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Bouchard’s 20th goal of the season gives Oilers 4-3 OT win over Golden Knights: Recap, Reaction and Highlights
Edmonton Oilers Evan Bouchard Connor McDavid Matt Savoie
Photo credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Mar 27, 2026, 00:45 EDTUpdated: Mar 27, 2026, 00:53 EDT
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That may just be the biggest win of the season.
On Thursday evening, the Edmonton Oilers took on the Vegas Golden Knights in what could be a first-round matchup. It was the Oilers picking up the overtime victory after an entertaining game. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.
It took 12 minutes, but the Oilers finally got on the board. Connor McDavid drove down low and gave Matt Savoie a no-look pass. The rookie was sitting right in the slot undefended, allowing him to pick his spot for his 13th of the season, and giving McDavid his 800th career assist.
Four minutes into the second period, the Golden Knights tied it. Connor Ingram made back-to-back terrific saves, but on the second one, the puck bounced into the crease. The Oilers attempted to clear it, and the puck went right back out to Mark Stone, beating Ingram five-hole.
Edmonton restored its lead seven and a half minutes into the second period. Vasily Podkolzin was lucky not to receive an interference penalty, as that turned into a three-on-one with McDavid carrying the puck. The best player of all time picked his spot to give the Oilers a 2-1 lead.
With about five minutes left in the second period, the Golden Knights responded. A collision between Evan Bouchard and Ivan Barbashev, paired with a turnover, led to a breakaway for Stone, as he outwaited Ingram to make it 2-2. For some reason, Stone celebrated this goal like he had won the Stanley Cup again.
But once again, the Oilers were able to restore their lead. This time, it came less than two minutes later, as Zach Hyman stick-lifted the Golden Knights’ puck carrier, giving him all the time in the world to beat Adin Hill.
Before the Golden Knights tied the game at three, the Oilers had their second three-on-one of the game. As per usual, they over-passed it despite McDavid having the puck in the slot. The Golden Knights iced it, and off that icing, generated a two-on-one. Ingram made the initial save, but Barbashev banged in the rebound.
In overtime, Zach Hyman received a soft penalty call, sending the Knights to the power play. The three Oilers who started the kill played all two minutes and even generated a scoring chance at the end of the power play. On the ensuing faceoff, Connor McDavid won the draw back to Evan Bouchard, who ripped it past Hill for his 20th of the season.

Takeaways…

Since the game against the Dallas Stars two weeks ago, the Oilers have shown a willingness to get involved in scrums after whistles. This time Jason Dickinson received a hit to the head by Jérémy Lauzon in the final minute of the first. Shortly after, Dickinson laid out a Golden Knight after the period ended, leading to a 10-player scrum. Somehow, there were no penalties from this.
Even though Darnell Nurse bullied Brett Howden, no one dropped the gloves from this scrum. The lone fight actually came earlier in the period, as Connor Murphy fought Cole Smith in what was, quite frankly, a boring fight. There was some chippiness toward the end of the second period, but no major fireworks.
VOTE ON WHO WON THE CONNOR MURPHY FIGHT
Like Tuesday’s game against the Utah Mammoth, the Oilers played well and generated their best chances when they got to their cycle game (except for the three-on-one goal). Slowly but surely, they’re starting to play like the team they were expected to be.
Opening the scoring was Matthew Savoie, who scored his second goal in as many games. In the 15 games since the Olympic break, the rookie has four goals and 12 points and has been terrific alongside McDavid, who picked up his 800th assist on this goal. Savoie’s hustle is also fantastic. Just look at this play over a minute into his shift.
Evan Bouchard is the clear Norris Trophy winner. His overtime goal was his 20th of the season, and with an assist in this game, he now has 84 points. Bouchard’s one-on-one defence has also improved this year.
Connor Ingram had a sub-.900 save percentage once again (barely), but that doesn’t tell the whole story. He stopped 26 of 29 shots, but made numerous big saves, with two of the Golden Knights’ three goals coming on the second or third opportunity. Late in the third, he made a massive save to keep the game even at three, and made even more big stops in overtime.
That was a gutsy penalty kill in overtime. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Darnell Nurse, and Murphy spent the entire two minutes on the ice and somehow got out of it unscathed.
Unfortunately, the Oilers didn’t gain any ground on the Anaheim Ducks, as they scored with a second left in overtime in what was a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. They are now five points behind the Ducks. That said, the Oilers have a seven point lead over the Seattle Kraken, with a game against them at the end of the month.
The Oilers play those Ducks in their next game, returning home to host the Pacific Division leaders for a matinee game with a 1:30 p.m. MT start time. A loss would be devastating for the Oilers’ chances at ending the longest drought without winning a division title in all of the big four North American sports.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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