GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Jets 2

WINNIPEG, MB - With Connor McDavid in command and Head Coach Jay Woodcroft at the helm, the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to five games by way of a 4-2 victory over the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre on Saturday.
The Oilers Captain notched a goal and two assists to increase his point total to 71 on the season, Mikko Koskinen stopped 22 of 24 shots he faced and defenceman Tyson Barrie chipped in with a pair of assists as the Oilers improved to 10-2-1 since Jan. 22 and 28-18-3 overall, moving into third place in the Pacific Division with 59 points.
Zach Hyman got the Oilers on the board on the power play in the first period, shifting Edmonton's record to 15-0-0 when scoring first, Kailer Yamamoto gathered his 10th goal and Darnell Nurse sealed the deal with an empty-netter for his sixth marker of the year while logging a game-high 27:42 of ice time.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY
Photo Gallery
Highlights
Look Back at the In-Game Blog
POST-GAME VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game at WPG
POST-GAME RAW | Coach Woodcroft
POST-GAME RAW | McDavid
POST-GAME RAW | Koskinen
POST-GAME RAW | Barrie

POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog

FIRST BLOOD

Here's your tip; keep the change.
After the Oilers suppressed an early Jets two-man advantage, the visitors opened the scoring on their first power play with Hyman's deflection at 12:17 of the first period.
As Dominic Toninato sat in the box for hooking, the Oilers top unit got to work. McDavid moved the puck from the half-wall to Barrie at the point for a one-timer, which changed its trajectory just ahead of the net due to Hyman's deft redirection.
The winger recorded his 17th tally of the season and 31st point on the play, collecting his fourth goal in five games in the process and McDavid extended his point streak to six games with his 44th assist.

HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT

No look, no problem.
Leon Draisaitl showed the eyes at the back of his head with a remarkable behind-the-back, backhand pass to McDavid at the side of the net and the Oilers Captain made no mistake, finishing the play with a swift wrist shot to put the Orange & Blue ahead by three in the second period.
The German got possession of the puck and surveyed the offensive zone, wheeling behind the net before delivering it right onto No. 97's tape for his 26th goal and third point of the contest. Draisaitl, the purveyor of beautiful passes, picked up his 34th helper of the season and also secured point No. 69.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Koskinen wasn't overly busy Saturday afternoon but kept the Jets from taking off by saving his best work for the third period. The 6-foot-7, 202-pound guardian made a sprawling glove save on Paul Stastny's goalmouth attempt when Winnipeg was pressing to get on the board late and just a shift later, the Finnish netminder kept the door shut by denying sniper Kyle Connor's one-timer from the right circle.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft's evaluation of Saturday's victory:
"Five wins for the Edmonton Oilers. You just had Mikko Koskinen up here but what a performance he put in. I thought he instilled a lot of confidence in our team. Really thought our penalty kill stepped up tonight, especially early in the game. It would have been easy to hang our heads down at 5-on-3 the way we were but there's a lot of warriors there that were diving in front of pucks. I think it was six or seven penalty kills against and only three power-play shots against. That's a credit to our penalty kill, which is starting to build some confidence.
"What I really, really enjoyed about tonight's game was the fact that they got a little bit of momentum in the last eight or nine minutes of the game but our team didn't flinch. Everyone was calm, saying the right things on the bench and we found a way to come out of a tough building with two points, which is the most important thing."
McDavid's assessment of the win:
"I thought our first two periods were really, really strong. We gave ourselves a bit of a cushion there. I don't like giving up the shorty to get them back in the game, obviously, and they found a way to make it a game. They're a good team and they're playing well. They made it a game."
McDavid on the late 6-on-4 kill and Koskinen's performance in goal:
"They got two extra guys and I thought our guys did an amazing job. Ceci sells out and blocks one, which is never easy to do. I thought Leo, Nuge and Hyms battled. Obviously, Nursy does what he does and Meeks stood strong. They did a good job there.
"He (Koskinen) looked good and played really well. He made the saves when he had two and was solid down the stretch there. He was a real big piece of the win."
McDavid on the Oilers winning ways and keeping it going Sunday against the Wild:
"It's a busy week. There's no doubt about it, but there's no excuse for us. We've got to find ways to keep this thing going. It's no easy task with a good Minnesota Wild team coming in tomorrow."

Barrie on the Oilers effort overall and weathering the Jets late storm:
"That 5-on-3 kill was huge for us. We had a good start and fought off some adversity early. It was a big kill and then we were able to get one on the power play, and then we get another one and another one. I kind of thought we took the game over and controlled most of the play.
"Give them credit, they had a good push in the third but I thought we showed a lot of maturity in fighting that off. There wasn't a lot of panic coming down the stretch, even with all those penalties. It was a good game start to finish."
Barrie on the Oilers power play getting on the board:
"We've been fighting it a little bit on the power play. If you watch us over the last few years, we make plays off of shots and getting pucks back. That's where Connor, Leon and Nuge, those guys go to work. Trying to establish a shot and be a threat up top opens up a little more space for them, so that's where that mentality comes from."
Koskinen on earning his first win in his first game back since Feb. 2 after recovering from COVID-19:
"I felt really good. I've been watching at home and it's never easy but the last games we've been playing have been really fun to watch. It's fun to be back with the boys again and it's good vibes on the team. I was really lucky. I didn't have any symptoms. Just bad timing for me, I missed five games. But that's part of life and hockey is only one part. Most important is that everyone is healthy."