Draisaitl Leads Oilers to Gritty 5-1 Win Over the Predators

The Edmonton Oilers continued to feast on the Nashville Predators. In their first game without Connor McDavid in the line after his injury, Leon Draisaitl needed to lead the group and the rest of the roster had to step up, which they did. It was a solid road performance with some fisticuffs and good goaltending by Calvin Pickard, who made 26 saves and allowed a single goal.

Here are the key takeaways from the Oilers’ win over the Predators. It was a strong bounce-back performance after laying an egg in their last game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 11 different Oilers had a point.

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Leon Draisaitl Continues to Dominate the Predators

Draisaitl loves playing against Nashville. In his last 16 games against Nashville, he has 25 goals and 41 points. He had two goals on Thursday. Draisaitl was flying from the get-go and his line scored on the first shift of the game. Once they established the pace of the game, the other lines followed suit.

Draisaitl is a big-game player and he needed to send a message that this team can win without their captain. He set the tone and didn’t relent throughout. His three points proved he’s not a byproduct of McDavid. Kris Knoblauch said the top line was the best line all night and Draisaitl was their best player. He didn’t disappoint and came up with goals at the big times. He was ready to play and the first shift showed it.

A Night of Firsts for the Oilers

Both Viktor Arvidsson (11 shot attempts) and Zach Hyman scored their firsts of the season. It had to be a huge relief for both players who would never have guessed each would go 10 games without a goal. Arvidsson tucked one in on a nice assist from Draisaitl. Hyman was sent in on a breakaway and put it up high.

Arvidsson said after the game it was nice to get the goal off his back and look forward. “Hyms got his first one too, so it’s good for the confidence.” He said their line has found some chemistry that comes from hard work and winning puck battles.

Noah Philp almost scored at the end of the game as Corey Perry tried to set him up. Philps first will have to wait. But, he did get his first point in the NHL with an assist on Perry’s goal at 9:54 of the first. Philp finished with 11:50 TOI, three shots on goal, and went10/14 (71%) on faceoffs.

A Rought Night That The Oilers Handily Won

Nashville outhit the Oilers 30-20, but the Oilers won the toughness game. Ty Emberson got into his first fight and fared well. Vasily Podkolzin and Jeremy Lauzon got into a fight and both were swinging. Podkolzin connected on two big right hands to drop Lauzon.

They are 5-0 when getting a fighting major this season. They are 0-5-1 when they don’t. That has to be an indicator that the Oilers play so much better when they have to be more physical and engaged.

This was a team that was willing to step up in all facets of the game. Some analysts wondered if the McDavid injury might trigger the team to play a style of game that made it harder for teams to play against them. That was certainly the case against the Predators.

Next: Journalist Maps Out Path for Oilers to Reunite with Klim Kostin