GAME RECAP: Oilers 7, Canadiens 2

MONTREAL, QC - C'est fini.
The Edmonton Oilers cruised to their fourth-straight victory on Saturday night as Evander Kane scored his first goal in an Oilers uniform and Zach Hyman recorded his first three-point night for Edmonton in a comfortable 7-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre on Hockey Night in Canada.
Leon Draisaitl factored in with two tallies to reach 31 goals on the season, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins posted a goal and assist as the Oilers improved to 22-17-2 with the victory in the first game of their three-game Eastern Conference road trip.
Warren Foegele and Duncan Keith each had multi-point nights with two helpers, while Kris Russell had a single assist in his 900th NHL game. Goaltender Stuart Skinner still had to be sharp, with the netminder being called into action to make 21 saves as he improved to 5-6-0 on the season in his first start since mid-December.

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FIRST BLOOD

What a way to begin your tenure in a Blue & Orange uniform.
Just two days into his Oilers tenure, Kane didn't want to waste any time to get off the mark. The winger dished off to Kailer Yamamoto on a zone entry before gliding to the front of the net, where he got a terrific deflection on Evan Bouchard's wrist shot to put the puck off both posts before it crossed the line 11:21 into the first period.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Hyman's three-point night was the winger's most-productive outing in an Oilers uniform since signing in Edmonton during the offseason, with his first tally being a thing of beauty when he deflected Russell's shot with his back facing goal into the top shelf for his first goal since Dec. 1.

SAVE OF THE GAME

In a game like this, you still can't forget about Stu. The rookie netminder, making his first start since Dec. 15, came up huge on a Montreal 2-on-1 by tracking the puck brilliantly and eating up Mike Hoffman's quick one-timer off the cross-ice feed just over two-and-a-half minutes into the second period.

TURNING POINT

Kane's first goal in Oilers silks broke an 11-game streak of allowing the game's first goal, but it also opened the floodgates. Over the next 1:47 of play, Edmonton would add two more goals to get out in front 3-0 after Hyman scored on a nice backward deflection and Draisaitl notched his 30th goal of the season.

TOP PERFORMER

There were plenty of candidates from Edmonton for Player of the Game with Hyman's three-point night, Draisaitl's two-goal game, and Kane notching his first goal in Blue & Orange, so we'll give them all their accolades. A total of 14 Oilers had at least a point, and five Oilers posted multi-point outings.

PARTING WORDS

Kane on scoring his first Oilers goal in his debut with the club:
"It's nice to contribute to a new team coming in. You want to show what you can do, and obviously, it was great to get the boys on the board early. Everybody kind of took off after that."

Kane on getting back to playing hockey after a whirlwind 48 hours before arriving in Montreal:
"Yeah, I think once you get on the ice you sort of put everything else to bed. Hopefully, that continues. Like I said, it was great to be back out there. It's been a while, and I'm looking forward to Monday."
"Especially the physicality. When you're hitting guys or getting hit, it takes different types of energy out of you than skating. I know I played a few games in the AHL, but obviously, the NHL is a different beast."
Hyman on a balanced & commanding win with all four lines getting in on the scoring against Montreal:
"I thought it was solid. Honestly, it was nice to get the first one and it was nice to get a lead. It's been a while, and it was nice to see Kane get it. Playing in your first game, it's always nice to get on the board. Good for him, and it's always a good team win when all lines contribute and get one. I thought it was a good win."
Hyman on Kane's skillset and what it can bring to the group:
"I think you're able to see how spread out the lines were today and how we can get contributions from all four lines. I think that when you're able to roll all four lines, it wears on teams, you're fresh, and it's not fun to play against when you have a new set of guys who are dangerous going out every shift. It adds to that, for sure."

Hyman on Russell playing in his 900th NHL game and the type of player he is:
"First and foremost, he's an unbelievable guy and an unbelievable teammate. He just goes about his business, and then on the ice, he's a complete warrior. You know what you're going to get from him every night. He's the all-time blocked shots leader, which is incredible. Playing 900 games for a guy like that, those are a hard 900 games."
Head Coach Dave Tippett on the Oilers getting contributions from all over the lineup:
"All four lines scored, which is good to see. We got out and got a lead in that game for the first time in a long time, so our guys were excited about that. Kane got on the board early, Hyman, Nuge and Kassian's line was really strong, so all-in-all it was a great team effort. It's good to get the first one on a road trip.