GAME RECAP: Blues 3, Oilers 2 (OT)

ST. LOUIS, MO – Despite goals from Kasperi Kapanen & Connor McDavid, the St. Louis Blues battled back in the third period before earning the extra point in overtime in a 3-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night at Enterprise Center.

The Oilers opened the scoring through Kasperi Kapanen in the second period before Connor McDavid doubled their advantage midway through the final frame, but Pius Suter and Cam Fowler scored almost four minutes apart to force overtime, where Robert Thomas notched the deciding goal with eight seconds left.

Connor Ingram had a strong performance in his return to the Oilers' crease with 22 saves, but would ultimately be outduelled in the other crease by a 36-save performance from Joel Hofer, who helped extend St. Louis' point streak to seven games (6-0-1).

"It's really a shame," Kapanen said. "Throughout the whole game, we were playing pretty well, and teams are going to have their push if we're leading, and we just need to learn how to play with the lead.

"We just have to hope that the one extra point we lost today is not going to come and haunt us later."

The Oilers fall to 32-26-9 on the year and sit in third place in the Pacific Division after ending their road trip with five of a possible eight points, returning home on Sunday to begin a four-game homestand at Rogers Place against the Nashville Predators.

FIRST PERIOD

The shots slightly favoured the Oilers 7-6 at the end of a scoreless first period that featured Matt Savoie in a top-line role and Max Jones making his return to the lineup after receiving a late call-up on Friday afternoon from the AHL's Bakersfield Condors.

Head Coach Kris Knoblauch announced pre-game that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would be a late scratch by the Oilers to attend to a personal matter, necessitating Jones' recall from the Condors this morning while giving Savoie the chance to fill No. 93's place on the top line next to Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid.

Savoie was set up twice for scoring chances by McDavid and challenged netminder Joel Hofer once to make a right-pad save, with the St. Albert product chasing his first goal in eight games after last scoring on Feb. 25 in a defeat to the Anaheim Ducks. The St. Albert product would ultimately finish with an assist in the game.

Edmonton's best chance to break the deadlock came late in the frame from Jack Roslovic, who cut towards goal from the left side and tried to go high on Hofer before the rebound nearly went in off the body of a Blues' defenceman.

Connor Ingram was back between the pipes for the first time since his scary collision with Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon on Tuesday that took him out of Edmonton's 4-3 victory due to concussion protocol, and the netminder was up to the task on both big chances for the Blues from forwards Dylan Holloway and Otto Stenberg to keep it 0-0.

SECOND PERIOD

'Kappy Hour' started late, but it arrived at the perfect time to give the Oilers the lead with 4:19 left in the middle frame.

The Oilers couldn't capitalize on their two power plays in the second stanza, but were the first to break the deadlock when their second line got the cycle going and opened up space for a far-side opportunity for former Blues forward Kasperi Kapanen to beat his old team to open the scoring.

Kapanen cycled it to Podkolzin along the boards before rounding his way to the left circle, where Leon Draisaitl found him with a terrific backhand pass that he put away low blocker to make it 1-0.

Picked up off waivers from the Blues last season on Nov. 19, Kapanen signed a one-year deal ($1.3 million AAV) to remain in Edmonton this past season and has been effective when healthy as a top-nine forward, scoring his seventh goal and 15th point in 26 games this season.

Ingram then made three terrific back-to-back-to-back saves to keep the Oilers in front before the end of the frame, standing up Pavel Buchnevich and then lunging across to deny him again with the right pad before shutting down Jordan Kyrou at the near post.

The Blues went 50 real-time minutes and 19:46 of time between the first and second periods on Friday without recording a shot, but their pushback was set to come in the last half of the third period.

"We defended well at times today," Kapanen said. "I think in the second period, our offence was getting much better than it was in the first, and this trip has been a positive one. We obviously would have wanted two points today, and the game yesterday wasn't our best, but certainly better than it has been as of late."

THIRD PERIOD

Ingram would ultimately be beaten twice in the final frame after picking up an assist on McDavid's 37th of the season, which gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead that was nullified by two tallies in 3:52 by the Blues in the last 10 minutes of regulation.

Ingram stopped former Edmonton Oil Kings forward Jake Neighbours at even strength off a giveaway committed by Draisaitl before his biggest save came with the Oilers on the man advantage, turning aside an in-alone chance for Buchnevich after St. Albert product Colton Parayko hit the crossbar on a breakaway earlier in the same Oilers' power play.

Edmonton needed a penalty kill prior to the midway mark of the third with Zach Hyman in the box for hooking and did just that to protect their lead, leading to McDavid doubling their lead with a perfect top-shelf snipe off the rush with 10:04 left in regulation.

Ingram played the puck in the defensive zone and picked up an assist – his second of the season – on McDavid's 37th goal of the year that put the Oilers ahead 2-0, while Matt Savoie recorded the primary helper.

But the Blues battled back to force extra time, beginning with Pius Suter putting away Jonatan Berggren's nice pass from below the goal line in front that evaded the sights of Ingram for an easy finish that ended his chances at a shutout.

"I don't think it could have gone much better for us in the first 40 minutes, and then the third period, we had a nice lead, and they got their goal, and maybe we got a little nervous and backed off a little bit," Knoblauch said.

Quickly off a faceoff less than four minutes later, the Blues tied it up through an unassisted marker from Cam Fowler that Ingram didn't see off his stick as it went past a couple of bodies and found its way in off the post.

"You can tell a lot of young guys on that team have a lot of energy, and some veteran guys," Kapanen said. "I've been in that locker room before, and they have a good group and certainly felt like a team that has some confidence."

OVERTIME

Overtime saw the Oilers apply relentless pressure, but the Blues were the ones to find a way late to win it.

"Obviously, they had a strong push, and yeah, it's unfortunate," Knoblauch said. "It could've been an outstanding end to the road trip, getting three out of the four, but getting only one point in the last two games is disappointing for us.

The Oilers couldn't convert during their longest stretch of possession in the St. Louis zone as overtime entered its late stages, with Evan Bouchard having a chance that left the puck perilously loose in the crease, which no one could find to put home.

"We had the puck the most of the time, but in three-on-three, it's always a counterattack," Knoblauch said. "You can have that possession, you can have the opportunities, but eventually, it ends up going back and forth.

That led to St. Louis countering up ice, and with only 10 seconds left in overtime, Robert Thomas ended the game with a shot that went in off the right post from the circle, completing the Blues' comeback.

"But we played well today, too," Kapanen said. "I think the first two periods, we were playing extremely well, and even in the third, we had some chances and a good push.

"It sucks right now, but we just gotta forget this one and move on."