Evan Bouchard scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Avalanche in Denver on Tuesday.
With the win, the Oilers (49-23-9, 107 points) are riding an eight-game winning streak and have compiled a 13-0-1 record in their last 14 outings that has them in the mix for top spot in the Western Conference.
The showdown between last season’s Western Conference finals combatants delivered a thriller as expected and ended with Bouchard’s game-winning goal at 1:50 of overtime.
Bouchard took a pass from Connor McDavid, faked a pass back to the Oilers captain and fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle for his seventh goal of the season.
Mattias Ekholm also scored for Edmonton, which finishes the regular season at home against the San Jose Sharks on Thursday. Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 29 saves in a fantastic goaltender duel.
With his assist, McDavid runs his point-scoring streak to 15 games, during which he has collected 10 goals and 18 assists.
Ben Meyers scored the lone goal for the Avalanche (49-24-7, 105 points), who saw their five-game winning streak snapped but remain on a 14-2-1 roll. Goalie Alexandar Georgiev stopped 38 shots.
Both clubs have clinched home-ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs. Colorado is in the driver’s seat for the Central Division title, holding a one-point edge on the Dallas Stars. Both teams have two games remaining. The Oilers are two points back of Vegas for first in the Pacific Division and best record in the conference. Both teams have one game left.
The pair of high-octane teams were held relatively in check, except for a pair of goals 36 seconds apart early in the clash.
Meyers opened the scoring with a fortunate tally at the 4:52 mark. During a scramble in the Oilers’ zone, Edmonton’s Nick Bjugstad swiped at a loose puck in the slot but ended up banking it off the skate of teammates Philip Broberg and into the net. Meyers was credited with his fourth goal of the season.
Ekholm responded almost immediately after. Off the rush, Ryan McLeod drove to the left circle before he dropped a pass to the oncoming Ekholm, and the defenseman unloaded a rocket of a slap shot for his ninth goal of the campaign.
–Field Level Media
