GAME RECAP: Oilers 3, Jets 1

WINNIPEG, MB – Sticking with it is just what the Edmonton Oilers did.

"If there's the right way to win, that's what it looks like," netminder Stuart Skinner said post-game. "I thought the guys stuck with it all night. I thought we did a great job in both ends."

After it looked like their hard work all night wasn't going to be rewarded when trailing 1-0 late in the third period, the Blue & Orange came back over the final 6:49 remaining in regulation to defeat the Winnipeg Jets 3-1 at Canada Life Centre on Thursday night and extend their win streak to four games.

"I think the composure of the team was on full display there," Darnell Nurse said. "I think for us to be down one there in the first and not open our game up and push for too much offence... it was a good sign of where our group's going and I think we built a lot of confidence off this game."

Winnipeg netminder Connor Hellebuyck was a thorn in Edmonton's side between the pipes all evening, but when Nurse's lazy wrist shot was the one that finally solved the former Vezina Trophy winner, the Oilers continued to press on and took their deserved lead on a late power play when Leon Draisaitl ripped home a one-timer from the right circle to lift his team ahead 2-1 with 2:13 on the clock.

Ryan McLeod added an empty-netter to seal the victory and his first goal of the campaign, along with the centre adding an assist on Nurse's equalizing goal as the only player on both sides to register a multi-point night in Edmonton's victory.

Stuart Skinner was stellar in his sixth straight start, making 25 saves on 26 shots for his eighth win of the season.

The Oilers improve to 9-12-1 heading into a five-day break before hosting the Carolina Hurricanes this coming Wednesday at Rogers Place.

FIRST PERIOD

For what was a strong opening 20 minutes for the Oilers, one converted power play from the Jets was the difference.

Edmonton had two excellent looks in the first minute, with Hyman forcing a big rebound stop from Hellebuyck before Connor Brown earned a dangerous look in the slot that he put into the chest protector of the one-time Vezina Trophy winner.

Hellebuyck scrambled to keep the puck out again seven minutes later after Evan Bouchard's blast from the point nearly went in off his skate before Draisaitl missed the follow-up opportunity as the Jets netminder laid strewn across the ice as he desperately tried to keep the puck out.

It was looking like it was going to be one of those typical lock-down performances from the Jets, who allowed three or fewer goals for the 12th game running after beginning that stretch with a 3-2 overtime win over the Oilers back on Oct. 21.

"If it wasn't for him in the first period, it could have got out of hand," Skinner said of his Jets counterpart. "So huge credit to them. Huge credit to their players as well. They played a great game. They're very good at locking it down too, and that's why it was a low-scoring one earlier in the year."

The Oilers power play was 6-for-13 in their last three games coming into Thursday, but couldn't cash in on their first look with the man advantage before the midway mark of the first period when Mason Appleton was sent to the box for holding the stick.

Before the break, defenceman Brett Kulak was charged with the same infraction and it produced the game's first goal for the Jets with 1:33 on the clock.

Centre Cole Perfetti was parked in front to deflect Mark Scheifele's slap pass past Skinner for his eighth goal of the season that broke a stretch of 18 straight penalty kills for Edmonton's short-handed unit, lifting the Jets to a 1-0 lead before the first intermission.

SECOND PERIOD

The Oilers were able to kill off their next two penalty kills and even got their best chance of the second period while shorthanded.

First, it was Kyle Connor getting four great opportunities to extend the Jets lead in the frame's first five minutes. The prolific goalscorer for Winnipeg missed two open looks on Stuart Skinner before the Oilers netminder flashed the left pad on a partial breakaway to prevent the forward from putting the Jets ahead. by a pair of goals.

The Oilers had a pair of penalties to kill off to Evander Kane and Connor McDavid in the final six-and-a-half minutes of the middle frame and got their best chance at equalizing before the intermission when Mattias Janmark picked up a rimmed puck along the benches and went in alone, but Hellebuyck continued to stymie the Oilers with a blocker save to preserve the 1-0 lead through 40 minutes.

"I thought were playing well," Ryan McLeod said. "For the first 40, we had some chances that just didn't go our way. Obviously, they have a great goalie in net so we knew it was going to take a lot."

THIRD PERIOD

For the Blue & Orange, Thursday was about keeping their foot on the gas in hopes of finding a way through.

"You're hoping for that every time and every game, especially the way we were playing tonight," Skinner said. "I think offensively we did a great job at getting pucks in. Helly made some incredible saves and obviously, they know how to play really good D too.

"You're just really hoping that at some point it's going to happen for us, and fortunately, it did."

The Oilers were dominating the Jets in almost every metric – faceoff wins, shot attempts, overall shots and possession time – and they knew their hard work would pay off when they finally got rewarded when a lazy wrist shot from Nurse solved Hellebuyck to tie the game at 1-1 with 6:49 remaining.

"I was just trying to shoot through a screen and you never know what will happen," Nurse said. "I've been a D-man on the other side of those and sometimes you stiffen up and whatnot, so I was just trying to surprise them, get one on net and get it through the D-man."

"I think obviously we had a lot of great o-zone time and a lot of good chances, so when the first one goes in, I think for the group it takes a little bit of the load off the shoulders and our power play went out there and did their thing, so that's why they're so special.

McDavid was a menace all night, winning 88.9 percent of his faceoffs and buzzing for the entire 60 minutes. The captain earned the Oilers a late power-play on a hold against Gabriel Vilardi and the chance opportunity to win the game, and it would be his partner in crime Draisaitl who'd make no mistake from The Spot™️ in the right circle by one-timing McDavid's pass that struck a stick on its way through to beat Hellebuyck under the left arm with 2:13 left in regulation.

No player has victimized Hellebuyck more over his career than Draisaitl, who now has 20 goals against the Winnipeg shot-stopper – five more than Tyler Seguin of the Dallas Stars, who has 15.

McLeod iced the game with an empty-netter that marked his first goal of the campaign with 20 seconds remaining after the young centre got on the scoresheet with an assist on Nurse's equalizer.

"It's obviously a little bit frustrating to start, but it's good to get that one out of the way and hopefully there are more to come," he said.

PARTING WORDS

Skinner on the Oilers being able to improve their defensive game to win their first contest where they've allowed three or fewer goals (1-11-1):

"I think especially in this game, we did a really good job with that. Obviously, some tweaks have to be made as always. Every win and every loss there are things to improve on, so it's just a matter of us sticking with it, which I know the guys will."

Coach Knoblauch on his team's perseverance in Winnipeg:

"I was very happy with our guys. There could obviously have been frustration. I thought we played pretty well for the first 40 minutes and could have had some goals. Their goalie played really well and a few missed chances just missed wide, but the guys didn't deviate from the game plan and stuck with it. We got a little bit of a break on the first goal, but I think it was deserved considering how many opportunities we had."

McLeod on the progression of the Oilers in locking it down defensively this season:

"I think just sticking to it. I think as a group we've been trying to play a lot harder and a lot more defensively and take care of each other. I think we did that tonight. I think we did it really well. We know we have the guys in the room who could break the game open for us, so we just wanted to hold them to one and luckily, we got it done tonight."