GAME RECAP: Oilers 6, Stars 3

DALLAS, TX - Mattias Janmark scored a pair of goals against his former team to help propel the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-3 victory over the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night at American Airlines Center.
"I think I scored basically all my points this year against former teams, so it for sure brings a little extra out of you," Janmark said after the game. "I try to play with that little bit of extra edge that you kind of wish you had all the time, but some games just brings it out of you. Today I was fortunate to have some go in, but yeah, it's always nice to score one against your old team."
Connor McDavid extended his point streak to 13 games with a late third-period goal, while Warren Foegele netted the game-winner with 8:14 remaining to help the Oilers pick up their 18th victory of the season. .
The game was tightly contested between the two teams until a three-goal third-period outburst secured the Oilers the important win over the Central Division leaders.
Edmonton now heads back to Rogers Place for a quick Friday night contest against the Vancouver Canucks to wrap up their pre-Christmas schedule before returning to action on Dec. 27 in Calgary with the Battle of Alberta.

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FIRST BLOOD

In a game where Head Coach Jay Woodcroft split up his big line, it was the Dallas equivalent that opened the scoring.
The trio of Jason Robertson, Joe Pavelski, and Roope Hintz has been a menace for opposing defences and they showed why 14:49 into the first period.
Robertson sped into the Oilers end and caught Stuart Skinner cheating out of his crease, sliding the puck over to Hintz who quickly one timed the shot by the Edmonton goalie.
The line sits 1-2-3 on the Stars in scoring this season, combining for a whopping 58 goals and 113 points in the 33 games prior to Wednesday's contest. The forwards are well on pace to surpass their outstanding offensive pace from last season where they totalled 105 goals for the Stars, with Robertson leading the way with 41.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Playing in his first game since signing a brand-new three-year extension with the Oilers, Skinner made several big saves on the evening to keep the game close before the Oilers ran away with it in the third period.
His best stop on the night came while the Oilers were shorthanded. After a loose puck dribbled out to Hintz in the slot, Skinner squared up to make the initial save. The rebound came out right to Pavelski in front, who swung away at the back hand, but Skinner was able to flash his pad at the shot to turn aside the high-danger opportunity.
The 24-year-old made 25 stops on 28 Stars shots to pick up his 10th victory on the season.

THE OILER STRIKES BACK

It's always nice to get one against your former team.
After conceding the first goal to the Stars, Janmark answered for the Oilers just 1:06 later. Klim Kostin got the play started by wrapping the puck around the Stars net and sliding a perfect pass to Janmark, who had lost his man and was waiting at the back door.
The tap in was Janmark's second as an Oiler, with his only other goal coming back on Nov. 30 against another one of his former teams in the Chicago Blackhawks. Janmark would add an empty-netter to finish the game with a three-point night.
Coach Woodcroft credited the winger's hard work on the season before the game, but said he wished to see the puck go in more for the Oilers off-season addition.
"I feel like I've been playing good. I try to work hard. I never try to evaluate my game in points because they can come in all ways," Janmark said. "Sometimes you make a great play, sometimes the puck just bounce your way, so you try to stick with it as long as you play good, but eventually you need to contribute with something."
The 30-year-old played 297 games for the Dallas Stars, scoring 46 goals and 109 points in his four seasons with the team, including a career-high 19 back in 2017-18.

TOP PERFORMER

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to show up in whatever role he's asked to play this season.
The Oilers 'Swiss Army Knife' forward picked up his 40th point of the season in just his 34th game. Nugent-Hopkins first picked up the assist on Zach Hyman's second-period power-play goal.
"Nugent-Hopkins stayed hot with three points as well. We talked about the chemistry before the game. I was trying to give you a hint. I don't know if you guys picked up on it or not," Woodcroft said after the game. "We like the way those two guys play together and they were good tonight. You can't underscore what Klim Kostin brought to the table in that line tonight."
However, his biggest contribution was his 18th goal of the season scored 8:18 into the second frame. The winger chased a loose puck down the wing and fired a wrist shot on Jake Oettinger, picking the top corner for the 3-2 marker.
The goal allowed him to eclipse the 40-point mark for the ninth time in his NHL career. Nugent-Hopkins is well on pace to shatter his career high in points of 69 set back in 2018-19. The 29-year-old needs just 30 points in the final 48 contests and is currently on a 96-point pace this season.

PARTING WORDS

Coach Woodcroft on the team battling back from deficits:
"I think that's as much as people want us to play towards a script, sometimes it doesn't work out that way. What I liked was when the other team did something well, they found a way to score a goal, we responded, and I think that's a credit to our leadership group. There was dead calm on the bench and our people went out and got the job done."
Coach Woodcroft on getting the win over a very good Dallas squad:
"I think this was an important game for us. This is not an easy building to take two points out of. I thought our people dug in. The way we played tonight was inspired. Is that because of the dads and mentors here? Maybe, but I think it's part of growth, and no one was happy about not getting the two points against St. Louis, not getting the win against Anaheim, but we've dug in here."

Hyman on being able to take over the game late in the third:
They're a really good team. There's not much space out there so when you have a lead you have to protect it and were lucky to get it in the third there and then hold it."
Hyman on Janmark's strong performance against his former team:
"I think familiarity. I don't know how long ago he was here, but I'm sure he knows a bunch of players on that team. He knows the building, he knows the city. So guessing familiarity with it, and then I think you definitely want to have a good game."
Janmark on his line with RNH and Kostin:
I mean, Nuge is probably one of the hottest guys in the league right now, so playing with him is awesome. I think Klim played a really good game. He's easy to play with, he hangs onto the puck and wins battles. He made a great play to me on the first goal there, so it's a good game."