The Edmonton Oilers picked up a much-needed win over the Utah Mammoth.

After back-to-back defeats against the two Florida-based teams, the Oilers hit the road for two games, beginning with a game in Salt Lake City. On Tuesday, they defeated the Mammoth 5-2 in one of their most complete games since the end of the Olympic break. Let’s take a look at what went on in this one.

With nine minutes left in the first period, the Utah Mammoth opened the scoring. After gaining the zone, Alexander Kerfoot shot from the point, with the puck bouncing off Darnell Nurse, then Connor Murphy, and then over Tristan Jarry. It’s hard to pin the blame on anyone for this goal.

The Oilers tied the game with five and a half minutes left in the first period, as Jake Walman drove the middle of the ice and laid it off to Jack Roslovic. The middle-six forward ripped it far side past Karel Vejmelka to tie the game at one.

That was the score heading into the first intermission, as well as the first 11 minutes of the second period. Zach Hyman took a high-sticking penalty, but it was Matt Savoie who scored the first goal of the power play, receiving a pass from Evan Bouchard in the slot.

Unfortunately, that lead lasted just 35 seconds, as Lawson Crouse banged in a crazy deflection off the boards to tie it at two. The tie game didn’t last long either, as Connor McDavid scored his 39th of the season, somehow batting the bouncing puck past Vejmelka.

About three minutes passed before the next goal, as Hyman’s backhand shot rang the crossbar, but Roslovic corralled the puck on the bounce, firing it five-hole to make it 4-2. McDavid iced the game with an empty-netter for his 1,200th career point.

The Oilers were the better team from the start of the game, smothering the Mammoth with a strong forecheck. That was also one of their better games since the Olympic break ended, as they really needed to come out with a win in this one.

It was a game of milestones for Oiler players. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins picked up a secondary assist on Roslovic’s first goal, which was not just his 34th assist of the season, but the 800th point of his career.

Connor McDavid scored his 39th and 40th goals of the season, which also happened to be his 400th and 401st career goals. The Oilers captain iced it with an empty-netter late in the game, giving him his fourth 40-goal season, as well as his 1,200th career point. He remains on 799 assists.

McDavid was reunited with Matt Savoie, with the pair continuing to show chemistry. Simply put, the duo shouldn’t be separated again, as Savoie has shown the ability to play with high-calibre players this season.

Savoie’s goal in this game was his 12th of the season. Funnily enough, that’s the same total that Ryan McLeod has, albeit McLeod has nearly double the points. It’s a trade that has worked out well for both teams.

Evan Bouchard picked up three assists in this game, bringing him to 82 points this season. He’s still searching for his 20th goal of the season, but Bouchard became just the 15th defenceman in National Hockey League history with two 80-point seasons in their career.

Tristan Jarry was fine in this game, stopping 16 of 18 shots for an .889 save percentage. It’s hard to fault him on either goal he allowed: one came on a wild pair of bounces, and the other goal the Oilers allowed, they didn’t defend particularly well.

That said, their defence as a whole in this game was strong. Jarry only faced 18 shots because the Oilers blocked a total of 24 shots. Walman blocked four of them, while all defencemen except Mattias Ekholm blocked two or more shots. Even a few forwards got in on the block party, with Nugent-Hopkins blocking three and Roby Järventie blocking two.

With the win, the Oilers move ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights in the Pacific Division standings. The Golden Knights fell 4-1 to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday evening, with the pair of teams playing the same number of games. They still have a chance at finishing first in the Pacific Division.

The most important game of the season (so far) is on Thursday, as the Oilers head to Sin City to play the Golden Knights at 7:30 p.m. MT. A win would give them a three-point cushion over the 2023 Stanley Cup champions as the Oilers look to hunt down the Anaheim Ducks.