By Miguel Mike Medina
Photo: Perry Nelson-Imagn Images
The Edmonton Oilers defeated the New York Islanders in overtime 4-3, thanks to a game-winning goal by Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl had two goals in this game. He has recorded 10 points in his past six games.
In addition, he has 16 overtime goals, and his teammate Connor McDavid also has 16, which is the most in Oilers history.
McDavid had a goal and three assists for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner made 19 saves.
McDavid can soon become the fourth-fastest player in NHL history to reach 1,000 points. McDavid is only 27 years old.
After the game, he spoke with the media and expressed his desire to move on from the milestone.
“I think, um, like to just get over with,” McDavid said. “I guess maybe, yeah, you just want to get it over with, move on, and get back to playing hockey.”
Coach Kris Knoblauch had nothing but praise for his captain and his performance against the Islanders.
“I thought he played an excellent game,” Knoblauch said. “I probably wasn’t using him enough in the first two periods. In the third period, there was almost every second shift he was going out there, and he had a heck of a game, four points, obviously, but there could have been a lot more.”
Draisaitl knows how good the Islanders are, and the Oilers let them creep back into the game, but a win is a win.
“I think in the second we let them come into the game a little bit more,” Draisaitl said. “Good teams in this league, so they’ll push back, and we’ll take the two points.”
The Oilers’ power play is getting better. The team is showing more urgency and picking up their spots. We are slowly seeing them get back into playing Oilers hockey.
The Oilers won 53 percent of their face-offs and had more shots on goals than the Islanders (42 to 22).
As for the Islanders, Anders Lee had a good night by scoring two goals. He has eight points in the last six games. Goaltender Ilya Sorokin made 38 saves.
Miguel Mike Medina is the publisher of The MMM Journal. He can be reached at medinamiguelmike@gmail.com
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