Leon Draisaitl scored 1:18 into overtime giving the Edmonton Oilers a 4-3 win over the Washington Capitals Thursday night at Rogers Place.
The Oilers finally broke their long scoreless drought with 6:40 left in the first period. Darnell Nurse’s centring pass went in off a Washington defender for the Oilers first goal in 165:58.
The Capitals jumped ahead with two goals 47 seconds apart in the second. Jakub Vrana beat Mikko Koskinen from a sharp angle, then Alex Ovechkin deflected a point shot.
Later in the period, Ovechkin sniped a power play goal to make it 3-1 Capitals. Zack Kassian looked to get one back for the Oilers, but Braden Holtby came up with a stretching left pad save.
Draisaitl took a pass from Connor McDavid and beat Holtby blocker side 4:25 into the third. McDavid turned on the jets for two chances later in the third. One shot ticked off the crossbar. Holtby made a left toe save on the other.
“He played great. He was the best player out there for both teams I think and it sucks that we didn’t get the points for him,” Ovechkin said of his goaltender.
With Koskinen on the bench for an extra attacker, McDavid’s shot from the slot squeaked under Holtby to tie it with 1:38 left.
“We’re a hardworking, resilient group.” Zack Kassian said. “Players have a different mindset this year and we’re proving that.”
In overtime, Draisaitl led a two-on-one with McDavid. He feathered a pass across to McDavid, who returned the puck across the top of the crease. Draisaitl fired home a one-timer to end it.
“If we’re going to be the best team you’ve got to perform against those players and we just got outperformed tonight,” Braden Holtby said.
“If you’re going to play that style of game against that team, we made some really poor reads and one’s with out the puck not necessarily puck management ones, but they are reads of when the opposition had the puck and they had some many odd man rushes in that game and were able to convert when they go the opportunity,” Capitals head coach Todd Reirden said
Koskinen made 25 saves to become the first Oilers goalie ever to start the season 5-0.
“We feel as a group that there’s no number one and number two,” Kassian said. “We’re going to need that to continue.”
“We’re a resilient group,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “Don’t get flustered, just go about your business and make sure you’re doing the thing right that we’re trying to do.”
The Oilers, 8-2-1, will host Florida Sunday afternoon.
–with files from 630 CHED’s Brenden Escott and Scott Johnston
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