GAME STORY: Oilers 4, Jets 2

EDMONTON, AB - The comeback kids came to play on Saturday.
The Oilers erased a 2-0 first period deficit with four unanswered goals to double up the Winnipeg Jets 4-2 at Rogers Place, sweeping their two-game series and keeping pace with the Toronto Maple Leafs for the most points in the North Division.

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FIRST BLOOD

After the Oilers were unable to convert on their first power play of the night, the Jets made good on a man advantage of their own at the 10:36 mark with a pinballing puck from the point. Andrew Copp pounced on a rebound behind the net and passed it around the boards to Nikolaj Ehlers, who took a few strides in and fired a low pass towards Copp who had moved back to the slot. The puck first hit Adam Larsson's leg, then struck Copp's leg before bouncing off Kris Russell's leg and ultimately over Mike Smith's glove, with Copp getting credit for his sixth of the season. Three of his six goals have come against Edmonton.

PLAY OF THE GAME

With the Oilers trailing 2-0 late in the first period, Connor McDavid cut the deficit in half with his third goal of the two-game series. The home team had an effective cycle going as McDavid set up Darnell Nurse for a one-timer that was blocked, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins faltered on a shot attempt before McDavid scooped up the loose puck in the slot and beat Connor Hellebuyck while falling to the ice as he was getting checked by Mark Scheifele. The impressive effort was the captain's 21st of the season, tying Toronto's Auston Matthews for the NHL lead.

SAVE OF THE GAME

The teams were scoreless in the middle frame but the Jets came within inches of making it 3-1 heading into the third if not for a miraculous pad save by Smith in the dying seconds. Winnipeg captain Blake Wheeler scorched a wrist shot from the left wing off the far post, pulling the Oilers netminder out of position, but Smith stuck his leg back through the crease just in time to deny Dylan DeMelo on the rebound attempt and keep his team within a goal heading into the final 20 minutes, paving the way for the comeback. Smith finished with 29 saves to earn his 11th win in 15 starts this season.

TURNING POINT

The Oilers trailed 2-1 heading into the third period but goals from Nurse and Leon Draisaitl six and a half minutes apart pulled them ahead 3-2 heading into the final 10 minutes, with Devin Shore's empty-netter sealing the victory and the dominant final frame. The game-winner was a patented Dynamic Duo deployment as McDavid fed Draisaitl on a two-on-one rush and the reigning league MVP blasted a one-timer past Hellebuyck for his 18th of the season and sixth deciding marker.

TOP PERFORMER

Nurse scored the 2-2 equalizing goal and then started the play that resulted in Draisaitl's game-winner while also logging a team-high 26:41 and recording a plus-four rating, four blocks and two hits.

FACT CHECK

Per Sportsnet Stats, with his equalizing goal in the third period, Nurse became the fastest Oilers defenceman to reach the 10-goal mark (34 games) since Sheldon Souray in 2008-09 (32 games). Nurse also tied his career high in goals from 2018-19 when he played all 82 games.

NEXT UP

The Oilers head back on the road for five in a row starting with three games in Montreal on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, followed by a pair in Toronto on Saturday and the following Monday. The next two games at Rogers Place come on a back-to-back April 2-3 against Calgary and Vancouver, respectively.

PARTING WORDS

"We're resilient, we figure out different ways to stick around and win hockey games," said Draisaitl, who played 22:22 and had three shots including the game-winning goal. "That's a big part of making the playoffs and I think we've done a great job of that this year. We have to keep that going."
"The confidence, you can just feel it throughout the lineup," said McDavid, who leads the NHL with 60 points. "We're getting contributions from everybody, and when you're doing that it's hard not to feel good. From the net out, guys are working hard, buying in and it's contagious. We're trying to build something here, but we have a long way to go and lots of work left to do."

"The last couple games I've felt really good and I just try to keep going," said Jesse Puljujarvi, who recorded an assist and a plus-three rating with three shots on goal in his 18:14 of work. "These couple games against Winnipeg was like playoff hockey and it was a couple really good wins."
"Your goaltender can make saves, but it's timely saves that matter the most in the game," Head Coach Dave Tippett said of Smith's performance, including multiple highlight-reel stops in the second period. "Those are ones that came at the right time and allowed us the opportunity to come back."