in the letters in the third but no call was forthcoming. Four shots, two blocks.
DARNELL NURSE. 6. Excellent defensive stick broke up a developing Blues sortie. Scooped away what looked like the 3-1 from his own crease. Played 22:15, four shots, four hits, two blocks.
JOHN KLINGBERG. 5. Clever defensive stick in the first. A strong play behind his own goal line against Kyrou. But also had some iffy moments without the puck. HDSC’s 5v5 2-4.
NOAH PHILP. 4. Second period takeaway. Twenty-five percent on faceoffs. Played just 7:35.
JEFF SKINNER. 6. Good backcheck in the opening frame which may have prevented a goal against. Very fine play. Another later in the period. And another hard back-track to deny Bolduc. Good chance from a McDavid pass in the third. Elevated to a “6” for his laudable defensive conscience.
KASPERI KAPANEN. 5. Stick tap for his five-hundredth career NHL game. A shot and two hits.
BRETT KULAK. 6. Good defensive stick in the third. One of a few guys unable to knock down the pass on the 2-1 against. High Dangers 5v5 5-2.
TY EMBERSON. 6. High Dangers 5v5 6-1. A block, a hit, a takeaway. Solid.
MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Dinged one off the crossbar in the later stages of the second. I think he is out of place at 4C.
VASILY PODKOLZIN. 5. Had his motor running on the forecheck. First period takeaway. Another in the second. Stick lifted by Leddy late or the Oilers may have gone into the dressing room up 2-0.
CONNOR BROWN. 6. Won this game with his very first overtime goal of his HL career, a one-timer from a fabulous McDavid pass in the extra frame. Pretty o.k. for his first goal in a couple of months.
The Oilers season record goes to 33-16-4, 70 points, tops in the Pacific Division, two ahead of Vegas. Chicago up next tomorrow.
Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at [email protected]. This article is not AI generated.
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