Edmonton 2, Dallas 1
When: 8:30 PM ET, Monday, December 16, 2019
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Referees:
Jake Brenk, T.J. Luxmore
Linesmen:
Devin Berg, Kory Nagy
Attendance:
18096
By Field Level Media
Connor McDavid recorded two points, Edmonton scored a power-play goal for the eighth straight game, and the Oilers beat the host Dallas Stars 2-1 on Monday night.
Playing the first of two road contests against Central Division opponents, ahead of a contest against the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday, Edmonton received goals from Zack Kassian -- his 12th -- and Leon Draisaitl, who notched his team-leading 21st.
McDavid added a pair of assists, lifting him to an NHL-best 59 points, and Mikko Koskinen recorded 34 saves.
The Oilers won for the first time in five games, snapping an 0-3-1 skid.
Tyler Seguin scored late in the game as Dallas mounted a rally attempt, and Ben Bishop yielded two goals on 28 shots.
The Stars won the first big test when they killed off the initial power play by Edmonton, which owns the NHL's top unit (31.5 percent). Dallas allowed just two shots and killed off its 41st consecutive penalty at home to keep it scoreless.
However, Edmonton turned to its superstar top-line center for the first lead at 8:07 while at even strength.
McDavid took a pass from Darnell Nurse and quickly drew the attention of the home side clad in green near the right circle.
The two-time Art Ross Trophy winner fired a pass out front to Kassian, who scored into a wide-open net as the 6-foot-7 Bishop overplayed on the near post on McDavid.
The Oilers pushed their lead to 2-0 at 14:13 of the first on the man advantage. McDavid sent a pass to Alex Chiasson, who backhanded a blind pass through the crease while falling to one knee on Draisaitl's goal.
Koskinen kept Dallas off the scoreboard in the second period by stopping all eight shots. His most spectacular denial was a glove save on Alexander Radulov at 1:25 while the goalie was being screened and Dallas was operating on its first power play.
A major part of the Stars' problem was staying penalties. Dallas committed five infractions in the first 30 minutes, losing valuable time on offense and having to battle Edmonton's potent power play led by McDavid and Draisaitl.
With Bishop on the bench for the extra skater late in the game, Seguin's pass was blocked by Nurse, and Seguin regained the puck and zipped in his seventh goal at 17:23 to make it 2-1.
The Stars quickly pulled Bishop again, but Edmonton held strong in front of Koskinen and fought off Dallas' final flurry of shots.
--Field Level Media
Top Game Performances
| Edmonton |
|
Dallas |
|
Connor McDavid 2 |
Points |
Tyler Seguin 1 |
|
Leon Draisaitl 1 |
Goals |
Tyler Seguin 1 |
|
Connor McDavid 2 |
Assists |
Joe Pavelski 1 |
|
Leon Draisaitl 1 |
Power Play Goals |
N/A |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Mikko Koskinen .971 |
Save Percentage |
Ben Bishop .929 |
|
Mikko Koskinen 34 |
Saves |
Ben Bishop 26 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Edmonton
|
28 |
2 |
1-6 |
3-3 |
6 |
17 |
| Dallas
|
35 |
1 |
0-3 |
5-6 |
12 |
22 |
Upcoming Games
-
Dallas will play their next game on the road against Tampa Bay. The Stars have a W/L % of .650 after a win and .400 after a loss.
-
Edmonton will play their next game on the road against St. Louis. The Oilers have a W/L % of .444 after a win and .611 after a loss.
For more information, contact us