It didn’t look good for the home team. Then the home team’s best player decided to take things in his own hands. The result was that the Edmonton Oilers, led by the great Connor McDavid, came roaring back from being down by a goal to leaving his Alberta-based rival the Calgary Flames in the dust. The final score was 3-2 on Saturday night.
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McDavid Has a Hand in Every Oiler’s Goal
McDavid had a three-point night, which means that he had a hand in every Oilers’ goal of the game. His first two scores were assists, but he saved the best until last when he came roaring up the left side of the ice and past the Flames desperate defense to score the game-winner with just over three minutes during regulation that.
That goal broke a 2-2 tie, and the Flames couldn’t get a final tally in the dying minutes.
The 24-year-old McDavid’s three-point game broke a three-game pointless streak and pushed his NHL-leading scoring to 15 goals and 28 assists (for 43 points) in 26 games. As of the end of Saturday night’s games, McDavid not only leads the NHL in points, but he also leads the league in assists.
McDavid is also tied for second with the Chicago Blackhawks’ Alex DeBrincat and the Montreal Canadiens’ Tyler Toffoli to the Toronto Maple Leafs’ Auston Matthews in goals scored. Matthews leads the NHL with 18 goals.
Connor McDavid Breaks His Scoring Slump
It’s hard to imagine a player as good as McDavid not scoring in three straight games, yet that’s what happened when the Oilers met the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, in Saturday’s 3-2 win over the Flames, after a slower first period, McDavid picked up the pace and assisted on goals from Kailer Yamamoto and Jesse Puljujarvi to help carry the team to its win.
McDavid’s game-deciding goal was a thing of beauty. He sliced through the Flames, went down the left side, gave every indication he was going to pass the puck, then he rang the puck off the post and past goalie Jacob Markstrom.
Although Markstrom was coming off an injury, but he looked sharp throughout the game. He just couldn’t stop McDavid.
In the video below, you can see McDavid bounce the puck in after hitting both posts for Oilers’ game-winner.
Remembering Walter Gretzky
Before the game, the Oilers paid a nice tribute to Wayne Gretzky’s father, Walter who died on Thursday at the age of 82.
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