The Edmonton Oilers tied a franchise record with a ninth straight win Thursday night in Detroit, outlasting the Red Wings 3-2 in overtime. Darnell Nurse scored the winner.
“I just try to get the right spots.” Nurse said after the game. “We have some special players that make special plays and I try to capitalize when I get my chance. Tonight, was just one of those opportunities of getting to the right spot on the ice and try hitting my shot.”
After having just 15 shots on goal the entire game Tuesday in Chicago, the Oilers fired 16 shots on the Detroit net in the first period alone. Derek Ryan had a great chance on a tip from the high slot, but Alex Lyon shot out his left pad for the denial.
The Oilers continued to press in the second with Lyon continuing to excel. He stopped a couple of hard wrist shots off the stick of Connor McDavid and also snared a puck that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins batted out of the air.
The Red Wings went ahead 3:34 into the third when Andrew Copp’s long wrister eluded Calvin Pickard. The Oilers challenged for goalie interference as Pickard had his glove jostled on the play, but the goal stood as the contact was outside the crease. With the Oilers penalized as the result of the failed challenge, Robby Fabbri appeared to make it 2-0, but his shot ticked Pickard’s blocker, then the crossbar, then the post.
The Oilers broke through with 10:48 left. McDavid grabbed the puck at the Red Wings blue line, stormed through the defence, and stuffed a forehand past an outstretched line. Zach Hyman gave the Oilers the lead with a blast from the slot with six minutes to go.
The Wings tied it with 3:57 left. A pass from the corner bounced into the crease and lay on the goal line before Olli Maatta tucked it in.
The Oilers thought they had a dramatic game winner when Evander Kane chipped in a backhand with 11.1 seconds to go, but it was disallowed as Derek Ryan had kept the puck alive off his glove.
In overtime, Nurse followed up a net drive by Hyman and fired a shot past Lyon’s right arm.
Lyon finished with 44 saves. Pickard made 15.
The Oilers, 22-15-1, will visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 3:30 p.m., game at 5 p.m.).
