Draisaitl lifts Oilers past Devils in overtime

NEWARK, N.J. -- Leon Draisaitl scored off a pass from Connor McDavid with 17 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win against the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center on Thursday.

"We played a lot in the overtime but that's the way we like it," McDavid said. "We've been out there a few times taking a minute-and-a-half, two-minute shifts, and we score at the end. We're guys who can play long minutes and play long shifts, especially in overtime."
Anton Slepyshev and Milan Lucic also scored, and Cam Talbot, who was playing his 200th NHL game, made 32 saves for the Oilers (6-8-1), who have won consecutive games for the first time this season. They also got their previous win in overtime, 2-1 at the New York Islanders on Tuesday.
WATCH: [All Oilers vs. Devils highlights]
Brian Boyle and Drew Stafford scored, and Cory Schneider made 29 saves for the Devils (9-4-2), who have lost four straight.
Boyle, who was playing his fifth game of the season after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia on Sept. 19, scored 5:33 into the first period to give the Devils a 1-0 lead. He lifted a rebound over Talbot after putting the puck on goal and driving to the net.
Boyle couldn't help but get emotional after his first goal in 30 games since he scored for the Tampa Bay Lightning against the Winnipeg Jets on Feb. 11.

"Usually I can separate it but that wasn't the case; it was a wave of number of different things [going through my mind]," Boyle said. "My wife has been through the wringer. She's had to deal with a lot more than I'd say I have gone through. I'm not playing [Thursday] if not for my wife, my family and these guys in here. I try to separate it but it's a little bit bigger tonight than probably ever."
The Devils had a chance midway through overtime when Nico Hischier, the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, and Taylor Hall skated in 2-on-1, but the rookie tried to pass to Hall instead of shooting from deep in the left circle.
"I've got to take the shot," Hischier said. "I just thought when I passed it back and if it arrived, he would have an empty net but it didn't come like that. The puck didn't get on net so it was probably the wrong decision. It's a fast game, so sometimes I make the wrong decision."
Lucic controlled a pass from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and beat Schneider between the five-hole to tie it 2-2 at 3:21 of the third period.

"You have to create some kind of momentum any way that you can and sometimes it takes wins like these to get you to start feeling confident and get rolling," Lucic said.
Stafford gave the Devils a 2-1 lead in the second period when he took a pass from Adam Henrique, fought off a check from Mark Letestu in the left circle and curled the puck around Talbot before scoring inside the right post at 18:25.
Slepyshev tied it 1-1 with a shot from low in the left circle that beat Schneider over his right shoulder 6:50 into the second period.
"Other than the game-winning goal, we didn't lead at any point in the game but I think we kept our composure," Lucic said.
The Oilers, who entered the game ranked last in the League on the penalty kill, denied the Devils on four opportunities with the man-advantage.

Goal of the game

Draisaitl's fifth goal of the season with 17 seconds left in overtime.

Save of the game

Talbot, with help from defenseman Adam Larsson, denied Stafford 11:59 into the third period.

Highlight of the game

Boyle's first goal of the season 5:33 into the first period.

They said it

"Anytime you have two guys like [McDavid and Draisaitl] in a 3-on-3 situation you know you have a good chance. More often than not they can control the puck even if they don't generate a chance. They're tiring out the opponent and letting fresh guys on our side come on. Even when they're not creating anything they're doing their job." -- Oilers goaltender Cam Talbot
"[My goal] doesn't happen without [Brian Gibbons]. He had time and he goes really hard to the net. He's not physically imposing by any means, but sticks his nose in there. He's had a phenomenal year for us and it's great to see him doing so well. I've known [Gibbons] for a long time. A couple of Boston College Eagles out there celebrating that goal was pretty fun." -- Devils center Brian Boyle

Need to know

Slepyshev returned to the lineup after missing two games with an undisclosed injury. ... McDavid has 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in his past eight games. ... Draisaitl has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his past seven games. ... Boyle played 13:38 and was 9-for-14 on face-offs (64 percent). ... Hischier played a season-high 21:18.

What's next

Oilers: At the New York Rangers on Saturday (1 p.m. ET; MSG, SNW, NHL.TV)
Devils: Host the Florida Panthers on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; MSG+, FS-F, NHL.TV)