Draisaitl Scores OT Winner To Give Oilers First Win Of Season

Summary:

• Leon Draisaitl’s overtime goal brought the Edmonton Oilers their first victory of the season against the Philadelphia Flyers.
• Edmonton beat the Flyers 4-3 on Tuesday.
• Next up, they will play against the Nashville Predators on Thursday; Flyers will face the Seattle Kraken on the same day. 

Köln, Germany-born Leon Draisaitl scored 56 seconds into overtime, lifting the Edmonton Oilers who released Mike Hoffman during preseason to their first win of the season with a 4-3 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. 

The 28-year-old, who also added an assist, capitalized after Connor McDavid’s breakaway was stopped by Flyers goalie Samuel Ersson. 

“It Was Important for Us to Get That First Win” 

McDavid retrieved the rebound and set up Draisaitl, who netted his second goal of the season.

With just under four minutes left in the third period, Draisaitl made a slick backhand pass to McDavid, who quickly found Evan Bouchard for a one-timer that tied the game 3-3, setting the stage for the overtime win.

The Oilers (1-3-0) snapped a three-game losing streak, during which they were outscored 15-3. Their last game was against the Calgary Flames which they lost 4-1.

Adam Henrique, Connor Brown, and Evan Bouchard also scored, with McDavid contributing two assists. “It was important for us to get that first win“, Leon Draisaitl said after the game.

The Flyers (1-1-1) were led by Matvei Michkov, who scored his first two NHL goals, and Bobby Brink, who also found the net. 

However, they’ve now lost two straight. Goalie Stuart Skinner made 27 saves for the Oilers, while Ersson stopped 29 shots for Philadelphia.

Game Highlights

Flyers’ forward Joel Farabee, who missed Monday’s practice for maintenance reasons, was in the lineup to extend his Ironman streak to 175 straight games, tying him with Sidney Crosby for the NHL’s longest active streak.

Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid extended his point streak against the Flyers to 11 games, the longest active streak in the NHL. 

He has dominated Philadelphia since his rookie season, scoring 11 goals and 31 points in 15 games, averaging 2.31 points per game, his highest against any team.

With just under four minutes left in the third period, Draisaitl made a slick backhand pass to McDavid, who quickly found Evan Bouchard for a one-timer that tied the game 3-3, setting the stage for the overtime win.

In their 44 seasons, the Oilers have only started a season 0-4 twice, namely, in 1995-96 when they were outscored 24-5, and during Connor McDavid’s rookie season in 2015-16, with a 13-5 scoring deficit over those four games.

Next in line, the Oilers will meet the Nashville Predators on Thursday, the same day when the Flyers will go to Seattle to play against Kraken.