The Edmonton Oilers were looking to find some life after two listless performances against the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks, seeing two leads dwindle and two losses come their way.
It was far from what they wanted coming out of the Christmas break, considering they had put together a 8-2 run before Santa came to visit. But what’s clear is the team wanted to close out 2024 strong, and head into the New Year feeling good about themselves and their game.
That’s just what happened Tuesday night, as a shuffle of the lines seeing Connor Brown elevated to the top line, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to the third and others throughout the game would help lead to a 4-1 win over the Utah Hockey Club.
It didn’t take long for the line changes to pay off in terms of motivating the team, as they opened the game with some jump. Mattias Ekholm would turn that momentum into a goal four and a half minutes in, walking down from the point and wiring a shot home from the slot.
That momentum was short-lived, however, as a minute and a half later, the Utah Hockey Club’s second line stayed hot, with Jack McBain tying the game up, set up by both Dylan Guenther and Logan Cooley.
And while the two sides would trade shots through the remainder of the first, Edmonton would get some damage done early in the second frame. It was a far cry from what happened the last second period the Oilers played, when they let a 3-1 lead over the Anaheim Ducks turn into a 3-3 tie.
Just under five minutes into the period, a strong forecheck would force a turnover, allowing Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to score an easy goal on the backside of the net. A mere 20 seconds later, work from the two Connor’s — McDavid and Brown — would lead to Troy Stecher extending Edmonton’s lead.
Leon Draisaitl, meanwhile, would seal the game with an empty net goal.

Backhanders…

  • Stuart Skinner stood strong in the crease for the Oilers, facing 11 shots in the first and third period, and six in the middle frame, turning aside 27 of 28 for a .964 save percentage. He’s played in 11 games since Nov. 23, with this being his ninth of them in which he’s posted a .923 save percentage or better. His game has really come alive as of late, and it’s been a big boost for the Oilers.
  • As the game went along, Zach Hyman found himself on a line with Adam Henrique and Jeff Skinner, playing 4:16 of five-on-five together. They generated seven shot attempts to Utah’s two, and four scoring chances with only one coming against. It’s a minuscule sample size, but with the Oilers trying to find a spot in the lineup for Jeff Skinner, one has to wonder if they go back to this trio in their next game.
  • The Oilers will have a chance to get back against the Ducks, who will come to town Friday night for Edmonton’s first game of 2025, before the team heads out on a four-game road trip. They’ll pay visit to the Seattle Kraken before heading east, squaring up with the Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist, making up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.