DENVER

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins contributed significantly with a goal and an assist while Stuart Skinner made a solid 27 saves, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 4-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

The Oilers also saw goals from Kasperi Kapanen, Vasily Podkolzin, and Brett Kulak, marking their fourth win in the last five games. Nikolai Kovalenko found the net for Colorado, while Alexandar Georgiev recorded 28 saves in goal.

Kovalenko opened the scoring with a power-play goal just over seven minutes into the first period, as the Avalanche managed to convert one of five power-play opportunities during the game. Kapanen quickly evened the score for Edmonton less than five minutes later. He received a backhand pass from Connor McDavid, who skillfully maneuvered around the net to create space and deliver the puck to Kapanen for his second goal since joining the Oilers from waivers on November 19.

The Oilers took the lead for good when Podkolzin scored with 6:12 remaining in the second period, assisted by Troy Stecher, who extended his assist streak to three games. Kulak then increased the lead to 3-1 early in the third period, and Nugent-Hopkins wrapped up the game with an empty-net goal with 1:32 left on the clock.

In terms of milestones, Avalanche defenseman Samuel Girard celebrated his 500th career game by providing an assist on Kovalenko’s power-play goal, which tied him with Erik Johnson for the sixth position in club history for assists at 178. Meanwhile, the Oilers improved their recent record against the Avalanche to 3-11-1 in their last 15 meetings, including playoff games, also snapping a six-game losing streak (0-5-1) in regular-season contests played in Colorado.

A significant moment in the match was Podkolzin’s goal, which established the Oilers’ lead and solidified their dominance after a shaky start in the opening ten minutes.

A noteworthy statistic was Connor McDavid’s assist, which brought his career total against the Avalanche to an impressive 34 points, comprising 14 goals and 20 assists over 22 games.

Looking ahead, the Avalanche are set to face the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday, while the Oilers will take on the Vegas Golden Knights.