GAME RECAP: Oilers 7, Capitals 2

EDMONTON, AB – There was only one hat trick in the contest, but the hats came raining down to the ice on more than one occasion during a raucous evening at Rogers Place.

Zach Hyman recorded his fourth hat trick of the season, while winger Connor Brown got on the scoresheet with his first goal as a member of the Edmonton Oilers in a 7-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Wednesday that had Rogers Place rocking from start to finish.

"It's just nice to have it behind me," Brown said. "It's nice to get one and contribute offensively, and it's nice to have it in the past."

Brown notched his first with the Blue & Orange in the third period, bringing the hats down to the ice in celebration for his first goal in 55 games as an Oiler before Hyman's hat-trick goal was announced with less than two minutes left in regulation, causing another shower of hats for his 46th goal of the campaign that was originally awarded to Evan Bouchard in the middle frame.

The Oilers finished 3-for-4 on the power play, with Leon Draisaitl recording a goal and three assists and Connor McDavid contributing a goal and two helpers.

Stuart Skinner was beaten on the first two shots he faced, but finished the night with 23 saves on 25 shots to reach 30 victories on the season, including two highlight-reel stops on Alex Ovechkin to become the first Oilers goalie since Cam Talbot in 2017-18 to reach the mark.

Edmonton will be back in action on Saturday night in a high-value Hockey Night in Canada clash against the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place.

FIRST PERIOD

If at first you don't succeed on a one-timer, try that one-timer again.

And again. And again. From the same spot, too.

An early and extended four-minute man advantage for the Oilers off a Nic Dowd double-minor for high-sticking needed two shifts from their top power-play unit to find the opening goal, and plenty of attempted passes to the stick of Leon Draisaitl in his regular spot located in the right circle.

Connor McDavid connected two cross-ice passes onto the tape of his counterpart that Draisaitl put high and wide on his first attempted one-timer before Darcy Kuemper stopped his second try.

The puck then landed in the far corner and Draisaitl got yet another return feed from his captain, but instead of letting another shot fly, the German worked an exchange with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the slot before dropping to one knee for another one-timer that clipped the top of Kuemper's pad on its way into the net for his 32nd of the campaign.

The Oilers entered play tonight 11-2-1 in their last 14 games at Rogers Place, having outscored their opponents 58-34 in that stretch. The power play had returned 14 goals on 35 opportunities (40.0 percent), while the penalty kill had killed off 36-of-41 chances against (87.5 percent).

After Dylan Strome took another high-sticking penalty soon after for Washington, McDavid was left alone at the top of the Capitals zone to walk in and beat Kuemper on a wrist shot for his 25th of the season that doubled the Oilers advantage to 2-0.

The captain was tracking to have another one of those incredible periods, but before he could get involved on the scoresheet again, Washington would work themselves back into the game off a couple of fortunate bounces.

Defenceman Troy Stecher made his Oilers debut on Wednesday due to the late scratch of Mattias Ekholm due to illness, but after the blueliner palmed a puck from the danger area to the halfboards, forward Ivan Miroshnichenko turned and fired a tricky shot that struck the far post and went in to make it 2-1 on Washington's first shot on goal.

The Capitals then converted on the power play during Ryan McLeod holding penalty, with Connor McMichael cleaning up a blocked shot by Vincent Desharnais on Alex Ovechkin that bounced kindly to the other Connor located in the slot to make it two goals on two shots for the Capitals.

"I thought our start was great as a team," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "The first goal against, I think Stu would want it. He lost sight of vision. I think somebody crossed his line of vision and wasn't expecting a quick shot from the wall. And then on their power-play goal, we had a great block. It bounces right to their guy's stick. No one has any opportunity to do anything differently than that, and it's just one of those things that just happens."

The equalizing goal game just 2:25 after Miroshnichenko cut the lead in half, but it would take the Oilers only 29 seconds to answer back on a play that was once again created by McDavid.

