GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Panthers 3

SUNRISE, FL - Derek Ryan scored his first career hat-trick and Mikko Koskinen made 44 saves as the Oilers earned a thrilling 4-3 victory over the Florida Panthers on Saturday.
Edmonton battled back from a 2-1 deficit in the second period to score three straight goals and held off a late push from the Panthers in the third to improve to 29-20-3 on the season.

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FIRST BLOOD

With Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leaving the game early due to an upper-body injury, Devin Shore moved up to play between Warren Foegele and Derek Ryan for a shift, and the trio generated the game's first goal at 10:14 of the opening frame on a perfect passing sequence. Shore sent Foegele and Ryan in on a two-on-rush, with Foegele flipping a saucer pass to Ryan, who beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a five-hole wrist shot for his fifth goal of the season and first of three on the day.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Ryan's hat-trick goal with just 44 seconds to go in the second period was a thing of beauty from start to finish as the play began with Mikko Koskinen making an impressive blocker stop on Mason Marchment, allowing the Oilers to head the other way on the attack. Darnell Nurse made a spin move in the high slot, passing to Evander Kane along the left-wing boards, and Kane immediately found Ryan streaking to the net for the tap-in past a helpless Bobrovsky, making it 4-2 Edmonton through 40 minutes.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Koskinen made a barrage of highlight-reel stops on Saturday, but his best of the game came with 4:22 to go in regulation and the Panthers net empty in favour of the extra attacker, as he slid across his crease and flashed the leather to deny the wrist shot of fellow Finn Aleksander Barkov. Koskinen made eight saves on Barkov alone despite Florida's captain collecting a pair of goals.

TURNING POINT

The Panthers held a 2-1 lead well into the middle frame until Ryan scored his second goal of the game to start a stretch of three in a row for the visitors, giving them a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Patric Hornqvist committed a holding infraction in the Oilers zone, and on the delayed call Ryan McLeod found Ryan cutting into the attacking zone, resulting in a well-placed short-side wrist shot over Bobrovsky's glove and just under the crossbar to make it 2-2 at 7:29 of the middle frame.

TOP PERFORMER

Can we name co-top performers? We're doing it. Ryan and Koskinen both had perhaps the best games of their respective careers to lead Edmonton to the win, despite Florida outshooting them 47-22.

FAST FACTS

Not only did Ryan record his first NHL hat-trick, he also became the oldest player in Oilers history to score three times in a game. At 35 years and 59 days, he beat out former captain Ethan Moreau (33 years, 118 days) who turned the trick on Jan. 18, 2009 in a 6-3 win over the Phoenix Coyotes at Rexall Place.
With his assist on Ryan's second goal of the game, Markus Niemelainen recorded his first NHL point.
The Oilers improved to a remarkable 16-0-0 on the season when scoring the game's first goal.
Koskinen's 44 saves matched a season high as he improved to 6-0-1 in his last seven games.
Nurse logged a game-high 28:17 TOI, just ahead of Aaron Ekblad's 28:10 for Florida.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on Ryan's first career hat-trick:
"I'm proud of him. He's been a heck of a hockey player over the last couple weeks. He's really shown some pop in his step with his increased role and responsibility. To see a teammate like that get rewarded with three goals, the whole dressing room was ecstatic."
Woodcroft on Koskinen's 44-save performance:
"He held us in the game when we gave up a few chances. That's a really good hockey team. They're at where they're at for a reason ... We found a way to win and we don't do that unless Mikko turns in the performance he did. He found the right save at the right time."
Ryan on recording his first three-goal game:
"I'm pretty happy. That's a big win on the road. Getting my first hat-trick in the NHL at the ripe age of 35 feels pretty good."
Ryan on Koskinen's effort between the pipes:
"Unbelievable. I feel like he made maybe a dozen top saves. He was dialled in on his game."
Koskinen on how he felt Saturday against the Panthers:
"I felt like I was making the right read at the right time, and that makes the lateral movement so much easier. I just have to trust my reads. That's the biggest thing and today it was strong."
Koskinen on Ryan's contributions to the team:
"He's awesome. He's so calm. You can rely on him in every situation on the ice. And off the ice too, great guy and I'm so happy for him that he got three goals for his first NHL hat-trick."