EDMONTON, AB - Comeback clipped.
The Edmonton Oilers came back from two goals down on three separate occasions on Wednesday night to earn a point, but couldn't find the extra goal or save they needed in the shootout to complete the comeback in a 5-4 defeat to the Detroit Red Wings at Rogers Place.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had two goals and an assist, while Connor McDavid made it 99 points on the season with two helpers by setting up Nugent-Hopkins for his pair of goals in the second period in the losing effort.
Leon Draisaitl and Derek Ryan scored in a 2:01 stretch early in the final frame to help force overtime, where the Oilers and Red Wings traded rushes until the buzzer sounded on the five-minute extra frame to send us to the shootout.
Pius Suter slid the deciding goal under Campbell in the fifth round to secure the Red Wings their fourth straight victory after McDavid's goal to open the shootout was nullified by former Oilers forward David Perron. Ville Husso made 40 saves on 45 shots over 65 minutes, and a further four in the shootout, to earn the Red Wings the extra point.
"I thought we did a pretty good job of battling back and getting at least one point, but it's disappointing not to get the second," Nugent-Hopkins said. "We can't dwell on it now. We climbed our way back into that game. They had two power-play goals and two face off goals. I thought for the most part, we carried the play and got ourselves one point."
With a shootout defeat, the Oilers remain unbeaten in regulation over their last seven games on home ice (4-0-3) heading into Friday's game against the New York Rangers at Rogers Place.
GAME RECAP: Red Wings 5, Oilers 4 (SO)
McDavid comes within one of 100 points while Nugent-Hopkins contributes two goals and an assist in an Oilers comeback that fell short to the Red Wings on Wednesday