GDB 45.0 Wrap Up: Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid continue dominance as Edmonton Oilers down Nashville Predators 4-1
5 months ago
The Edmonton Oilers may never lose again.
On Saturday, the Oilers took on the Nashville Predators in their last game before the All-Star break, smashing Smashville by the score of 4-1, and winning their 16th-straight game — a mark tied for the second longest in NHL history.
Let’s look at the Oilersnation’s Player of the Game, as well as things worth mentioning.
THE WRAP UP IS PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Oilersnation’s Player of the Game: Connor McDavid
At one point during this massive win streak, the best player in the world went eight straight games without a multi-point game. That trend broke on Thursday when he was reunited with Leon Draisaitl for their second game together this week, as the duo both put up three points, with McDavid scoring three goals between them.
Well, McDavid decided he wanted to get back in the Art Ross race, as he scored a goal and added three more assists on Saturday, meaning he has scored three of Edmonton’s last seven goals, as well as a point on every goal the last two games. His goal on Saturday basically put the Predators away.
For the season, McDavid now has 20 goals and 66 points. That is tied for fourth most in the league, but sits 18 behind Nathan MacKinnon. Still, it’s a testament to how well the Oilers have played, even if McDavid has done McDavid things in game 15 and 16 of the win streak.
Things worth mentioning
Stuart Skinner would have won the Player of the Game if not for McDavid, as he saved 29 shots on 30 attempts for a .967 save percentage. Remember how he had a .853 save percentage after his first eight games? Well, Skinner is all the way up to a .910 save percentage and a 2.44 goals-against average. He’s just a big of a reason for the turnaround as any other Oiler is.
Leon Draisaitl also had a multi-point night, as he scored the game-winning goal and picked up two assists for six points in his last two games. For the season, Draisaitl has 23 goals and 57 points.
Zach Hyman picked up the empty net goal, which was his 30th goal and 47th point on the season. Last season, Hyman set a career-high with 36 goals and 83 points in 79 games, but it looks as if he’s going to smash the former as he needs just seven goals in his remaining 37 games.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins opened the scoring with a quick little snapshot to beat the Nashville goaltender. This was his 12th goal of the season and the first in 10 games, and he now has 44 points on the season.
Corey Perry made his Oilers debut and reminded everyone why we all hated him when Edmonton played against his team. In his first shift, he got in front of the net and got hauled down, which is a pretty tame Perry shift all things considered. He looked good with Dylan Holloway and Ryan McLeod.
The Oilers will have a chance to match the NHL’s record for the longest win streak set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992-93 of 17. Unfortunately for the Oilers, they won’t play for another 11 days as the All-Star break is approaching with the CBA-mandated week off. This isn’t the first extended breakoff during the win streak, as from the 23rd to the 27th, the Oilers didn’t play a single game.
Moreover, the Oilers’ first game back will be against the reigning Stanley Cup Champions in the Vegas Golden Knights in the desert, so that’s going to be a tough game. Thankfully, if they can match the longest win streak in history, they’ll have a date with the Anaheim Ducks three days later.
With the win, the Oilers are 29-15-1 with 59 points, seven clear (with two games in hand) on the St. Louis Blues who sit on the outside looking in. They are six points clear of the Los Angeles Kings, who are fourth in the Pacific Division, while the Oilers themselves are five points back of the Golden Knights, but have four games in hand.
Maybe, just maybe, they can catch the Vancouver Canucks who have 69 points in 48 games. The Oilers would only be four points back of the Canucks if they won all three of their games in hand.
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