Makar, Avalanche rally to defeat Oilers in OT, end skid at 5

EDMONTON -- Cale Makar scored 2:09 into overtime, and the Colorado Avalanche ended a five-game skid with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Makar scored on an individual rush, shooting the puck over the shoulder of Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner.
Makar and Nathan MacKinnon each had a goal and an assist, Evan Rodrigues had two assists, and Alexandar Georgiev made 28 saves and had an assist for the Avalanche (20-15-3), who were 0-4-1 in their past five games.

"I'm really happy with the way we played tonight. I thought it was a full 60, no question," Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. "Even though the score was leaning the other way after 40 minutes, I thought 5-on-5, the guys played really well. They're a dangerous power play and they got a couple on that, but 5-on-5 the commitment to check produced good scoring chances through the course of the game. I felt like if we stuck with it and got a little puck-luck in the third period, we'd give ourselves a chance without changing too much, and we did that."
Zach Hyman scored two power-play goals, Leon Draisaitl had two assists, and Skinner made 43 saves for the Oilers (21-17-3), who finished their homestand 1-2-1.
"They are a really good team and we're pushing the entire night," Hyman said. "Our special teams were really good. I thought 'Stu' [Skinner] was great. They made a push there and tied the game up and won in OT. It's a game of inches. I had a lot of chances. It would have been nice to bear down on one of them and get the win there, but they are a good team."

MacKinnon cut it to 2-1 at 3:06 of the third period when he split Oilers defensemen Darnell Nurse and Cody Ceci before lifting a shot over Skinner's shoulder.
Brad Hunt tied it 2-2 at 8:19 with a shot from the high slot during a 4-on-4. The goal was Hunt's first with Colorado after signing a two-year contract July 15.
"It's awesome. I think this win brings the guys closer together and it's good to end the road trip on a positive note. Now we go home and hopefully we can keep this thing rolling," Hunt said. "It was really cool to tie it up like that, but without the rest of the guys on the team, it wouldn't have happened. They did a great job and I'm just happy we got the win. I was just coming off the bench, saw the puck there and used our guy as a bit of a screen and I was lucky enough that it went in."

Hyman scored on the power play at 15:37 of the first period to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. He took a cross-crease pass from Connor McDavid and flipped the puck past Georgiev.
Hyman scored another power-play goal at 15:03 of the second period during a scramble in front to put the Oilers ahead 2-0. A point shot from Tyson Barrie bounced back off the end boards, and Hyman was able to poke it in through Georgiev's legs for his 20th goal of the season.
Bednar challenged the play for goaltender interference, but the call on the ice stood following a video review.
The Avalanche were then assessed a minor penalty, which turned into a 5-on-3 for 13 seconds when defenseman Erik Johnson tripped McDavid, but the Oilers were unable to capitalize.
"I think we challenged a goal that was maybe 50-50, and I think as a bench, everyone wanted the challenge," Rodrigues said. "Our kill rose to the occasion after that, we got a big kill and then went from there."

Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak and Hyman each hit the post in overtime before Makar scored the winner.
"I thought it was a really competitive hockey game, I thought our special teams were really good tonight," Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said. "They got a 5-on-5 goal and a 4-on-4 goal that we'd like to have back, and in overtime we hit the crossbar two times. They have some special players and we have some special players, and special players on both teams made good plays tonight."
NOTES: Makar's overtime goal was his fourth in the NHL, tying Barrie for the most by a defenseman in Avalanche history. … McDavid has at least one point in 20 of his past 21 games … Draisaitl has five points (one goal, four assists) during a three-game point streak since returning from an undisclosed injury, which caused him to miss two games. He has 40 assists this season, his seventh straight with at least 40, tying McDavid for third in Oilers history behind Jari Kurri (10, 1980-81 to 1989-90) and Wayne Gretzky (nine, 1979-80 to 1987-88). … Hyman has five goals in his past five games. … Rodrigues has seven points (two goals, five assists) during a personal five-game point streak. He missed two games with an upper-body injury. … MacKinnon has scored 252 goals, tying Anton Stastny for fifth in Colorado history. … Colorado forward Mikko Rantanen had his five-game road goal streak end (seven goals). … Edmonton forward Jesse Puljujarvi played his 300th NHL game.