Leon Draisaitl and Drake Caggiula both scored twice as the Edmonton Oilers downed the Nashville Predators 5-3 on Saturday afternoon.
The Oilers end a 13-game winless drought against the Preds. Their last win over Nashville had been March 18, 2014.
Mikko Koskinen, making his first start in goal as an Oiler, stopped Viktor Arvidsson on a breakaway six minutes into the game.
Head coach Todd McLellan said that save was a game changer.
“That gave him and our team a ton of confidence. I thought he was outstanding…he made some outstanding saves on the penalty kill,” said McLellan. “It’s a really big confidence booster for him and our team. We’re happy for him.
LISTEN BELOW: Todd McLellan on 630 CHED
Caggiula opened the scoring with 8:19 left in the first when he slammed a loose puck behind Juuse Saros. It was the Oilers first goal in 83 shots on Saros, who had not allowed a goal in two other games against Edmonton.
Draisaitl converted a centring pass from Milan Lucic for a power play goal early in the second period. The Oilers went back to the man advantage shortly after when Ryan Johansen was assessed a double minor for high-sticking Draisaitl. Despite having lots of pressure, the Oilers were unable to add to their lead.
LISTEN BELOW: Drake Caggiula on 630 CHED
Caggiula said it’s great to be able to put the drought to bed.
“It’s definitely good to get a win against a team like that, especially on the road,” Caggiula said. “They’ve had our number for a little while, but it’s nice to be on the opposite side of that.”
Filip Forsberg ripped home a one-timer on a power play with 1:14 left in the second, but the Oilers came back just seven seconds later. Off the centre ice face-off, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins nudged the puck ahead to Connor McDavid, who beat Saros with a backhand.
LISTEN BELOW: Leon Draisaitl on 630 CHED
Draisaitl sniped his second of the afternoon and fourth in the last three games 4:19 into the third. Forsberg came right back for the Preds 24 seconds later.
Zack Kassian took a roughing penalty with 5:16 left. The Preds pulled Saros for a six-on-four, and Forsberg completed the hat trick with 4:06 left. Caggiula sealed it with an empty net goal with 1:46 to go.
LISTEN BELOW: Mikko Koskinen on 630 CHED
Koskinen was appearing in his first NHL game since Feb. 13, 2011. He made 24 saves.
He said he’s happy with the way things turned out.
“We worked hard every day. I had lots of time to prepare. It was nice to start with a win.”
The Oilers, 5-3-1, will visit Chicago on Sunday. The game is on 630 CHED with the Face-off Show at 2:30 p.m. The game starts at 4 p.m.