Edmonton’s dynamic duo has definitely dazzled in December.
Connor McDavid had five assists and Leon Draisaitl three goals as the hometown Edmonton Oilers kept rolling into the holiday hiatus with a 5-1 victory over their rival Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
Zach Hyman had a goal and two assists, Evan Bouchard a pair of helpers and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also scored for the Oilers (19-13-6) who have won four of their last five and have gone 8-2-1 in their last 11 games.
The stretch has vaulted Edmonton into a tie for points atop the Pacific Division with the Anaheim Ducks.
“We demand to be a playoff team,” said Draisaitl, whose Oilers have lost out in the Stanley Cup final the past two seasons.
“When you start the season the way we did, nobody is happy, nobody likes it. We knew we could be better and have a lot better in here. Everyone just stepped up and started playing better. Now we’re rolling a little better and obviously looking to continue that.”
Edmonton’s terrific twosome continued to shine in December as the league’s top two point getters for the month.
McDavid, who was named the NHL’s first star of the week Monday for the second week in a row, extended his points streak to 11 games on Tuesday. He has 12 goals and 19 assists across the stretch and sits atop the league’s scoring race with 67 points.
The Edmonton captain ranks second all-time in the NHL for most 10-game point streaks with 18, behind only Wayne Gretzky’s 31.
“He’s obviously feeling it,” Draisaitl said. “We’ve all seen it plenty of times in his career. The puck is following him right now. He’s just too good right now. That’s not fun to play against.”
The win over Calgary marked McDavid’s 45th game with four or more points, moving him into a tie with Jari Kurri for the second most in Oilers history.
Draisaitl has points in 10 of his last 11 games, with five goals and 19 assists during the run. His three goals Tuesday put him past Glenn Anderson (417) for third most in Oilers history behind Gretzky and Kurri.
Draisaitl came into the game with an eight-game goalless drought, his longest regular season stretch without a goal since Feb. 19 to March 6, 2021. He snapped the skid with his ninth career hat trick.
Together McDavid and Draisaitl have combined for 55 points in December.
“That’s a lot of points,” Hyman chuckled. “Obviously they are two of the best players in the world. They drive our team when they are playing like that, it makes it easier for the rest of us.”
Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said the pair deserve a ton of credit.
“You look at the way the team’s rolling right now, winning a lot more games and it starts with those two,” he said.
“They are playing extremely well, that’s an understatement. Over three or four weeks, they’ve been really rolling and scoring, and you see the leaders in points the last few weeks and those two are head and shoulders above everyone else.”
Edmonton is now 16-1-3 when scoring first this season and has gone 4-0-0 in their new alternate jerseys, outscoring opponents by a 26-10 margin.
“I love them. I love the look of them,” Draisaitl said of the sweaters. “Obviously our record and our stats are pretty good in them right now. Hopefully we can keep that up.”
Connor Ingram started in net for the Oilers once again Tuesday, marking his second consecutive NHL start since early February when he played for Utah. He made 19 stops to improve to 2-0-0 with the Oilers.
“He’s been solid,” McDavid said. “I’ve liked our game in front of him too, but he’s done the job that’s been asked of him. He’s been a rock back there.”
Edmonton came into the game with the league’s best power play (33.3 per cent) and had scored on 42.4 per cent of its opportunities in its last 10 games with 14 goals on 33 chances. The Oilers were 3-for-6 with the man advantage against the Flames.
The provincial rivals face each other again in a rematch after the holiday break, with the game shifting to Calgary on Saturday.
Following that, the Oilers play 13 of their next 18 games at home, where they currently have a 10-3-3 record.
“It’s a great opportunity. A great, great opportunity for our group here,” McDavid said. “We’re home for most of January, we don’t go East again. We’ve gotten a lot of tough trips out of the way. We’re only getting healthier. A little bit of break, and I like where our group can go.
“This is a big month for us coming up. Take advantage of this schedule at home here and make a push.”
