McDavid scores in return, Oilers stay hot with win against Kraken

EDMONTON -- Connor McDavid scored in his return from a three-game suspension, and the Edmonton Oilers won 4-2 against the Seattle Kraken at Rogers Place on Monday.

The Oilers captain, who was suspended for cross-checking Vancouver Canucks forward Conor Garland in the helmet on Jan. 18, tied it 2-2 at 1:57 of the second period after putting in his own rebound while skating through the slot.

Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist, and Mattias Janmark and Corey Perry also scored for the Oilers (32-15-3), who have won three in a row and seven of nine.

“I think tonight was, again, we just played well enough to win,” Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch said.

Calvin Pickard made 26 saves in a non-scheduled start in place of Stuart Skinner, whose wife gave birth Monday.

“I knew it was close to kid time for him. I got a text that he was heading to the hospital last night, so I went to bed preparing to play,” said Pickard, who is 9-1-0 in his past 10 starts. “It felt like a similar game day to the rest of them. It was nice, a good win.

“First and foremost, it is nice playing behind such a good team, a team that knows how to win and expects to win every single night. I just have to go out there and do my job and trust that my teammates will do theirs. And they’ve been doing that.”

Vince Dunn and Eeli Tolvanen scored, and Joey Daccord made 27 saves for the Kraken (22-26-3), who had won three of their previous four.

Seattle went 0-for-4 on the power play.

“It was a big factor in the game. We had four opportunities in the game, the 5-on-3, there and even the one in the third period. It just wasn’t good enough,” Kraken coach Dan Bylsma said. “You want your power play to provide a goal and provide a spark, and it wasn’t there. There’s no other way to say it, the power play didn’t do that and that was a dent in the game.

“Execution and urgency, I’ll say. Right from the start of the first power play, and 5-on-3 is a big point in the game for sure and we didn’t have a lot of urgency stepping over the boards and coming with speed and executing. We didn’t get much opportunity with that 5-on-3.”

Tolvanen put Seattle ahead 1-0 at 3:37 of the first period, putting away a loose puck after Shane Wright centered a pass that bounced off the stick of John Hayden, who was being pushed into Pickard on the play by Oilers defenseman Brett Kulak. Edmonton challenged for goalie interference, but the goal was upheld following video review.

Janmark tied it 1-1 at 14:27, as Connor Brown sent a sharp-angle shot from the far side of the left circle that deflected in off his arm.

Dunn gave the Kraken a 2-1 lead at 17:41 on a slap shot from the point that was partially deflected by McDavid before bouncing in past Pickard.

“It’s obviously frustrating; we seem to find a way to beat ourselves every time we play against them,” Dunn said. “We get off to a good start, or at least put up a good fight in the first period, and slowly un-jell toward the end.

“It’s just kind of frustrating to see ourselves that close and then not come up with a result.”

Perry gave the Oilers a 3-2 lead at 9:38 following McDavid’s goal. He waited at the far blue line for a long pass from Darnell Nurse back near the Edmonton crease before beating Daccord glove side on the breakaway.

“A great change by [Leon Draisaitl],” Perry said. “I came on the ice late, ‘Doc’ (Nurse) had his eyes up and made a great play.”

Ekholm scored into an empty net with 58 seconds left in the third period for the 4-2 final.

“I think it’s a game of momentum, especially with the firepower they have, and in the second, I think some turnovers fed them a bit,” Hayden said. “We had some good looks, we had chances to bear down and score more, but we have a couple things to clean up.”

NOTES: The Kraken have 31 goals from defensemen this season, moving ahead of the Minnesota Wild (30) for the second most among all teams and one behind the Columbus Blue Jackets (32). ... Draisaitl (35 goals, 40 assists) has 75 points through 50 games of a season for the third time in the NHL. The only players born outside of North America with more are Peter Stastny (five times) and Jaromir Jagr (four times). ... University of Alberta goaltender Tyler Palmer signed an amateur tryout contract on an emergency basis earlier Monday and was Pickard’s backup in Skinner’s absence.