EDMONTON, Alberta — Leon Draisaitl netted the decisive goal with less than two minutes remaining in the third period, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on Friday night. This win marks the Oilers’ second consecutive success and their tenth in the last thirteen games.
Darnell Nurse contributed to the tally with one goal and one assist, while Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also found the back of the net. Goaltender Stuart Skinner was solid in net, recording 27 saves throughout the match. The defeat halted Anaheim’s three-game winning streak. Goalie Lukas Dostal made 23 saves for the Ducks.
Draisaitl’s pivotal goal came with just 1:35 left in the game, after the Oilers relinquished a 2-0 lead during the second period.
Takeaways from the game reveal that Jackson LaCombe is excelling in his second season with the Ducks, bringing his season tally to seven goals and 15 points across 31 games. This figure is just two points shy of the 17 points he achieved in 71 games during his rookie year.
On the Oilers’ side, Draisaitl extended his scoring streak to 13 games, matching the longest streak of the season that has been reached by four players thus far. In this 13-game span, he has scored 11 goals and accumulated 25 points. His career points total of 907 has now placed him fifth in the franchise’s history, surpassing Glenn Anderson. However, his teammate Connor McDavid saw his personal points streak come to an end at 12 games.
A crucial moment came when Zach Hyman passed the puck to Draisaitl, who skillfully maneuvered to trap the puck on his knee before settling it down and firing it into the corner of the net past Dostal, marking his league-leading 28th goal of the season.
Statistically, the scoring performance from Edmonton’s defensemen has been impressive this season, accounting for 25 of the Oilers’ 122 total goals, placing them just one behind the league-leading Columbus team. Evan Bouchard is leading the defensemen with seven goals, followed by Mattias Ekholm with six, Brett Kulak with five, Nurse with four, and Troy Stecher with three.
Looking ahead, the Ducks are set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, while the Oilers will face the Seattle Kraken in an away game on Saturday.
