Evan Bouchard scored the deciding goal during the third period, securing a 4-2 victory for the Edmonton Oilers over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.
For Edmonton, Leon Draisaitl, Connor Brown, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also contributed goals. This win marked Edmonton’s fifth victory in seven games, with Calvin Pickard making 33 saves to advance his record to 12-6-0.
Draisaitl reached a milestone, scoring his 40th goal for the third consecutive season and the fifth time in his career, placing him third behind Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri.
The Oilers now trail Vancouver by just three points in the Pacific Division standings, with a game in hand after the Canucks lost to Los Angeles.
Calgary’s goals came from Yegor Sharangovich and Nazem Kadri, as they suffered their eighth loss in nine games. Andrei Kuzmenko extended his point streak to five games with two assists. Jacob Markstrom made 23 saves for the Flames.
Although Calgary managed to tie the game 2-2 with a power-play goal in the third period, Edmonton quickly regained the lead with another power-play goal.
Bouchard’s goal, assisted by Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid, proved pivotal. McDavid’s assist marked his 99th of the season, inching him closer to becoming the fourth player in NHL history to achieve 100 assists in a season. Nugent-Hopkins secured the win with an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Draisaitl opened the scoring late in the first period with a power-play goal, followed by Brown extending the Oilers’ lead early in the second period. Sharangovich responded swiftly for the Flames with a power-play goal of his own.
Sharangovich’s 30th goal of the season made him the sixth player in Flames history to score 30 goals in his first year with the team, joining a prestigious list of players including Kent Nilsson, Mike Cammalleri, Lanny McDonald, Bob MacMillan, and Hakan Loob.
