GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Blues 2

EDMONTON, AB – The Edmonton Oilers spoiled the returns of Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg to Oil Country on Saturday night, claiming a 4-2 victory in the two skaters' first game at Rogers Place since signing offer sheets with the St. Louis Blues this past offseason.

"It brought some atmosphere and energy to the rink," defenceman Darnell Nurse said. "Those were two guys that we thought very highly of as teammates. They were great teammates to us, but now they're on the other side."

"So if they get booed, they get booed."

The Oilers carried a three-goal lead into the third period behind goals from Corey Perry, Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, but it was Dylan Holloway who scored against his former team to spark a late rally for St. Louis before they made it 3-2 off a power-play goal from former Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours with over seven minutes remaining.

Defenceman Troy Stecher gave the Oilers much-needed insurance inside the final six minutes of regulation, scoring his first goal in Blue & Orange on a wrist shot from the half-boards to hold off the Blues' comeback with a 4-2 victory on home ice.

"It feels good," Stecher said. "I'm obviously not known for that. It hasn't been part of my game over my career, but in saying that, you work every day in practice and throughout the game and in different moments to try to contribute and help out. So I'm just happy it went in and ended up being a big goal.

"They had all the momentum and made it a 3-2 game, so it gave us some cushion. It just helps this group win a game."

Goaltender Stuart Skinner earned first-star honours with 29 saves, outduelling fellow countryman Jordan Binnington, who made 18 saves on 22 shots as one of the netminders who was picked over Skinner to represent Canada at the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal and Boston in February.

"I'm happy that I beat Binner because we won the game, but he beat me out for that spot for a reason. He's a hell of a goalie," Skinner said. "You just kind of see it for what it is. I didn't get picked and that's alright. It gives me an opportunity to keep working."

The Oilers improve to 15-10-2 with their second straight victory as they look ahead to hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning at Rogers Place on Tuesday.

FIRST PERIOD

Welcome back to Oil Country, boys.

Ahead of their return to Rogers Place on Saturday night for the first time as Blues, both Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway expressed their love of playing in Edmonton and their excitement over facing their former team following Blues practice on Friday afternoon.

It's safe to say Oilers fans and their old teammates were excited to see them for different reasons.

Broberg and Holloway were both booed on their first touches of the puck by the fans inside Rogers Place – a trend that would continue until the final whistle for their decisions this past offseason to sign offer sheets with St. Louis.

"Oilers fans, they're very passionate," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "They love their team, and they're probably feeling those two players chose not to be here, and the fans were showing their dissatisfaction with that. But I don't think they're not showing hatred for the players. They're just showing support for their team."

"They probably expected it," Stuart Skinner added. "That's how our atmosphere is and that's why it's so hard to play in our barn."

If there were any carryover emotions for the Oilers over their unceremonious moves to Missouri, those would be quickly dispelled after both skaters found themselves minus-1 on the scoresheet from being on the ice for Edmonton's opening goal 12:25 into the first period.

Broberg vacated the front of the net and applied pressure to Leon Draisaitl in the right circle as he button-hooked toward the boards, leaving an avenue in front for Darnell Nurse to take a pass from the German and deliver a low shot on goal toward an unchecked Corey Perry coming out from below the goal line.

The 39-year-old put the perfect touch on Nurse's effort to deflect the puck behind his back and inside the far post on Binnington, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Perry notched his fifth goal of the season and his 13th career goal against the Blues, breaking a tie with Jeff Skinner for the most goals versus St. Louis among active Oilers on the roster.

Perry briefly left the bench for the Oilers later in the period from taking a puck to the hand, but the veteran forward would be no worse for wear after returning for the start of the middle frame.

SECOND PERIOD

Broberg offered up a gift to Connor McDavid under six minutes into the middle frame to get the captain on the scoresheet with an unassisted marker that made it 2-0 for the Oilers.

With Zach Hyman chasing the young Swedish defenceman behind the St. Louis net, Broberg tried to throw a backhand up the wall to clear the puck from danger, but instead struck the leg of St. Albert product Colton Parayko to direct the puck right into the path of his 4 Nations Face-Off teammate McDavid in the slot.

McDavid graciously picked up the loose puck and quickly fired it five-hole on Binnington, doubling Edmonton's lead with his 13th goal of the season.

Edmonton was unlucky not to take a three-goal lead soon after, seeing Connor Brown's initial shot slide through the five-hole of Binnington and being put over the line by the winger on his second effort after the whistle blew from the referee losing sight of the puck. It looked like it'd be overturned for what appeared to be a sure-fire third goal for the Oilers, but the officials upheld their original decision.

Broberg and Holloway weren't the only players looking to put one past their former club after Kasperi Kapanen – who was claimed off waivers from St. Louis on Nov. 17 – struck the crossbar a few minutes later with a shot off the rush from the top of the left circle.

But the Oilers took their deserved three-goal lead with 5:23 to go in the period, converting off a perfect back-door feed from McDavid for Hyman to score his third goal in his last two games since returning from injury.

THIRD PERIOD

If you expected third-period drama, that's what you got on Hockey Night in Canada.

Inevitably, Holloway had a hand in it.

The former Oilers forward got the Blues on the board in his return to Rogers Place by one-timing a pass out front from Robert Thomas glove side on Stuart Skinner, who was undone for the first time on Saturday after his defence lost their coverage during the previous goal-mouth scramble around his crease.

"It was a little weird," Skinner said of facing his former teammates. "Holloway has so much speed too, and he got a couple of good chances. A heck of a player. Broby had a couple of good ones too. It was definitely interesting seeing their face and kind of pretending that you gotta be mean, but inside, you kind of just want to crack a smile."

The Oilers had to kill off 1:09 of a five-on-three power play for the Blues and got through the first infraction to Troy Stecher, but Jake Neighbours converted on the remaining man advantage to pull St. Louis within one at 3-2 with under seven minutes left in regulation.

"Our start of the third period was horrendous," Stecher admitted post-game. "We're a mature group in here and we hold each other accountable, and it's something we talked about going to the third and we didn't follow suit. So we're fortunate enough that Stu was unbelievable tonight and made some big saves at key times and helped keep the lead."

Stecher was responsible for the first of Edmonton's two penalties in the period, but the defenceman was soon back on the ice and picked a terrific time to score his first Oilers goal, sifting a seemingly harmless wrist shot on net that fooled Binnington for the insurance goal that Edmonton desperately needed late in the game.

"I don't go through ups and downs. I'm pretty even-keeled," Stecher said. "Good things happen when you put pucks on the net. So like I said, I'm pretty even-keeled."

With 5:22 remaining, the 30-year-old blueliner took a shot from along the boards that went through traffic and under the left arm of one of Canada's goaltenders for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off in February, restoring Edmonton's two-goal lead and a 4-2 victory on Saturday night.

"A shot like that, it looks innocent and like it shouldn't be dangerous, but they're tricky when the defence is coming down the wall and you sling it from those spots," Coach Knoblauch said. "There's just so much traffic there. Who knows what can happen? It looks bad on the goalie, but they're not that easy."

The Oilers have now won five of their last six home games and have a meeting with the Lightning on tap for Tuesday night back at Rogers Place.

After that, the Oilers will go to Minnesota for a quick trip to play the Wild before returning home for a five-game homestand that'll take us to the Christmas break.