Islanders beat lacklustre Oilers for first win of season: Recap, Highlights, and Reaction

It didn’t take long for the Oilers to tie the game, as they received a power play shortly after the opening goal. Off a face off, Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid had a nice little give-and-go, with Draisaitl scoring his third of the season.

Midway through the second period, the Oilers got their first lead of the game. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins entered the zone, got to the face-off dot, and beat David Rittich far side for a 2-1 lead.

It looked as if the Oilers would head to the second intermission up one, especially since they were on a power play with two minutes left in the second. However, Bo Horvat left the zone early and was found for a breakaway, making no mistake in beating Skinner to make it 2-2.

Late in the third period, Trent Frederic took a horrific penalty, giving the Islanders a power play. Early on that power play with just five minutes left in the game, a pass came Horvat’s way in the slot, with the former Vancouver Canucks ripping it past Skinner to make it 3-2. Horvat sealed the game with an empty net goal, getting the hat trick.

Takeaways…

The Islanders opened the scoring late in the first period. While their lead didn’t last long, it was the first time this season that the Oilers had trailed in a game, as their lone loss came in a shootout. Of course, they took the lead with about five minutes left in the game and never let go.

Stuart Skinner allowed three goals on 24 shots, an .875 save percentage. That doesn’t tell the whole story, as he made numerous big saves early in the game to keep the Oilers in it. Moreover, two of the Mariners’ goals came on a breakaway; it’s always hard to blame the goalie on those types of goals.

One of those breakaways was because of Evan Bouchard, who was a little too casual on a puck in the neutral zone. It’s another one of those giveaways that he shouldn’t be making. It also wasn’t the only bad giveaway he had in this game.

Matthew Savoie had a good game, drawing two penalties and being active on both the penalty kill and forecheck. One of the penalties he drew led to the Oilers first goal, and that was because both he and Ike Howard did well on the forecheck.

Kasperi Kapanen has been buzzing so far this season, generating a good chance thanks to forcing a turnover. He got an assist on Noah Philp’s first goal on Saturday. However, his linemate, Trent Frederic, didn’t have a great game. His penalty late in the third led to the game-winning goal for the Islanders.

Connor McDavid had a rough game, as he was on the ice for three of the Islanders’ four goals, finishing as a -3. It was tied with Bouchard for worst in the game. Sure, he got an assist, but he needs to be better, including on this play below.

Next up for the Oilers is a matchup against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday at 1:30 PM MT.