Here are some observations from the game:
• The game featured various waves of momentum, fueled by both teams’ power plays in a back-and-forth affair. The Oilers had a 1-0 after the first period. The Devils dominated much of the second period, scoring three goals (two on the power play) and skating out to a 15-1 edge in shots. But the Oilers would reclaim the momentum late in the second period thanks to their power play. Edmonton scored a man-advantage goal with 1:14 left in the middle frame. The Oilers would tie the game early in the third period thanks to another power-play goal. At that point, the teams traded chances for the remainder of regulation.
• Devils goalie Connor Hellebuyck made his home debut with the club. He made a dynamic split pad save on a Connor McDavid breakaway in the third period to keep it a 3-3 game and allow the contest to get to overtime.
• The Devils used Nico Hischier's line (with Timo Meier and Luke Evangelista) and the defensive duo of Brett Pesce and Luke Hughes against the McDavid line (Draisaitl and Vasily Podkolzin). They held the line scoreless at 5-on-5 play, and limited McDavid to one shot.
Keefe: "I thought those guys did a good job. It's a tough task mentally. You have to be really responsibly with the puck. You have to be good defensively. It can be a grind mentally."
• The Devils made a tweak to their top power play unit at practice on Monday. They elevated Connor Brown to the group, a five-man unit that saw a lot of man-advantage action last year together. And it didn’t take long for the adjustment to pay off as Brown helped the man-advantage squad connect on two goals with a tally and an assist.
On the Devils' second power-play opportunity for the new (old) look, Brown scored to tie the game at 1-1. Jack Hughes threw a shot toward the net. The puck hit something in front and dropped at the crease. Brown fought through a cross check from Edmonton’s Ryan Shea to score short side as he was falling to the ice.
Brown: “It was nice to get a couple bounce. I thought we did a good job of taking what they gave us. They were pressuring so we simplified and got the puck to the net and were able to put a few in.”
• Adding some spice to the goal is that it came for Brown against his former team.
• Jack Hughes scored twice in the second period to give the Devils a 3-1 lead. His first goal came off a nice blind, backhand pass from Dougie Hamilton. Hughes one-timed a snapper that beat Jarry glove side to make it 2-1.
Hughes followed that up with a power-play goal. He was driving to the net and received a pass from Brown. The puck missed Hughes’ stick and glanced off his skate and into the goal. Since the skate wasn’t used in a “distinct kicking motion,” the goal held up.
• Connor McDavid extened his NHL-record assist streak to start a season to 16 games after helping set up Leon Draisaitl with an early third-period power-play goal. It was McDavid's 40th point of the season and 31st assist.
