Connor McDavid had a goal and four assists and hit another career milestone as the Edmonton Oilers toppled the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2 Tuesday night at Rogers Place. It’s the Oilers’ sixth-straight win.
“I’m over that phase of him surprising me, because he’s done it so much,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said about McDavid’s performance.
The Oilers jumped in front with 4:05 left in the first period. McDavid cut from left to right in the offensive zone and squeezed a shot through the pads of Flyers goaltender Carter Hart for his 14th of the season.
Hart came up with big saves late in the first. He threw out his left pad to deny Oilers forward Zach Hyman from in right. Not long after, he moved across to take away a Leon Draisaitl one-timer.
McDavid recorded his 900th career point in the second period with a behind-the-back pass to Hyman, who flipped a backhand behind Hart for his 22nd.
“It’s another nice milestone,” McDavid said after the win. “It’s a nice chance to reflect and look back on some of the work you’ve done and feel good about that.”
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“I’ve played with him for a long time, obviously — 600 games is a lot of hockey, but he always finds a way to bring something to the table,” Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid.
“He’s just happy we won, knowing him,” Hyman joked about McDavid.
“It’s pretty special to have the opportunity to play with him.”
The Flyers came back with goals from Travis Konecny and Marc Staal to even it at two.
The Oilers recaptured the lead in the final minute of the the second on a power play when Hyman passed to McDavid, who chipped a quick pass across to Nugent-Hopkins, who rattled in his 10th.
With a delayed penalty coming to the Flyers in the third, McDavid set up Draisaitl for a thundering one-timer and a 4-2 lead. Later, McDavid sent a saucer pass to Nugent-Hopkins, who roofed his second of the evening.
“It’s really fun playing with him. He makes plays nobody else can make, ” Hyman said about McDavid. “That’s why he is who he is.”
“Usually he can find a way to beat one or two guys, so you’ve got to try to get open for him,” Nugent-Hopkins said of McDavid.
Oilers netminder Stuart Skinner punctuated the victory with a right pad save on Joel Farabee on a breakaway.
“Our goaltending has been very solid and given us exactly what we need,” Knoblauch said after the game. “During this run, we’ve been getting some big saves –a lot of saves.”
The Oilers (19-15-1) will host the Ottawa Senators on Saturday. You can listen to the game live on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 6:30 p.m. The actual game starts at 8 p.m.
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