The Edmonton Oilers have snapped their near-month long four game losing streak.

After dropping a very winnable game on Wednesday, the Oilers return to action on Thursday, defeating the Los Angeles Kings 8-1 to move their season record to 28-23-8 for 64 points. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one!

Wednesday’s game saw the Oilers score 13 seconds in. This time, it took them nearly seven and a half minutes to score, as Ty Emberson activated on the weak side during a rush, got the puck, and ripped it past Darcy Kuemper to take the 1-0 lead.

Less than a minute later, the Oilers extended their lead to 2-0 thanks to Vasily Podkolzin’s 13th goal of the season. Andrew Mangiapane got the puck over the blue line and got it over to Vasily Podkolzin, who was undefended. Kuemper got a large piece of the shot, but it trickled under his armpit and into the back of the net.

With just under eight minutes left in the opening frame, former Oiler Warren Foegele cut the Oilers’ lead in half with a deflection past Connor Ingram, sending the Oilers into the dressing room up one. Three minutes into the second, Mangiapane scored his seventh goal of the season, beating Kuemper off the rush.

Five minutes into the second period, Connor McDavid scored his 35 goal of the season, patiently outwaiting Darcy Kuemper, who ended up all the way in Bhutan to close off the right side of his net. McDavid decided to go around the net, and had a wide open cage to shoot at.

The outcome of the game was decided midway through the second period. On the power play, Leon Draisaitl’s shot missed the net, but the puck bounced on the boards with Zach Hyman being the first on it for his 24th of the season.

That was the final goal… of the second period. Just 31 seconds into the final frame, the Oilers were on another power play, and McDavid dropped it to Draisaitl after getting the line. The German ripped it past the Kings’ netminder to make it 6-1.

After Wednesday’s game, you knew the Oilers weren’t going to take their pedal off the gas. Five minutes into the third, the Kings iced it, and Matthew Savoie was able to pass to Jake Walman after a winger faceoff win. Walman tickled the rafters and blasted it past Anton Forsberg for his sixth of the season. The left-shot defenceman added another one just over two minutes later, creeping in on the weakside and sneaking it in between the netminder and the post.

This game was just so much better than Wednesday’s game. They weren’t necessarily bad in that game, as they managed to find twine five times, but the defence was shaky in the third. On Thursday, the Oilers dominated the Kings in all facets of the game, and it helped they got a few saves.

One thing the Oilers have been doing the past two nights is seeing their defence activate on the weak side. Ty Emberson’s goal was scored that way and so was Jake Walman’s second of the game. On Wednesday, Evan Bouchard’s goal was scored the same way. It’s so nice that Paul Coffey is behind the bench again.

Another difference in the last two games is that the Oilers have been feisty. Like Wednesday, there were numerous scrums throughout the game. It’s nice to see them show some passion that was lacking early in the season, and credit to Trent Frederic for annoying Jeff Malott on the opening faceoff in the third period.

Why do I bring up the penalty that Frederic drew, other than he’s been solid for the past 10 games? Well, that power play led to Connor McDavid reaching his 100th point. With a goal and an assist in this one, McDavid reached the 100-point mark for the ninth time in his career. It’s the sixth consecutive season he’s done so, including the 56-game season in 2020-21.

The exceptions are his rookie season where he suffered a broken clavicle, and the shortened season in 2019-20 where he suffered an injury and the world shutdown, finishing with 97 points on the year. He joins only Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky as players who have reached the 100+ point mark nine times in their career. McDavid is also the first player to reach 100 points this season.

I already noted that Frederic had a good game, but so too did Andrew Mangiapane, who had a goal and an assist in this one, his first multi-point game of the season. He and Frederic nearly combined for a goal on Wednesday, and both have been noticeable for quite a few games right now. Good to see him get one.

Last trade deadline, the Oilers acquired Jake Walman from the San Jose Sharks for a first and a prospect. That trade has worked out pretty well when Walman has been healthy, as he scored twice in this game, giving him seven goals and 17 points in 31 games. It was a better game from his defence partner, Darnell Nurse, who was a +3 with an assist.

Coming out of the Olympic break, Matthew Savoie had two career multi-point games. He’s matched that over the last two games, scoring a goal and picking up two assists on Wednesday, then two assists against the Kings. The St. Albert native has 10 goals and 23 points in 60 games this season.

This doesn’t even mention the performance of Leon Draisaitl and Zach Hyman. Draisaitl scored his 30th goal of the season, the eighth consecutive season he’s reached that mark. He also added three assists. Hyman had a goal and two assists, giving him 24 goals in his last 35 games.

As noted earlier, the Oilers got some saves from Connor Ingram, as he stopped 21 of 22 shots for a .955 save percentage. It’s the ninth game in 15 games that Ingram has finished with a save percentage above .900. It should be his crease for the rest of the season.

Next up for the Oilers, they face their final Californian team on the road trip, taking on the San Jose Sharks at 2:00 PM MT. The Sharks have lost their last five games.

Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 28th and join us at the Matrix Hotel for Brunch for Ben!

We’re serving up breakfast with a side of hockey on the big screens, mini-putt showdowns, crafts, prizes, giveaways, and plenty more fun.

Cheer on Edmonton. Sink a putt. Win some prizes.

Most importantly? Support an incredible cause — the Ben Stelter Foundation.

Eat breakfast. Have a blast. Make a difference.

Grab your tickets now at Nationgear.ca and we’ll see you at Brunch for Ben!