In the words of Leon Draisaitl, “sometimes you need a game like that to grind one out and get going.”
Both in regulation and overtime that’s what the Edmonton Oilers did Friday night to gut out a 2-1 overtime win over the New York Islanders.
And just like we’d expect, Draisaitl’s overtime winner came in thanks to a pass from… Calvin Pickard?
“His effort, his performance, his pass — he started the whole play,” said Leon Draisaitl. “It’s great hockey sense and goes unnoticed by a lot of people, probably.”
Yes, you read that right. A pass from Calvin Pickard.
It’s been a few years since the Oilers faithful have seen a goaltender make a play like that, almost reminiscent of Mike Smith’s pass to Connor McDavid in April 2022 that sprung him for an overtime winner.
To set the stage of Pickard’s play, though, you have to go back to the start of the game. The Oilers entered with a shuffled deck, as Adam Henrique and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins swapped spots, with the former flanking McDavid and Zach Hyman, and the latter centring Vasily Podkolzin and Viktor Arvidsson on the third.
Corey Perry and Connor Brown got the bump to Draisaitl’s line, and it worked. The Oilers outshot the Islanders 17-6 in that first period, dominating the pace of play and continuing strong play through the rest of the game.
Pickard, meanwhile, wasn’t tested early, but he had to stand tall the rest of the way.
“Not much action in the first period, which can make it really tough for a goalie,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “Sometimes they get out of it, but we needed him in the second with some big saves and same with the third, and obviously in the overtime. What better way to highlight it with an assist on the game winning goal?”
Their netminder, who had been pulled in his last start after allowing four goals on 10 shots to the Ducks, was clearly looking to rebound, and he bought the Oilers time to allow Draisaitl to open the scoring in the second with a blitzing slap shot. Bo Horvat would tie it up early in the third, but both teams clung on for overtime.
That’s where this story really gets exciting.
The usual customers jumped over the boards to kick things off for the Oilers, as Evan Bouchard joined Draisaitl and McDavid. Their first shift? It lasted all of two minutes, including much of it with one Islander stickless and another, Adam Pelech, barely moving after blocking a Bouch bomb.
New York’s three managed to hold on as both teams got fresh legs on the sheet, but nobody was expecting what came with just over a minute left. Islanders forward Marc Gatcomb shoveled the puck towards the front of the net from the side wall, hoping to find Pierre Engvall.
But Pickard sprung too, jumping on the puck and looking to fire it up the ice to a breaking Leon Draisaitl.
“I saw the guy (Engvall) kind of hanging around in the high-slot there,” said Pickard after the game. “Those pucks usually squirt out somehow, so I tried to get up and be a little bit assertive, and it squirted to me, and I saw both Leo and Connor go.
“Connor kind of intercepted it, and just sent it to Leo. It was great.”
It sure was great, as Draisaitl was left in on a breakaway wiring home his 49th goal over the shoulder of a helpless Ilya Sorokin.
Game, set, match.
“That’s elite hockey sense right there, so he was obviously amazing all night,” said Draisaitl of Pickard. “He gives us a chance every single time he’s in net, so you can’t ask for more than that. We love playing for him — I think that’s very obvious. Just a bit of our heart and soul guy.”
“(That’s a) huge compliment from a superstar,” said Pickard of Draisaitl’s comments. “You guys see him on the ice every single night, but he’s a better guy, better friend. It means a lot from him.”
This win should mean something for the Oilers, too. The sledding has been tough and will only get harder after Sunday against the New York Rangers, given that their remaining 15 regular-season games will all be against Western Conference teams.
Buckle up, folks. This ride is about to get interesting.
Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.

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