GAME RECAP: Blues 3, Oilers 2

ST. LOUIS, MO – Centre Pius Suter scored with 1:23 remaining in regulation on Monday night, sealing the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 comeback victory at Enterprise Center and stealing all two points from the Edmonton Oilers to put an end to their seven-game losing streak.

Jack Roslovic scored for a second straight game on the power play late in the first period before Andrew Mangiapane made it 2-0 for the Oilers 2:27 into the middle frame with his fourth goal of the campaign, but the Blues responded with two goals in 2:30 from rookie Dalibor Dvorsky and Robert Thomas before the intermission to tie things up entering the final frame.

Late in a back-and-forth third period, Suter slid home a rebound in front of netminder Calvin Pickard to seal the comeback for the Blues, who earned their first victory in eight games dating back to a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars back on Oct. 18.

"There are things that we like in our game, but there are things that we need to work on," Mattias Ekholm said. "It's early in the year, so I don't think any team is perfect at this time of the year, but I think we can obviously do a better job in these close games."

"Getting points all the time matters a lot, so I think that there's room for improvement."

Connor McDavid reached 1,100 career points with two assists alongside Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who became the fourth player in Oilers franchise history to record 300 power-play points with a two-helper performance in Monday's defeat, which dropped Edmonton's overall record to 6-5-3 this season.

The Oilers now travel to Dallas to wrap up back-to-back games on Tuesday against the Stars at American Airlines Center.

"You can't even think twice about this game. It's behind us now," Ekholm added. "We've got to focus on tomorrow. It's a big test for us. Obviously, we know what team they are and the challenge that they bring, so just move on."

ROSLOVIC CRACKING THE CODE

It's safe to say that Jack Roslovic is starting to see the signs.

Following Monday morning's pre-game skate, forward Jack Roslovic spoke about adapting to the net-front role on Edmonton's highly-skilled top power-play unit, describing the experience like learning codewords known only by the likes of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman – the latter of whom he's filling in for with the winger still recovering from injury.

"The familiarity that they have with each other is really cool, so it's a lot of almost like code signs and code words that I'm trying to figure out with the plays that they run," Roslovic said Monday morning. "So I'm just trying to keep it simple, be in and around the net and be a good puck retriever."

With his third goal of the season in the first period on Monday – scoring on the power play for the second straight game – the 28-year-old looks well on his way to cracking the enigma that is the Oilers' power play, which is currently operating back at the top-of-the-league level we've grown to expect.

With Oskar Sundqvist in the box for hooking Matt Savoie in the neutral zone late in the opening frame, Roslovic went to his assigned spot in front of the St. Louis crease right off the opening faceoff before opening up in front as the puck went down to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

After taking an excellent pass from No. 93 from below the goal line, Roslovic snapped it over the left shoulder of Jordan Binnington to open the scoring with his third goal and sixth point of the campaign.

"It's cool to see their process be a part of it, trying to find the open spots for them," Roslovic added. "So it's one of those things where you just keep on continuously learning what to do and where to be. It's such an important part of the game and it's fun to get the opportunity to be there."

Connor McDavid nabbed his 1,100th career point with the secondary assist, and Nugent-Hopkins' primary helper made the longest-tenured Oiler the fourth player in franchise history to reach 300 career power-play points – joining Wayne Gretzky (439), Connor McDavid (373) and Leon Draisaitl (337).

After a slow start to life as an Oiler with an assist in his first five games, Roslovic has now contributed three goals and two assists in his last six, including two goals on the power play, giving Edmonton a 1-0 lead.

NUGE RENEWED

The Nuge simply won't stop being huge for the Oilers this season, recording two assists through 40 minutes against the Blues on Monday after setting up Andrew Mangiapane 2:27 into the second period to reach above the point-per-game threshold through 14 games so far in this campaign.

Mangiapane made a block on Colton Parayko in the defensive end that kick-started the rush that led to the Oilers doubling their lead, moving the puck onto the tape of McDavid in the neutral zone and then over to Nugent-Hopkins crossing the blueline before No. 93 fired another terrific feed across the slot.

After a quick cradle of the puck inside the right circle, Mangiapane fired it over the left pad of Binnington to make it 2-0 on his fourth goal of the campaign. Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid both earned the helpers, giving the Oilers forwards two assists through two periods on Monday.

Despite a hot start for Nugent-Hopkins this season with 15 points (5G, 10A) through 14 games, it only ties his best similar stretch over the past four years – tying his output in 2022-23 when he recorded his first-career 100-point season, while his best was the 2023-24 campaign with 20 points through 14 games.

BLUE & YELLOW REVIVAL

The Oilers were buzzing when Mangiapane gave his side a two-goal lead early in the middle frame.

But in the period's final five minutes, it was all Blues.

"Early in the second period, they had some chances where I didn't think we defended well off the rush, whether their D we're beating us up ice or we were just playing the rush a little bit soft," Knoblauch said. "The third period was a little bit better, but it's just fortunate that we felt for most of the game that we played well enough to get two points."

St. Louis scored twice in a 2:30 span before the second intermission to tie things up heading into the final frame, starting with rookie Dalibor Dvorsky's first-career NHL goal on a power play with McDavid in the penalty box by one-timing Justin Faulk's feed from the left circle inside the near post from one knee.

That gave the fans inside Enterprise Center some life, and under three minutes later, it was former Oilers defenceman Philip Broberg exchanging passes with Jimmy Snuggerud coming into the Oilers' zone to create the Blues' equalizer with 1:22 left in the second period.

Broberg ripped a huge one-timer from the slot that went just wide as he fell to the ice, before captain Robert Thomas controlled the rebound off the back boards and bounced it in off Calvin Pickard from a tight angle to make it 2-2 entering the third period.

"I thought we had a good start," Mattias Ekholm said. "I thought we had a good half somewhere in there. When they got their first one, we got on our heels a little bit, then they got another one. But still, coming back from that second period, knowing to win a game to win on the road that you just win a period, I thought we had our looks.

"But I think we can do a better job of imposing our will a little bit more in that third and maybe earning that win. We had some glimpses, but I think we can do more."

LAST NOTE FOR THE BLUES

The Oilers had found their way to overtime in their previous two games, and it was looking like it'd be another one of those nights involving sudden death until the Blues played themselves off to the tune of a late winner from Pius Suter, stealing all two points.

"It looked like it was going to go to overtime. It didn't feel like we were sitting back," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. "I thought we had a lot of push and had our chances. Not that we were playing it safe. It's unfortunate that with a minute and a half left, we gave them that goal like that. It's tough, especially when we're up 2-0 and then end up not getting any points."

In the final two minutes of regulation, Parayko fired a low shot from the point that stopped dead in its tracks off the right pad of Pickard, who couldn't find the puck before Suter pulled it around him and delivered it into the back of the net to seal St. Louis' late victory.

"I thought it was almost one of those games," Ekholm said. "The last 10 minutes, everybody was kind of waiting for overtime and we did a good job defending. So did they, so it was just a fluky play. But again, we have to bear down in those situations, and we're not doing that as of right now. But we'll be better tomorrow."

The Blues put an end to their seven-game losing streak with the comeback, ending Edmonton's hopes of back-to-back victories.