Achi news desk-
Led by clutch power play and 33 saves from Calvin Pickard, Edmonton edged closer to the top of the NHL’s Pacific Division on Saturday.
Evan Bouchard scored the go-ahead goal 10:36 into the third period as the Oilers held on with a 4-2 win over the Calgary Flames.
“We played well in the third period and our power play came up with a huge goal at the end,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said. “(Pickard) was outstanding. I thought he made some huge saves, especially late in the game with the keeper being pulled, game on the line, it came big.”
Along with Vancouver’s 6-3 loss in Los Angeles, Edmonton has climbed to within three points of the Canucks for the top spot in the Pacific Division. They also hold one game in hand.
Including a 6-2 win over Colorado on Friday night, the Oilers got the response they wanted after a 5-0 drubbing at the hands of Dallas on Wednesday.
“Obviously we have a boatload of character in this room,” said Pickard, who improved to 12-6-0. “We wanted to get a big reaction after the Dallas game and we did.
“Not the easiest schedule with a back to back and Calgary sitting here waiting for us.”
Edmonton center Derek Ryan says the past four days have been typical of his club’s season.
“That’s a microcosm of our whole season. With the start we had and the character in this room, we were able to bounce back from that,” said Ryan. “There were a lot of people in Edmonton, a lot of people standing around me right now who were writing us off, and looking at us now.”
Leon Draisaitl, with his 40th goal, Connor Brown and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, with an empty net goal and two assists, also scored for Edmonton (47-24-5), which is 5-1-1 in its seven games last .
This is Draisaitl’s third straight 40-goal season and fifth of his career, which is third in franchise history behind Jari Kurri (seven) and Wayne Gretzky (nine).
“It’s nice that we’re getting some scoring depth,” Knoblauch said. “Last night (Evander) Kane, (Corey) Perry, (Ryan) McLeod line came up with three goals. Tonight, Brown with a huge goal Those lines have been playing pretty well, especially that fourth line .”
Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri answered for Calgary (34-37-5). Andrei Kuzmenko extended his point streak to five games (four goals, five assists) with two assists.
Jacob Markstrom had 23 stops, falling to 23-21-2.
“We fought hard, I thought we deserved better tonight,” Flames left winger Jonathan Huberdeau said. “It shows they have a good power play and they took advantage of that and we came up short. But I thought we were the better team tonight.”
Down 2-1 heading into the third period, Kadri tied it on a deflection at 7:13, but with the man advantage just over three minutes later, Bouchard shot from the blue line to restore the lead.
Connor McDavid picked up an assist on the play, giving him two on the night and a career-high 99 on the season, surpassing his previous high of 97 last year.
It’s the most assists in an NHL season since Gretzky had 122 in 1990-91. McDavid is on pace to become just the fourth player to have 100 assists in a season. He would join Gretzky (11 times), Mario Lemieux (one) and Bobby Orr (one).
Up 1-0 after 20 minutes, Edmonton doubled its advantage 3:13 into the second period when Brown fired in a loose puck after a wasted 2-on-1. After not scoring in his first 54 games, Brown has scored four times in his last 11.
However, the two-goal lead lasted just 44 seconds, with Sharangovich scoring his 30th of the season on a power play.
“It’s a bit of a tough loss. We could win this game. We had a chance to score more goals,” said Sharangovich.
Calgary has lost eight of its last nine games but its provincial rival played hard, often carrying the play.
Both teams finished 2-for-6 with the extra man.
“It is not easy, obviously, in the situation we are in. But the boys are showing up and it’s good to see,” said Huberdeau.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Open a four-game homestand Wednesday against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Flames: Start a three-game road trip against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday.
This report was first published by The Canadian Press on April 6, 2024.
