Draisaitl scores twice, Oilers top Jets to split 2-game set
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl scored two goals and the Edmonton Oilers beat Winnipeg 3-2 on Wednesday night to complete a split of a two-game set with the Jets.
“It was a choppy, mixed up game,” Oilers coach Dave Tippett said. “We’ll just take the two points and move on.”
Jesse Puljujarvi also scored for the Oilers and Connor McDavid had a pair of assists, including his 500th NHL point.
“Any time you can play with the lead, it’s always easier. It’s tough to chase the game,” McDavid said. “But I thought they did a good job of sticking with it and getting themselves back into it. And I thought we did a good job of kind of holding them at arm’s length.”
The referee’s whistle echoed through the empty stands of Rogers Place repeatedly on Wednesday. Edmonton was handed five penalties and Winnipeg whistled six times.
The plethora of calls interrupted the flow on the ice, Draisaitl said.
“It was a little bit of a weird game,” he said. “I think it was a hard game for a lot of guys to get into on both sides. I thought we handled it OK. Obviously, two points are two points so that’s the most important thing.”
Mark Scheifele and Neal Pionk scored for the Jets.
Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 of 30 shots. Mike Smith had 33 saves for Edmonton.
"(The Jets are) a good team. I mean, hats off to them,” Smith said. “There’s some real good players over there and they’re going to create chances. Obviously you’re just trying to make saves at important times in the game when it’s close and we were able to get on the board early tonight and get them chasing. That always helps.”
It was the second tight game between the sides. The Jets took a 6-5 victory on Monday.
Winnipeg pulled Hellebuyck with 51 seconds to go in a late bid to get the equalizer but the Jets couldn’t beat Smith to force overtime.
NOTES: Winnipeg was 1 for 5 on the power play. The Oilers were 1 for 6. ... Scheifele has an eight-game points streak. He has five goals and seven assists in the stretch.
UP NEXT
Jets: At Vancouver on Friday and Sunday nights.
Oilers: At Calgary on Friday night in the opener of a two-day, home-and-home series.
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