Number 97 had a pass meant for Hyman take an alternative direction to landing on Edmonton's leading scorer's stick in front after it bounced onto his blade off the legs of two Capitals defenders. Hyman took a quick shot and buried his 44th of the season on the rebound, restoring the Oilers lead to 3-2 with 8:36 left in the opening frame.

The marker made it 10 straight home games for Hyman with a goal on home ice, tying Wayne Gretzky for the franchise record, while making it 24 goals in his last 29 games at Rogers Place.

"I didn't know that. I like playing here," Hyman said. "I love playing in front of these fans. I don't know. I love playing at home. Obviously, I think our team loves playing here, so you want to have success in your own building."

Skinner had been beaten on Washington's only two shots, but the 24-year-old netminder would deny one of the League's greatest goalscorers of all-time with less than two minutes left in first period when he sprawled across the crease to take away goal No. 841 from the Great Eight with an incredible save that kept the Oilers in front late in the period.

"He was great. It's tough to start the game like that," Draisaitl said. "One bad bounce and another tough one to stop, so not the best start for us as a group, but really mature how he hung in there. We rallied around it and he just continued to give us a chance."

SECOND PERIOD

As it turns out, Zach Hyman can score from anywhere he wants.

Hyman leads the NHL with 31 goals from the area directly located in front of the opponent's crease, but his second tally of the night was anything but a net-front tap-in when he gave his team a 4-2 lead with less than six minutes left in the middle frame.

Nugent-Hopkins picked off a wayward pass in the neutral zone to set up a two-on-one with Hyman, who messed with his goal-scoring heat map this season when he buried a wrist shot off the far post and in from inside the right circle for his team-leading 45th goal of the season.

Hyman recorded his ninth multi-goal game of the season and tied Florida's Sam Reinhart (9) as well as Vancouver's Brock Boeser (9) for fourth most among all players this season. Over his Oilers tenure, the winger now has 50 multi-point games.

With 52 seconds left in the middle frame, Hyman earned his hat trick when he got a piece Evan Bouchard's point shot on the power play with a deflection from between the hashmarks that marked No. 46 for the Toronto, Ont. product this season.

It was originally given to Bouchard, but near the end of the third period, the goal would be announced as Hyman's before a delayed showering of hate on the ice delayed the game's ending.

"He knows where to go," Draisaitl said of Hyman. "Obviously playing with Connor, that's a big help, right? But that's a big help for anybody. Hyms is obviously really smart around the net and knows where to go, and he's really strong. Hoesn't get pushed around. Just a truly amazing signing for us."

THIRD PERIOD

After Foegele made it six, Rogers Place erupted with one of the loudest cheers you'll ever hear for a 7-2 goal.

It's been a challenging season for Connor Brown, who arrived in Edmonton this off-season coming off a long-term knee injury he suffered at the start of last year's campaign as a member of the Capitals, but the burden has finally been lifted after the 30-year-old after getting a lucky bounce off his skate that went in for one of the most cathartic goals of his career.

On a two-on-one with Evander Kane, the winger made a move to the front of the net and had his linemate's pass go in off his left skate blade, sneaking under the left arm of Kuemper and over his pad for Brown's first goal in 55 games with the Oilers that was energetically celebrated inside the bowl of Rogers Place.

"It meant a lot," Brown said of the crowd's reaction. "You play in a big market like this and they're aware of the storylines, so it means a lot. It's been a struggle this year offensively. I haven't been able to get one to go in, so obviously for their kind of support to shine through there, it was a good feeling."

If Skinner's first save on Ovechkin wasn't good enough, Skinner closed out the contest with another stunning glove save after reacting quickly to Dylan Strome's reverse pass to a wide-open Ovechkin at the back post.

Skinner would finish the night with 23 saves on 25 shots as the Oilers wrapped up a 7-2 victory with goals from Foegele and Brown in the final frame.