McDavid scores winner in overtime, Oilers beat Avalanche 3-2
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) The Edmonton Oilers weren't about to let another 2-0 lead slip away.
Connor McDavid scored at 2:19 of overtime and had an assist to lead Edmonton past the Colorado Avalanche 3-2 on Thursday night, two days after the Oilers blew a two-goal advantage in the third period of a 3-2 loss to Boston.
''Going into the third, we didn't want to repeat the result we had from the previous game,'' defenseman Adam Larsson said. ''They made a push, but I thought we answered it today. I thought we did a lot of good things. Even when they scored, we still felt like we had some momentum and we didn't lose that, we just kept battling and it paid off.''
Leon Draisaitl had a goal and set up McDavid's winner. Zack Kassian also scored for the Oilers, who won for just the second time in their last nine games.
''From an offensive perspective, he was a force,'' Edmonton coach Todd McLellan said about Draisaitl, who has 54 points in 56 games this season. ''He used his body very well and accelerated out of protecting the puck where he could push off and create space for himself. Really on both goals, that was nice to see. I thought that line started slow and got going as the night went on and Leon was a big part of it.''
Samuel Girard and Colin Wilson scored for the Avalanche, who have lost three of four.
''It wasn't a great game by us,'' coach Jared Bednar said. ''I think they had a good game - I don't think we did. For me, I think we're lucky to get a point out of that. I don't think it was a great team effort by us.''
The Oilers certainly had the bulk of the pressure in the scoreless first period, putting 19 shots on Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov to seven by the Avalanche on Edmonton starter Cam Talbot.
Edmonton broke the deadlock three minutes into the second as Draisaitl put on a clinic, faking out Mikko Rantanen before beating Varlamov up high with a backhander for his 18th of the season.
A few minutes later, Varlamov was able to stop McDavid on a clear breakaway and later in the period did the same against Edmonton forward Anton Slepyshev.
Edmonton made it 2-0 with 5 1/2 minutes to play in the second when Mark Letestu hooked a shot in front to help Kassian score his seventh.
Colorado got a goal back with 19 seconds remaining in the period when Girard's point shot hit the post and caromed in.
The Avalanche tied the game 50 seconds into the third when a pass deflected off an Oilers defender to Wilson, who scored his sixth of the season.
NOTES: Edmonton won the season series 2-1, including a 4-2 victory on Sunday when McDavid had a hat trick. ... Out of the lineup for the Oilers were Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (upper body), Andrej Sekera (head), Patrick Maroon (lower body) and Drake Caggiula (illness). ... Absent for the Avalanche were Vladislav Kamenev (arm), Mark Barberio (lower body), Jonathan Bernier (concussion), Erik Johnson (upper body), Sven Andrighetto (leg) and Anton Lindholm (upper body).
UP NEXT
Avalanche: Conclude a three-game road trip Saturday in Calgary.
Oilers: At the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
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