Connor McDavid scored early in overtime giving the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 win over the New York Islanders Tuesday night.
The first period was scoreless with Cam Talbot making a great pad save on Anders Lee while the Islanders were on a power play. Brad Malone, just called up from Bakersfield, had one of the Oilers best chances but his backhand rang off the post.
Before the second period was two minutes old, Milan Lucic swiped the puck down the ice, sending Leon Draisaitl in pursuit. Draisaitl ripped a low shot through Thomas Greiss to make it 1-0 Oilers. Less than four minutes later, former Oiler Jordan Eberle snapped a shot high-glove on Talbot to even it up.
The Islanders outplayed the Oilers in the third with a 13-2 advantage in shots, but Talbot kept the Oilers alive.
Thirty-eight seconds into overtime, McDavid and Draisaitl broke in on Nick Leddy. Draisaitl spun and sent a backhand pass to McDavid, who one-timed the shot past Greiss.
“It’s huge,” said Draisaitl. “I thought we played a very solid game. There are still things we need to clean up, but right now it’s about getting points and getting our game back in the right direction. I think tonight was a very good step.”
Talbot finished with 36 saves as the Oilers improve to 5-8-1.
“I was just trying to stay focused, stay patient,” said Talbot. “They’re a crafty team, a shifty team with a lot of speed. I tried not to give up my position too early.”
They’ll play game two of their four-game road trip against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday.