Big 2nd period gives Edmonton Oilers win over Pittsburgh Penguins

The Edmonton Oilers exploded for four goals in the second period on their way to a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Monday night at Rogers Place.

“Quite frankly, we didn’t have a very good first period,” Oilers defenceman Tyson Barrie acknowledged after the game.

“We had a little chat (in the dressing room) after the first, and we all had more to give.”

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“That’s on the players — the players were the ones who decided to get it together,” Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft said.

“There were some things in the first period that we wanted to clean up as a team, but it’s the players that go out and do that. Full credit and full marks to our players.”

The Oilers struck first when Evan Bouchard hit Zach Hyman with a long pass. Hyman went to the backhand to beat Penguins goaltender Tristan Jarry for his second of the season.

“I think that’s one of his best qualities, is he has the ice water in his veins to be able to make that play,” Woodcroft said of Bouchard’s stretch pass.

Pittsburgh forward Rickard Rakell replied with a ripper under the crossbar on the power play.

Less than two minutes, Jarry sent a long pass ahead to Rakell, who then found Sidney Crosby for his fourth.

Edmonton netminder Jack Campbell held the Oilers in the game, making 16 saves in the first.

Winger Bryan Rust banked one in off Campbell from behind the net two minutes into the second to make it 3-1 Penguins.

The Oilers took the game over after that. Barrie had his point shot on the power play pinball in off Jan Rutta.

“It just seemed like we were flat-footed — we were getting beat to pucks and the effort just wasn’t there,” Barrie said.

“We’ve got to give credit to the guys in here to come out against a good team like Pittsburgh and put two periods like that together.”

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Evander Kane beat Jarry short side with a quick wrister to tie it at three. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins slapped in a loose puck to give the Oilers the lead with 1:32 left in the second, and then Leon Draisaitl beat Jarry with a backhand just over a minute later.

“I think the mood in the room just needed to get corrected a little bit,” Kane said of the first intermission debrief in the Oilers’ dressing room.

The Oilers had 26 shots on goal in the second to set a new team record for shots in a period. The old record was 24.

Kane had a breakaway in the third but Jarry made a glove save. With 3:15 left, Oilers forward Derek Ryan dropped the puck to Ryan McLeod, who snapped home his third.

“This guy works, and he works to rehearse the moments that he finds himself in games,” Woodcroft said of the 23-year-old McLeod.

“He’s working to set himself up for success when that opportunity comes.”

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The final shots were 47-35 for the Oilers.

Oilers captain Connor McDavid was held off the scoresheet. He left the game for a few minutes in the second period after being taken down and crashing into the goal post.

Draisaitl had a goal and two assists.

The Oilers (3-3) will play their first road game of the season Wednesday in St. Louis. You can listen to the game live on 630 CHED, beginning with The Faceoff Show at 4:30 p.m. The actual game starts at 6 p.m.

–With files from Brenden Escott, 630 CHED