Oilers Escape With A Point In A Performance Fans Wont Love

In a thrilling matchup ending in a shootout loss to the Devils, the Oilers continue to showcase resilience as they remain a dominant force in the NHL this season.

The Oilers’ three-game road winning streak came to an end Tuesday night in New Jersey, but they still left with a point after a 4-3 shootout loss to the Devils. Edmonton is now 11-2-3 on the season and has picked up at least one point in 14 of its 16 games.

Edmonton struck first midway through the opening period. After extended time in the offensive zone, Mattias Ekholm fed Evan Bouchard for a one-timer, and the right-shot defenseman blasted it past Connor Hellebuyck to make it 1-0.

The second period, though, turned the game around. On a power play about eight minutes into the frame, former Oiler Connor Brown tied it at one by finishing off a rebound.

Things got away from Edmonton late in the period. With just over five minutes left, Jack Hughes scored to put the Devils ahead 2-1. Forty-five seconds later, after Jake Walman was called for elbowing, Hughes struck again to make it 3-1.

New Jersey looked ready to widen the gap even further after Filip Hållander was whistled for tripping a half-minute later, but Edmonton killed the penalty. The Oilers then got a power play of their own, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shot deflected off Brown’s stick and past Hellebuyck to cut the deficit to one.

The penalties kept coming. Arseny Gritsyuk was called for tripping 40 seconds after that goal, and Nico Hischier later flipped the puck over the glass. Edmonton didn’t score right away, but Leon Draisaitl made good a minute into the third, one-timing the puck past Hellebuyck to tie the game at three.

Neither side scored in overtime, and the game moved to a shootout. Connor McDavid opened the skills competition with a goal for Edmonton, but the Devils answered and then scored the lone goal in the fourth round to win it 4-3.

There were still plenty of positives for the Oilers, starting with McDavid. His assist on Draisaitl’s 13th goal of the season pushed his point and assist streak to 16 games. His pace has slowed a bit from his early-season burst, but he’s still on track for 210 points.

Kasperi Kapanen also continued to look comfortable on Edmonton’s power play after Zach Hyman’s injury. He collected two assists on the team’s two power-play goals and now has four goals and nine points through 16 games.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added to the night as well. The longest-tenured Oiler, in his 1,038th game, set the franchise record for most games played as an Oiler and finished with a goal and an assist.

Bouchard kept rolling, too. His goal was his ninth of the season, and he also picked up his 19th assist. His 28 points lead all defensemen by a wide margin, and he’s also sitting at plus-22.

In net for New Jersey, Tristan Jarry stopped 31 of 34 shots for a .912 save percentage. The numbers don’t fully capture how much Edmonton pressed in the second period, when the Oilers were outshot 15-3. No one scored on Jarry for 153 minutes of game action, which is nearly eight periods.

Even with the point, the underlying numbers pointed to a bigger issue. Natural Stat Trick had Edmonton with just 26.9 percent of the expected goal share at five-on-five. The Oilers got this one done on the back of Jarry’s goaltending and their power play, and it’s not the first time that formula has carried them this season.

The loss was Edmonton’s first on the road this year. The Oilers are now 7-0-1 away from Rogers Place. Had they pulled out the win, it would have been the first time in franchise history they swept both a California and New York Metropolitan area road trip in the same season.

Edmonton returns to action Thursday at home against the Anaheim Ducks, the team that ended its 2025-26 season. It will be the second meeting between the clubs this year after the Oilers beat Anaheim 5-2 on Oct.

  1. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m.

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