GAME RECAP: Oilers 5, Flames 2

EDMONTON, AB – It was a Classic outdoor Battle of Alberta that won't be soon forgotten.

The Edmonton Oilers came out of the 2023 Heritage Classic winners at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night, defeating their rivals the Calgary Flames 5-2 in the first outdoor Battle of Alberta in NHL history behind multi-point nights from Evander Kane, Leon Draisaitl, Zach Hyman and the first-career NHL goal for Vincent Desharnais.

Local Stony Plain product Brett Kulak opened the scoring in the opening five minutes, and the Blue & Orange wouldn't relinquish their lead despite a few challenges for the Flames over the remaining 55 minutes in front of a sellout crowd of 55,411, who took in the second-ever Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium in near-zero temperatures that were perfect for outdoor hockey.

"It was big. It felt really good," forward Leon Draisaitl, who had two assists and was plus-3, said post-game. "That's more the hockey that we expect out of ourselves, so throughout the entire lineup, I thought we were really good. That's the way we play, and obviously this night with everything around, it makes it more special."

Hyman doubled the Blue & Orange's advantage on an odd-man rush with Draisaitl in the first period before Evan Bouchard erased Nazem Kadri's first goal of the season with his third of the year just 69 seconds after Calgary made it 2-1 before the five-minute mark of the opening frame.

With the Oilers ahead by a goal in the final 20 minutes, Desharnais recorded his first-career NHL goal with a wrist shot from the blueline that struck a few sticks on its way past Flames netminder Jacob Markstrom, who was outduelled by Stuart Skinner after the Edmonton product made 25 saves for the victory.

After Desharnais' goal, Kane added an empty-netter in the final minutes to secure Edmonton's first win in four games, improving their overall record to 2-5-1 heading into Thursday's match back at Rogers Place against the Dallas Stars.

FIRST PERIOD

What a moment for the kid from Stony Plain.

Defenceman Brett Kulak offloaded a pass to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the opening five minutes of the Heritage Classic and followed the puck toward the front of the Calgary crease, where Evander Kane was able to redirect the follow-up shot from No. 93. The puck changed course and fell right into open ice for the local boy Kulak to break open the deadlock just 4:19 past the opening puck drop.

"You look at the goals we scored, and every single one of them is around their blue paint or from creating havoc around their blue paint, so that's the recipe for success for our group," Kane said.

Edmonton fell into penalty trouble soon after, taking back-to-back minor penalties from Kane and Draisaitl to set up an extended 5-on-3 for one minute and 21 seconds that their penalty kill was able to clear to provide some extra momentum to the Oilers bench.

That kill proved paramount, because just under three minutes later, Draisaitl and Hyman went up the ice on an odd-man rush and doubled Edmonton's lead when Hyman was able to finish off the German's low feed for a goal that looked eerily similar to Darnell Nurse's 2-0 goal seven years ago in the 2016 Heritage Classic in Winnipeg.

"We got into some penalty trouble, but the way we came out and asserted ourselves, the way we wanted to play, it looked like us tonight," Woodcroft said. "It looked like us and it's a credit to our players."

But even after your penalty kill turns away a 5-on-3 opportunity for your opponents, you probably shouldn't make them do it again.

Edmonton was back defending a two-man disadvantage past the midway mark of the first period, and the Flames were able to pull one back. Nazem Kadri got on the scoresheet for the first time this season when he intercepted Mackenzie Weegar's shot with a tip-in outside Skinner's blue crease for the 2-1 goal with one second remaining in the first infraction to Nugent-Hopkins.

However, there was a Bouch Bomb about to drop.

Just 1:09 after Kadri got the Flames on the board, the 24-year-old blueliner for Edmonton pounded a one-timer through the assortment of red and blue jerseys in front of him after Draisaitl put the puck on his blade to record his second assist of the opening period. Captain Connor McDavid, making his return from a one-week absence with an upper-body injury, picked up the second helper as the Blue & Orange carried their 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Edmonton's penalty kill would finish the night 4-for-6 in the Heritage Classic, including 2:47 of time spent killing off two-man advantages.

"I thought it was amazing until I stepped onto the ice," Connor McDavid, who recorded one assist in his return from an upper-body injury, said with a laugh post-game. "I've got to do a better job getting in the way and doing something on that first one, but I thought the guys really did a great job. Kind of weird to see three minutes at five-on-three in one period, so I thought that was a really big part of the game and our boys dug in."

