GAME STORY: Lightning 6, Oilers 3

EDMONTON, AB - Mikko Koskinen had his undefeated streak at Rogers Place snapped and Connor McDavid had a three-point night in a losing effort as the Tampa Bay Lightning struck down the Oilers 6-3 on Saturday.

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The Oilers return following the Christmas break to host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday. The game can be seen on Sportsnet One and heard on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED. Puck drop is 7:08 p.m. MST.
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The Lightning scored twice in the span of 1:31 in the second period and added insurance with three third-period goals to extend the Oilers losing streak to three heading into the Christmas break.
"This group has to learn how to play in close games," Oilers forward Alex Chiasson, who recorded his 16th goal of the season tonight, said post-game. "If you want to be a playoff team that has the chance to go deep, you have to learn how to play one goal down and stick with it for 60 minutes. It seems like we're losing our focus a little bit and we try to change the way we play as the game goes on, and you can't win like that in this league."
Nikita Kucherov had a goal and four assists and Steven Stamkos tallied twice to extend Tampa Bay's point streak to 12 games (11-0-1) and improve their league-best record to 28-7-2.
Connor McDavid recorded his 200th career assist on the opening goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. The Oilers were 2-for-3 with the man advantage and limited Tampa's top road power play to one goal on two opportunities.
The holiday break comes with the Oilers depleted after a busy month of December was made more difficult with injuries at defence with Oscar Klefbom and Kris Russell sidelined.
"Everybody has injuries. We couldn't afford to have the ones we have, but we've got them and we've been dealt that blow," Oilers Head Coach Ken Hitchcock said. "We're going to have to find a way to get through it for a little while.
"We were in a position where we had enough on the back end to get through, and we got hit hard."
A shake-up to the forward lines this week by Hitchcock awarded a chance for Jesse Puljujarvi on the top line with McDavid and Nugent-Hopkins, and the promotion brought immediate reward early.

The Finnish forward stripped the puck in the corner and found an unmarked McDavid in the slot, who recorded his 200th career assist by finding Nugent-Hopkins for the quick one-timer past Vasilevskiy for the 1-0 lead 9:45 into the opening period.
Koskinen was up to his usual ways at home early, coming up big to deny Stamkos with a Ranford-esque glove save before the ensuing goalmouth scramble was whistled down by the official.
Tampa's league-best power play on the road this season (33.9 percent, 19-for-56) was needed to solve Koskinen 2:51 from the intermission after Rieder was flagged for tripping. Stamkos took the cross-ice feed from Kucherov and wired home his fourth goal in as many games.

The Lightning doubled up the Oilers on shots 16-8 after 20 minutes.
The Oilers returned the favour 2:50 into the second on their first power-play opportunity to retake the lead when Chiasson deflected Darnell Nurse's point shot through the five-hole of Vasilevskiy for his 16th goal of the season.
Kucherov has been carrying one of the hottest sticks in the NHL as of late with 34 points in his last 18 games, and levelled the score for the Lightning on a break away after Puljujarvi failed to control the puck at the offensive blueline.
"Unfortunately for Jesse he was playing a hell of a hockey game, then that happens," Hitchcock said. "He's been a great participant for us getting better, same with [Jujhar Khaira], so we've found some people that can help us but we need more participants."

J.T Miller then put the Lightning ahead 1:32 later on the cross-crease pass from Erik Cernak and carried the lead into the intermission.
McDavid nearly equalized early into the third period when his rebound took a good bounce off a stanchion and back towards goal, but his follow-up was put through the crease and the legs of Vasilevskiy and out the other side.
Tyler Johnson extended their lead soon after, but Leon Draisaitl answered back on the power play two minutes later off the feed from McDavid, his second helper of the night.
Stamkos put the game out of reach with his second of the night by beating Koskinen over the left shoulder from the slot with just under five minutes left on the clock, and Kucherov recorded his fourth assist and fifth point on Johnson's empty-netter.
The Oilers get back to action following the holidays on Thursday, December 27 when they host the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Place.