Evander Kane scored twice, and Connor McDavid contributed a goal and two assists, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-3 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday, marking their fifth consecutive win.
Leon Draisaitl, Tyson Barrie, and Zach Hyman also scored for the Oilers, who currently hold the NHL’s longest active winning streak.
“A few wins in a row can really change the mindset and boost our belief,” said Kane, who has accumulated 12 goals and 20 points in 23 games since joining the Oilers. “Getting healthy and playing tighter as a unit has really helped us succeed.”
“I see great potential in this team, so I came here. We’re starting to show what we can achieve,” he added.
Jesper Bratt scored twice and had an assist, and Nico Hischier also scored for the Devils, who have now lost three in a row and four of their last five.
“It’s frustrating, but we did some good things out there,” Hischier said. “It’s not a terrible game, just frustrating to come up short.”
The Devils tied the game at 2 just 26 seconds into the third period as Bratt redirected a puck that bounced off the backboards past Mikko Koskinen for his second goal of the game.
New Jersey briefly took a 3-2 lead a few minutes later when a big rebound came out to Hischier, who was left alone in front and slid a backhander into the net before Koskinen could react.
But Edmonton quickly took control.
The Oilers got a bad-angle goal nine minutes into the third as Barrie somehow slipped a shot over Jon Gillies’ shoulder.
Edmonton regained the lead eight minutes into the third on the power play as Kane found a loose puck in the slot and guided it in for his second goal of the game.
The Oilers added some breathing room 49 seconds later as McDavid sent a pass in front that went off Hyman’s skate and into the net.
McDavid added an empty-netter to extend his goal-scoring streak to five games, giving him 90 points on the season.
“It got away from us for a bit in the third, but good teams find ways to win,” Draisaitl said. “At the end of the day, it’s two big points for us. It’s been an important stretch with some good teams in here.”
Edmonton started scoring just 1:11 into the first period. It appeared Gillies thought he had the puck, but Jesse Puljujarvi scooped it up behind the net and sent it in front to Draisaitl, who put his 41st of the season into a wide-open net.
The Oilers came in with a 20-0 record when scoring first this season, the second-best mark in league history after the 1944-1945 Montreal Canadiens, who went 22-0.
The Devils tied it five minutes into the opening period as Hischier sent Bratt in on a breakaway, and he beat Koskinen for his 20th goal.
Edmonton got a surprise goal with 2:12 remaining in the second period. It appeared Gillies had made a pad save on a wraparound attempt by Kane. The play continued for about 30 seconds before a horn sounded, indicating that a review was needed, which concluded that the puck had crossed the line.
Koskinen finished with 25 saves and improved to 11-1-2 in his last 14 starts. Gillies stopped 34 shots.
“As we continue to grow our game and become even tighter as a team,” Kane said, “I think we’re going to be a tough team to beat.”
UP NEXT
- Devils: Host the New York Rangers on Tuesday night.
- Oilers: At Colorado on Monday night.
