Oilers defeat Canucks again for third straight win, McDavid at 93 points

VANCOUVER -- Connor McDavid had two assists, and the Edmonton Oilers gained ground in the Scotia North Division with a 4-1 win against the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

McDavid leads the NHL with 93 points (31 goals, 62 assists) in 51 games. He is on pace for 102 points this season.
"He does so much for our team. He does so much for us on a nightly basis that the least we can do is help him out as much as we can," Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl said. "It might not be that important to him, but it sure is important to us for him to get [100 points]. Obviously you don't want to overdo it and kind of let that get out of hand, but I think our team really wants to wants him to get it."
Draisaitl scored two goals for the Oilers (32-17-2), who have won three in a row and five of six. Mike Smith made 28 saves, including 17 in the third period.
Edmonton moved within six points of the Toronto Maple Leafs for first place in the Scotia North Division with one game in hand. The Oilers are nine points ahead of the Winnipeg Jets and Montreal Canadiens for second place.
"Obviously two big points for us," Draisaitl said.
Brock Boeser scored for the Canucks (19-25-3), who have lost six in a row. Thatcher Demko made 23 saves.
"I think we're working hard, we're battling," Vancouver defenseman Alexander Edler said. "But you make a mistake here and there and you give their top players a little bit of room and they'll make you pay."

It was the second of four straight games between the teams. The Oilers clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 5-3 win here Monday. They play again in Edmonton on Thursday and Saturday.
The Canucks are last in the seven-team North, 16 points behind the Jets and Canadiens. Vancouver has played four fewer games. The top four teams qualify for the playoffs.
Boeser scored on a 2-on-1 rush 34 seconds into the first period to give the Canucks a 1-0 lead, but the Oilers responded with three goals in 4:44 in the second.
Draisaitl tied it 1-1 at 14:24 with a one-timer on a pass from McDavid after Canucks forward J.T. Miller turned the puck over behind the net. Draisaitl then scored his second of the game at 17:25 on another one-timer from McDavid during a 4-on-3 power play to make it 2-1.

Draisaitl is second in the NHL behind McDavid with 75 points (26 goals, 49 assists).
"He set me up twice," Draisaitl said. "It's two nice passes, [I] just had to make sure I bear down a little. Obviously, this time right now is about our team continuing to find our game, getting better every night, [but] on the side it's obviously about him trying to reach [100 points]."
Evan Bouchard, who played for the first time since March 1, scored on the power play at 19:13 to give Edmonton a 3-1 lead.
"It was a great feeling," Bouchard said. "You're working really hard off the ice, coaches are keeping us in shape, so to finally get back in a game was a good feeling."
Darnell Nurse scored on a 2-on-1 at 14:53 of the third period for the 4-1 final.
The Canucks outshot the Oilers 17-6 in the third.
"Obviously the last five minutes of the second cost us. A couple penalties, a couple turnovers, a missed change and it's 3-1," Vancouver coach Travis Green said. "I loved our third. If we had a little puck luck, we would have come back in the third."

NOTES: The Oilers were 2-for-3 on the power play; the Canucks went 0-for-4. … Bouchard had two shots on goal in 20:13 of ice time. … Edmonton center Kyle Turris played 11:01 in his first game since April 8. … Canucks defenseman Jack Rathbone made his NHL debut and had one shot on goal in 12:04. … Vancouver forward Tanner Pearson played his 500th NHL game.