GAME STORY: Oilers 3, Blues 2 (SO)

ST.LOUIS, MO -Connor McDavid scored the shootout winner as the Oilers came from behind to beat the St. Louis Blues 3-2 on Wednesday, earning Cam Talbot his 100th victory with the team.

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The Blues built a 2-0 lead through the opening 20 minutes but the Oilers battled back with a goal from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins in the middle frame and Oscar Klefbom with less than a minute to go in the third to force extra time before Edmonton ultimately prevailed in the breakaway competition.

"He's a big part of our team," veteran forward Zack Kassian said of Talbot and his 100-win milestone. "We clawed back for him and he made big saves for us. We needed him to be the Cam Talbot he can be and tonight he was."

Despite the 2-0 score after one, it was actually the Oilers with the early momentum as they earned a power play in the opening minute after the Blues took a too-many-men infraction. Nugent-Hopkins had the best scoring chance of the man-advantage but his deflected shot dribbled just wide of the far post and the home side completed the kill.

St. Louis scored their first goal of the night at the 6:05 mark as Oscar Sundqvist got the puck behind the net and found a streaking Ivan Barbashev who sniped a wrister over Talbot's blocker-side shoulder for his third tally of the season.

The Blues extended their lead to 2-0 at 13:32 as Chris Butler fired a shot on net from the point that Brayden Schenn pounced on and deposited the rebound for his sixth of the year.

The Oilers earned their second power play of the night with 1:06 on the clock as McDavid got his stick slashed by Schenn, but they were unable to convert before the period ended, getting outshot 15-5 in the opening frame.

The visitors put their sluggish first period behind them and came out with plenty of energy in the second, eventually getting on the board and cutting the Blues lead to 2-1 at the 4:04 mark with Nugent-Hopkins' seventh of the season. Darnell Nurse carried the puck around the net and tossed it into a crowd in front before RNH corralled it and beat Jake Allen.

Just over two minutes later, the Blues appeared to re-establish their two-goal cushion as Zach Sanford buried a rebound. However, Vladimir Tarasenko had interfered with Talbot on the play and received a penalty instead of his team receiving a goal, keeping it 2-1.

The Oilers outshot the Blues 17-7 in the middle frame, but several of the home side's shots were quality scoring chances that Talbot turned aside, including a point-blank blocker save on Ryan O'Reilly who got loose in alone on the goaltender.

After completing a kill of their own earlier in the frame, Edmonton had an optimal opportunity to tie it up on the PP with 12:08 remaining regulation as Sundqvist was busted for holding, but they were unable to convert.

As the clocked ticked closer and closer to zero, the Oilers upped their pressure with a couple of prime scoring opportunities from Ty Rattie as well as Alex Chiasson. Allen was equal to the task, however.

Klefbom played a heroic role for the third time in the last five games, blasting home the tying goal with 56 seconds remaining and Talbot on the bench in favour of an extra attacker. The blueliner, who had his father in attendance this week for the dads trip, scored back-to-back game-winners during the team's three straight victories on home ice last week as well.

"Maybe they have to stay a little longer," he laughed, referring to the dads. "He came all the way from Sweden to see me play and I scored the tying goal and we won. It's a great feeling."

With a single point secured, Edmonton was unable to capitalize on an overtime power play, but they prevailed in the shootout as Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid scored back-to-back highllight-reel goals and Talbot stopped two of the three shots he faced.

"The guys did a great job in front of me," said the netminder, who made 28 saves prior to his pair in the shootout. "After that first period we addressed some things and we tightened up. That's what we needed to do tonight."

The Oilers return to Rogers Place for a pair of games this weekend, having won three consecutive games on home ice. They'll host Minnesota on Friday and Calgary on Sunday, both at 7pm MT.