GAME RECAP: Oilers 3, Flames 2

CALGARY, AB - Battled back to douse the Flames.
The Oilers trailed 2-1 through 40 minutes before Connor McDavid scored the equalizing goal and set up the game-winner for Zach Hyman, who had two goals in a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
"You don't like being behind, but I think we're one of the teams out there that can come from behind," Hyman said. "We have enough skill, and our ability to score goals, we're confident in that. I think we're not deterred by a deficit. We don't like to be down, but when we're down, we have a lot of belief in the locker room that we can get back to even and win the game."
The captain finished the night with a goal and two assists, while forward Dylan Holloway recorded his first career NHL point with the secondary helper on McDavid's equalizer midway through the third period.
Stuart Skinner got the nod in goal and put in a terrific performance, making 40 saves on 42 shots to improve to 2-1-0 on the season. The shot stopper from Edmonton, AB has now made 128 saves of 134 shots this season.
With the victory, the Oilers complete the perfect 3-0-0 road trip and have now won four consecutive games to improve to 6-3-0.
"I know the Battle of Alberta is huge," Skinner said. "Obviously two great teams going out after it, and you definitely know what it's about because growing up, you live for these moments. There's a moment during the third where I kind of had to snap my fingers a bit, pinch myself and get back to work. I thought the guys did a great job out there."

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POST-FILLED OPENING FRAME

I'm not sure a goalless first period is what we all expected in the Battle of Alberta that's seen 62 combined goals in the last seven renditions, but here we are. There were, however, a couple of close chances for Edmonton.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins took a cross-ice feed from Connor McDavid six-and-a-half minutes into the hockey game and wired a wrist shot from the top of the circle that rattled the crossbar before Stuart Skinner was called upon to make the save at the other end off the Flames transition.
Then, in the dying seconds of the Oilers second powerplay later in the period, Hyman struck the iron to represent another chance that went beckoning for the Blue & Orange in the opening 20 minutes.
It was a rivalry matchup just waiting for a breakthrough at the intermission.

OILERS & FLAMES FIND GOALS

That long-awaited breakthrough came on an Oilers powerplay, but not the way you'd have hoped.
After the puck was chipped out past Tyson Barrie at the blueline, Mikael Backlund was flying the zone with speed and beat the backtracking McDavid to fire the opening goal short side under Skinner's left arm just 15 seconds into Edmonton's powerplay.
It didn't take long, however, for the Oilers to respond on the same man advantage. After Hyman turned the puck over in the offensive zone, the winger tried to fire it in front to the stick of Draisaitl before it struck the stick of a sliding Calgary defender and found its way through Jacob Markstrom's five-hole less than half a minute after they found themselves behind.

But before the period was over, Milan Lucic protected the puck behind the Edmonton net and found a window of time to send it in front, where the puck skipped past an Oilers blueliner and found the unmarked Brett Ritchie. With no opposition, the Calgary fourth-liner fired the go-ahead goal top shelf past Skinner with just under four minutes to go in the middle frame to give the hosts the 2-1 lead.

PLAY OF THE GAME

It wasn't one of Connor McDavid's full-ice miracles, but it was a sneaky and smart play by the captain to tie the game.
Defenceman Cody Ceci rimmed the puck around the offensive zone with the McDavid picking up the puck alone on the left halfboards. The captain then made an instinct play by throwing the puck towards the Calgary goal, where Markstrom wasn't set after coming out to try and knock it down behind the net. The quick shot fooled Markstrom, who was beaten at the near post by McDavid to level the game at 2-2 with just under 11 minute left in regulation.
"I saw him chase the rim. It got by him, and I think he maybe even took the long way around," McDavid said. "I don't even think I had a shot on net yet, so I figured it was a good chance to get one on. Luckily, it went in."

Forward Dylan Holloway had already exited the ice for a change, but the Calgary, AB product got on the scoresheet with his first-ever NHL point by recording the secondary assist.

TURNING POINT

There was the captain again, and there was Hyman with the redirection to lift the Oilers into a lead.
With 7:36 to go in the game. McDavid had the puck on his stick in the slot uncontested before he sent it back across goal to the waiting Hyman, who one-touched the go-ahead goal past the sliding Markstrom from the goalmouth for his second of the game to make it 3-2 Oilers in the late stages of the game.
"I go back to being able to get some of the matchups we wanted there in the third period to get the right people on the ice against the people we wanted them going against. They were able to stick with it and get us a couple of goals there in the third period.

TOP PERFORMER

McDavid was making the magic happen once again in Calgary on Saturday night, recording the tying goal and setting up the game-winner to finish the Battle of Alberta with a goal and two assists.
At this early stage of the campaign, he's put up nine goals and nine assists for 18 points in nine games this season -- including seven points in his last two games. These aren't unexpected numbers for the Generational Talent, who looks poised for another incredible offensive season.
"He's the best hockey player in the world," Woodcroft said. "He drives our team in so many aspects, and it's a privilege for me to stand behind the bench every game that he gets to play in. But what I do know about Connor that you might not if you're not around us all the time is that he's an ultimate teammate. He's a true competitor. He rises to the occasion in big moments, and today was a big moment. It was an important win for our team and he led the way. I'm not surprised."

PARTING WORDS

Woodcroft gives his thoughts, beginnign with the morning zamboni trouble at the pre-game skate:
"I was just happy they had zamboni that worked for the evening game tonight. I thought that it was a little bit of a different morning, but I didn't think anything is going to throw our team off and I thought it was a good hockey game tonight between two good teams; numerous chances at both ends. Both teams had crossbars, and in the end, we stuck with it kind of longer and harder and we were able to get kind of the right people on the ice at the right time to prevail. I was happy about that, especially after we dropped one against them in our building."
Woodcroft on the current lineup providing returns since being assembled for the Pittsburgh win:
"I think one thing we try and do is maintain a level of flexibility. We have so many good forwards up front where I feel good about interchanging the parts. Zach doesn't always play with Connor, but I do think there's chemistry between specifically Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. When we went to this lineup in the Pittsburgh game, we thought it was to our benefit, and over the last four or so it's helped us get on a little bit of a roll here.

Hyman on the Oilers winning three on the road after a 3-3-0 homestand to start the season:
"Obviously not the start we wanted necessarily at home, but to come on the road and win three against some really good teams is important for us. Good confidence booster going back home for another three. We only see Calgary three times -- they got one, so it's nice to get one. Tonight is a big one."
Hyman on Skinner's stellar play as part of a tandem with Jack Campbell:
"All the games he's been in, he's been fantastic and given us a chance. It's been great. We have two great goalies. We're pretty fortunate."
"He's a great young player, and the only way you know how good he is is if you just play him. I think Woody and Manson had him in Bakersfield, so they knew what he's capable of. I think he's come in and shown people didn't know who he was that he's an NHL goalie."
McDavid on Skinner's steady performance:
"He's giving us a sense of calm. He's jsut stable in there, solid, making saves that he should and hanging on to pucks as well. It's big. He's giving us a chance to get on and off the ice and kill a bit of their momentum. It's always a big thing for a goalie."
Skinner on saving 40 of 42 shots behind a resilient defence:
"It definitely felt good. The guys did a great job of keeping the shots on the outside for the majority of the game. Big blocks. Everybody was going to the net, so big two points."
"I thought it was just a hard-fought game all the way through," Skinner said. "I think both teams played a really tight game. It's such a tight-scoring game, and that's the way you want to win. All the boys did a hell of a job out there."