The Edmonton Oilers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Tuesday. Despite getting out to an early 2-0 lead, the home team fell to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes with a 3-2 loss in overtime.
For the second time this season, the Oilers scored the first goal of the game as Connor McDavid ripped the puck past Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen with the sweet sound of the post.
The second goal once again came courtesy of McDavid, as he received a pass down low and shimmied his way in front of the net, beating Andersen once again.
Heading into the third period, the Oilers led 2-0 and looked as if they’d coast to a victory. Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner made a terrific save, but the puck eventually found its way to Shayne Gostisbehere, who finally was able to beat Skinner.
With just over six minutes left in the game, the Hurricanes tied the game thanks to a rush opportunity capped off by Martin Nečas, who was left all alone beside the net.
Carolina capped off their comeback with the overtime goal with 6.1 seconds left, giving the Oilers their second consecutive loss and bringing their record to 2-4-1.
Takeaways…
The Oilers scored their second power-play goal of the season thanks to McDavid’s second goal of the game. However, they allowed another goal on the penalty kill, the sixth time in seven games that’s happened this season.
Stuart Skinner didn’t have a bad game at all, as he didn’t have much of a chance on any of the goals except for maybe the first one. Granted, he also made a terrific save just seconds before that. Saving 30 shots on 33 opportunities, Skinner finished with a .909 save percentage, the second time he’s been over the .900 mark.
McDavid looks to be back to his standard form, scoring his second and third goal of the season, giving him a six-game point streak with three goals and eight points in that span. Next to Bouchard’s 28:37 minutes on ice, McDavid’s 25:37 minutes on ice was the second-most in the game while also leading all forwards. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl also played over 23 minutes.
The Oilers continue their mini homestand on Friday, hosting the Pittsburgh Penguins at 9:00 PM MT. The team is now 2-4-1 on the season and they need a win against Sidney Crosby and Co.
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