3 Takeaways from Oilers' 3-2 Win Over Predators on McDavid's Historic Night – Hockey Writers – Edmonton Oilers
On a night in which their captain made history, the Edmonton Oilers extended their winning streak to a season-best three games with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Nashville Predators at Rogers Place on Thursday (Nov. 14).
Playing his 659th NHL regular season game, Connor McDavid scored and received an assist to surpass 1,000 career points. With his goal early in the second half, the Oilers center reached 1,000 points for the fourth time in as many games, trailing only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Mike Bossy.
Defenseman Darnell Nurse had two more goals for Edmonton, including the game-winner at 2:33 of overtime, and assisted on McDavid's tally. Nurse both tied his single game high with two goals and matched his career best with three points.
Edmonton now has an impressive 13-1-1 record in their last 15 games against the Predators. With the win, the Oilers improve to 9-7-1 and move more than one game over .500 for the first time in 2024-25.
But while there was plenty to cheer about for the Oilers, Thursday's win added to the lingering concerns of the defending Western Conference champions. Here are the pros and cons from Edmonton's loss to Nashville:
McDavid Scores 1,000 Points
Rogers Place erupted and McDavid's teammates spilled onto the bench to cheer him as the Oilers captain scored his 1,000th career point with a goal 2:44 into the second period, tied at 1-1.
McDavid doesn't usually show much joy when he scores a goal, but his face lit up after this goal and he continued to smile big after returning to the bench. His emotion revealed how much success meant to him, and that he allowed himself to enjoy the moment.
Related: Oilers' 1,000-Point Club: Gretzky, Kurri and Messier's historic moments
Appropriately, the goal was created by two of McDavid's closest friends who have been his teammates since entering the NHL in 2015, Nurse and Leon Draisaitl.
After collecting a Nashville turnover, Nurse emerged from Edmonton's dynamic duo on a two-man break, and Draisaitl passed to McDavid, who beat Predators netminder Scott Wedgewood with a shot at the near post.
“He could have three guys all over the place, I would still be trying to get him,” said Draisaitl, who should join the 1,000-point club in the 2025-2026 season, in a postgame interview with the media. “I think everyone on our team would have done the same thing. He deserves it and it just shows how much we love him and appreciate everything he does for our organization. A very good night.”
Nurse Has Her Best Annoying Job
McDavid was named the game's three stars on Sportsnet radio, but at any other time, Nurse would have been the first star.
The veteran defenseman scored his first goal of the season at 5:50 of the second period, while the field was buzzing around McDavid's goal, to give his team a 2-1 lead. He then ended things midway through a 3-on-3 with a blast from the side of the net after a nifty feed from McDavid, who in turn got the puck from Draisaitl.
OILERS GOT THE EXTRA POINT. 🚨
Darnell Nurse in net @SUBWAYCanada OT winner for Edmonton. pic.twitter.com/ntWbznMlQr
– Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) November 15, 2024
Thursday night marks 657th Nesi's time is not due in the regular season, and up until that point, he had never scored two goals while receiving an assist in the same game.
Not only that, but Nurse became just the third defenseman in franchise history to pick up a three-pointer while scoring an overtime goal in the same game. That rare feat was previously achieved by Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey in the 1984-85 season, and Steve Smith in the 1990-91 season.
With six overtime goals, Nurse now ranks fourth all-time on the Oilers career list, behind McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hall-of-Fame forward Jari Kurri.
Oilers Struggle to Close Games
Thursday marked the second straight game, both at home, in which Edmonton scored a goal. In their 4-3 loss to the New York Islanders on Tuesday (Nov. 12), the Oilers led 3-1 with more than six minutes to play before Isles captain Andres Lee scored at 12:54 and 17 :20 in the third period. to force overtime. Then against Nashville, Edmonton was less than a minute away from winning when Cole Smith put the puck past Oilers netminder Calvin Pickard at 17:12 of the third period to tie the score at 2-2.
It's a troubling trend for the Oilers, who have now lost or gone to overtime after leading with less than 10 minutes to play in three of their last four games, and four of their last 11 games. Edmonton has scored two goals in the third period twice this season.
In the 3-on-3 overtime format, the Oilers will often win on the strength of their one talent. Almost half of Edmonton's wins this season have come in overtime, with the Oilers boasting a 4-1 record, compared to just 5-7 in games that ended in regulation.
That's all well and good in the regular season, but high-level individual skill isn't something you can count on during the Stanley Cup playoffs when overtime reverts to a 5-on-5 format.
While Edmonton continues to struggle on the power play, going 0 for 4 on Thursday, at least its penalty kill is improving, as the Oilers killed both of Nashville's chances with the man advantage. After allowing 16 power-play goals in his first 15 contests, Edmonton has now gone two straight games without giving up a goal while playing short-handed.
The Oilers will look to maintain that impressive streak, while more importantly extending their winning streak, when they next play, Saturday (Nov. 16) against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena.
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