Derek Ryan notched his first career hat trick as the Edmonton Oilers scored a tense 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers Saturday afternoon.
Mikko Koskinen was excellent in goal, making 44 saves for his 18th win of the season.
The Oilers are 11-1 in their last twelve road games against Florida.
Ryan opened the scoring halfway through the first, converting a pass from Warren Foegele on a two-on-one. However, the Panthers dominated the period and took a 2-1 lead to the break, thanks to goals from Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov.
“It definitely gets the ball rolling in terms of confidence for myself and the group”, Ryan said. “This isn’t an easy building to come in on the road. We can roll into Carolina tomorrow and hopefully tighten up a little bit and try and get two more points.”
Ryan tied it in the second. With a delayed penalty coming to the Panthers, he beat Sergei Bobrovsky high to the glove side. Leon Draisaitl put the Oilers ahead with a power play strike. In the final minute of the second, Koskinen made a big save on Mason Marchment. A few seconds later, Evander Kane set up Ryan for a tap-in.
Koskinen made a big glove save on a Carter Verhaeghe breakaway with 10:22 left in the third. The Panthers pulled Bobrovsky for an extra attacker with 4:40 to go. Shortly after, Koskinen made a reaching snare on a shot by Barkov.
“We found a way to win, and we don’t do that unless Mikko turns in the performance he did today. He is someone who found the right save at the right time,” Woodcroft said.
Barkov came right back with a power play goal, but the Oilers held off a late push by the Panthers to secure victory.
The Panthers, who have lost three straight, outshot the Oilers 47-22.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins left the game in the first period with an upper body injury. There was no update on his condition after the game.
The Oilers, 29-20-3, will visit the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday (630 CHED, Face-off Show 9:30 a.m., game at 11 a.m.).
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