The Edmonton Oilers have won again at Rogers Place, posting a 5-2 win over the Dallas Stars Wednesday night.
The Oilers are 11-0-1 in their last 12 home games.
”Up and down the lineup, guys feel good about their own game and the team’s game,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said after the game.
“There’s a lot of good things happening, and we’ve got to keep at it.”
The Oilers came out flying and scored twice in the first seven minutes. Evander Kane converted a pass from McDavid for his 17th goal of the season.
Oilers forward Derek Ryan swiped in the rebound after Ryan McLeod hit the crossbar to make it 2-0.
“We looked rested. We came out of the gate hot and all 11 forwards were going,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.
“I thought we simplified it early in the game and allowed ourselves to assert our will on the other team.”
Stars forward Jason Robertson later ripped home his 37th, ending Mike Smith’s shutout streak at 144:39.
Five minutes into the second, Stars forward Roope Hintz found a loose puck in the crease and tapped it in to tie it at two.
Zach Hyman restored Edmonton’s lead when he swept a rebound past Dallas goaltender Scott Wedgewood for his 25th.
With exactly two minutes left in the second, Oilers forward Jesse Puljujarvi tipped Evan Bouchard’s point shot to record his 14th.
“When everybody’s contributing, the chances of success are higher,” Oilers defenceman Duncan Keith said.
“We have come a long way, but there’s a lot of work ahead, especially come playoff time.”
Keith was a career-high plus-five in the game.
“That pairing of Keith and (Bouchard) has been very good for us and I’m proud of how far they’re coming,” Woodcroft said after the game. “Improving leads to feeling confident, and feeling confident allows you to gain competence.
“I think our team is trending in the right direction, but I don’t think we’ve played to our full potential yet.”
Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse fired up the crowd in the third when he bodychecked Jamie Benn right into the Oilers’ bench.
“It’s a dangerous situation for everybody there,” McDavid said.
“I know him a little bit just from being around the game and he’s a great guy. I made sure he was good and away he went.”
McDavid sealed with the win with an empty-netter on the Oilers’ 50th shot of the game.
Smith made 34 saves. He’s 9-0-1 in his last 10 starts. McDavid had three points.
The Oilers (45-26-6) will host Colorado on Friday.
–With files from Brenden Escott, 630 CHED