Edmonton, AB – Jay Woodcroft came into Saturday’s game 4-0 record since taking over as head coach of the Edmonton Oilers on February 10. After their matchup with Winnipeg, he walks out of the game 5-0 in his first five games.
In their 3-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets, the Edmonton Oilers were clicking on every area of the ice. Connor McDavid had another extremely productive game, finishing with three total points. He now averages 1.81 points per game in his career against the Winnipeg Jets.
Coach Woodcroft has been managing McDavid’s minutes in the first period in hopes of keeping him fresh throughout the game, but in the second period, McDavid ripped a one-timer off a pass from Leon Draisaitl for a goal of his own.
Woodcroft’s plan worked, as McDavid erupted in the second period, not only netting the goal but adding an assist on Kailer Yamamoto’s 10th goal of the season.
McDavid now has 71 points on the season, the most in the NHL. The person right behind him? That would be McDavid’s teammate, Draisaitil, who has 69 points of his own for the second-most points.
Oilers Dominate in All Facets of the Game
Not only did the Oilers’ offense come to life, but the Oilers’ defense continued the recent surge that has propelled them during their five-game winning streak.
Defenseman Tyson Barrie helped open up the scoring in the first period of the game, taking advantage of the power-play by rifling a pass to McDavid who rifled another pass right into Zach Hyman’s stick. Hyman shot a one-timer from near the blue line, netting the puck for his 17th goal of the season.
Hyman has scored four goals over the last five games, the most of any Oiler since Woodcroft has taken over as head coach. The scoring has been spread out for the Oilers in recent games, as it seems the coaching change really kicked them into high gear.
Barrie secured his second assist of the game on McDavid’s second-period goal. The Oilers outshot Winnipeg 39 to 24 in the game.
While the goaltending has been a bit inconsistent recently for Edmonton, Mikko Koskinen, who was playing in his first game since clearing the NHL’s COVID-19 protocols, had a solid game of his own, pushing aside 22 of 24 shots en route to his 17th win of the season.
Jets Comeback too Little too Late
The Jets’ did not score until the third period. The Jets were shorthanded on the breakaway, but taking advantage of a one-on-one opportunity, Adam Lowry was able to bury the puck into the back of the net to get the Jets on the board.
Winnipeg was not done, as Kyle Connor, the Jets’ leading scorer, got involved with a power-play goal of his own. The goal was Connor’s 29th on the year, leaving him just nine goals away from setting a new single-season career-high.
An open net goal by Darnell Nurse with just a few seconds left in the third period ended Winnipeg’s late comeback attempt. Winnipeg is still in the midst of the playoff race, currently sitting five points out of the second Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.
Looking Ahead
The Edmonton Oilers (28-18-3) will have a chance to extend their win streak to six games as they host the Minnesota Wild (30-13-3) at home on Sunday, February 20th at 8:00 pm EST.
The Winnipeg Jets (22-19-8) have a chance to end their two-game losing streak on Monday, February 21st at 4:00 pm EST when they’ll travel to Calgary to take on the Calgary Flames (28-13-6).