SECOND PERIOD

Don't count Calgary out.

The visiting fans, who had a strong turnout from their fans at Commonwealth Stadium, received another chance to cheer when they came within one goal at 11:27 of the middle frame with their second power-play goal of the game.

The Oilers came one second away from killing a penalty off for the second time in the Heritage Classic when AJ Greer finished off a strong zone entry from the Flames after the puck was cleared all the way to Jacob Markstrom with just over 10 seconds left in an interference penalty to Vincent Desharnais.

Weegar took the short pass from his netminder before going up the ice, over Edmonton's blueline and around defenceman Mattias Ekholm before taking a low shot that forced a rebound right to Greer, who buried his chance along the ice to make it 3-2 with over nine-and-a-half minutes remaining in the middle frame.

Despite being outscored in the middle frame, the Blue & Orange held their composure and put in what they thought was a solid 60-minute effort after demanding more from themselves over the first eight games of the new campaign.

"For the most part, I thought we did," Draisaitl said. "They pushed a little bit in the second there. We weren't as clean with the puck, but I thought our third was exceptional. Really good. We didn't give up much and kept playing forward, so a pretty complete effort."

THIRD PERIOD

"I think they made a strong push in the second period there, so obviously to come out in the third and to kind of weather their storm and have our own pushback, it was huge," Hyman said.

"I think getting that fourth goal was massive."

Desharnais recorded his first-career NHL goal to provide Edmonton insurance when he put a point shot on Calgary's net that struck a few Flames' twigs on the way through before the puck was elevated by a deflection into the top-right corner at 6:16 of the final frame.

"It's a pretty cool environment to get your first goal – especially this game. It was very important for us and I'm very happy," Desharnais said. "We got two points out of this one.

"I don't think it left my stick really top shelf, but hey, whatever works."

The goal was originally given to Kane, who looked to have provided another perfect deflection on his Quebec-born blueliner's effort, but the goal was eventually awarded to the 27-year-old defender to provide him with his first-career goal in the League on one of the biggest stages possible in the regular season.

"I just wanted to win tonight, and I think this is a big win for us," he said. "I don't care. I don't care about that. I threw my arms in the air when we won after the full 60. I don't care about the rest."

The Oilers killed off a Flames power play in the final seven-and-a-half minutes before Kane's empty-netter with 37 seconds remaining sealed the deal for the Blue & Orange, who snapped a four-game losing streak and snatched the two points with the 5-2 victory.

"It just kind of settles the group down and then you just go out there and play," Hyman said about Desharnais' goal. "We had a massive penalty kill there with seven minutes left. That really was the game I think right there, and I think our PK played really well."

PARTING WORDS

Draisaitl on the atmosphere and the experience of the Heritage Classic:

"All in all, just a great night. Again, the two points and the win obviously make it a lot better, but just to everyone who set this up – great job, amazing job, and a very successful night.

"I think in warm-ups [you look around], you take your time and pick everything apart a little bit and enjoy it. Probably more so than the 60 minutes, but again, all in all, these nights don't happen every night, so very special for all of us. Very special for everyone to have family in town for them to see it, too.

McDavid gives his thoughts on the experience at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday:

"Really fun. Such a unique experience; one that only you maybe get to experience once or twice if you're lucky. So, just trying to soak it all in. Obviously, it was a big win for our group. We needed it. This was a big game for us whether it was indoors or outdoors, so for us to get a win in front of all of our fans with the big spectacle, it just made it even better."

"There is lots going on, but ultimately, I think maybe that was a good thing to have a nice little distraction. I think when push came to shove, we knew that this was a big game early in our season. And like I said, indoors or outdoors, it didn't matter. We wanted to have this one and we did."

Hyman on having six points in three outdoor games over his career:

"I've never thought about that. They're just fun games. I think you try to score in every game. You're not trying to do anything differently. But yeah, I just enjoy being out there. I enjoy the atmosphere and maybe the game suits me a little bit. It's a little chippier and the puck's bouncing. So everybody's on an even playing field."

Hyman on the play of local product Stuart Skinner:

"He was great. I thought he was great in the previous game where we lost in New York. I thought he played outstanding and I think he carried it over into this game, especially in an atmosphere where pucks are bouncing like crazy on the ice. Any shot kind of has a chance. I thought he was steady and controlled rebounds, and just made all the saves that he needed to make and we just felt comfortable and I think he's the reason that we did. We're lucky to have him back there."