Draisaitl scores twice for Oilers in win against Blue Jackets

COLUMBUS -- Leon Draisaitl took over the NHL scoring lead with two goals and an assist for the Edmonton Oilers in a 4-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena on Wednesday.

James Neal and Jujhar Khaira scored, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two assists, and Mike Smith made 23 saves for the Oilers (9-4-1), who were coming off a 3-1 loss at the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday, their second in a row.
Zach Werenski scored for the Blue Jackets (5-5-2), who have lost two in a row after going 4-0-2 in their previous six.
WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Blue Jackets highlights]
Draisaitl has 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists), one more than David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins. They are tied for the NHL lead in goals.
Draisaitl, who has six goals and three assists during a four-game point streak, said he was pleased Edmonton responded to the Detroit loss by getting off to a 2-0 lead in the first period.
"We've been trailing a lot this season," he said. "It's tiring trying to come from behind all the time. It's nice to play with the lead and get off to a good start."

Neal gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead at 9:11 with his 11th goal, eighth on the power play. Draisaitl got his 200th NHL assist on the goal.
"He's very confident right now, and he's fun to have on the ice," Edmonton defenseman Oscar Klefbom said of Neal. "He's going to be a very important piece for us because the power play's so important for teams who are going to make the playoffs."
Draisaitl made it 2-0 at 17:02, three seconds after the Oilers' third power play of the period expired. Alex Chiasson's shot from the left point rebounded to Nugent-Hopkins, who passed to Draisaitl low in the right face-off circle for a one-timer.
"When you're playing a team on a back-to-back, you want to get on them right away," Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella said. "To let their top players touch the puck as much as they did in the first period to get themselves into the game, you're pushing an uphill battle.
"We didn't climb the hill after that. We didn't climb it."

Khaira made it 3-0 at 1:20 of the second period with his first goal of the season.
Draisaitl scored his second of the night at 4:56 to make it 4-0.
Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo was pulled after he made eight saves on 12 shots. Elvis Merzlikins made 19 saves in 35:04.
"Early on, we didn't play nearly hard enough, that was evident by the score," Werenski said. "We left [Korpisalo] out to dry tonight."
Werenski scored a power-play goal at 6:55 of the second to make it 4-1. It was his 41st NHL goal, tying Rostislav Klesla for the most by a defenseman in Columbus history.

The Blue Jackets had a 5-on-3 power play that lasted 1:47 after Oilers defenseman Ethan Bear was called for high-sticking Cam Atkinson at 16:05.
Edmonton coach Dave Tippett said that's when Draisaitl shined.
"Tonight, everybody sees the goals, but that 5-on-3 penalty kill we had was a big part of the game," he said. "Draisaitl did a heck of a job on the 5-on-3."

They said it

"It's a nice weight off your shoulders, for sure. I mean, it's been 14 games, and I can tell you one thing: I've thought about it every single day." -- Oilers forward Jujhar Khaira on his first goal of the season
"I think we're one of the quicker teams in the League, to be honest with you, and that's why I'm a little surprised at our speed tonight. I didn't find we had the same speed that we've had in the first 10 games. I'm not sure why, but we've got to rectify that." -- Blue Jackets captain Nick Foligno

Need to know

Neal and Draisaitl are the fourth set of teammates in NHL history to each score at least 11 goals in October (Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier, Oilers, 1981; Peter Stastny and Michel Goulet, Quebec Nordiques, 1982; and Mario Lemieux and Kevin Stevens, Pittsburgh Penguins, 1992). ... Edmonton center Connor McDavid has one goal and five assists during a four-game point streak. ... Neal has 12 goals against the Blue Jackets in 23 games. ... The Oilers are 6-0-0 when scoring first. ... Edmonton forward Riley Sheahan left the game at 10:36 of the second period with an undisclosed injury after he was hit by Pierre-Luc Dubois. ... Oilers defenseman Joel Persson returned after missing seven games with a concussion. ... Korpisalo played his 100th NHL game. ... The Blue Jackets were twice called for too many men.

What's next

Oilers: At the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; SN, ATTSN-PT, NHL.TV)
Blue Jackets: At the St. Louis Blues on Friday (8 p.m. ET; FS-MW, FS-O, NHL.TV)