Draisaitl keys Oilers’ four-goal 2nd to beat Penguins 6-3

EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers used a four-goal second period to rally for a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday night.

Evander Kane, Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had a goal and an assist, and Tyson Barrie and Ryan McLeod also scored for the Oilers. Jack Campbell finished with 32 saves.

“We were just not skating and it seems very obvious with our group that the second we start skating and being engaged that we are extremely hard to stop,” said Draisaitl of his team being able to turn it around after trailing 3-1. “It just takes us too long to get to that point right now. That is something we can obviously work on. I am proud of the group and the way we responded in the second and third. But we shouldn’t have to rally back from two or three goals every game.”

Rickard Rakell had a goal and an assist, Sidney Crosby and Bryan Rust also scored and Jason Zucker had two assists for the Penguins. Tristan Jarry had 41 saves.

“We just got on our heels,” Crosby said. “We didn’t forecheck well. We gave them some time and space and they are a dangerous team. If you give them the time and space, they are going to make plays. We just have to put a full game together. I think we can still do a better job of that. We had a better start, but then we don’t follow it up.”

Trailing 3-1 early in the second period, the Oilers began their comeback as Barrie’s shot from the point on a power play caromed off two skates and pinballed into the net at 4:03.

The Oilers it with 4:51 left in the period as Draisaitl passed the puck in front and Kane somehow snuck it in-between Jarry and the post for his second of the year.

Nugent-Hopkins gave Edmonton the lead as he converted a no-look pass from Hyman with 1:32 remaining in the second, and Draisaitl beat Jarry with a backhander with 23 seconds to go.

Edmonton outshot Pittsburgh 26-4 in the second, getting a franchise record for shots in a period.

McLeod scored on a pass from Derek Ryan on an odd-man rush to cap the scoring with 3:15 remaining in the third.

The win left the Oilers 3-3-0 after a season-opening six-game homestand.

“There was good moments and then moments that are going to make us better going forward,” Edmonton coach Jay Woodcroft said, pointing out his team had just faced three consecutive opponents who had yet to lose in regulation. “(To be) 3-3 at the end of it? We’re going to take a good feeling with us on our road trip.”

Edmonton scored a rare first goal of the game 4:36 into the opening period as Evan Bouchard made a long stretch pass to send Hyman in alone and he made a nice move to beat Jarry on the backhand.

Pittsburgh tied it midway through the first on a power play as Rakell sent a shot through a screen that went off the bar and in with 9:16 left.

Less than two minutes later, the Penguins took the lead as Rakell made a nice feed across to a wide-open Crosby and he beat Campbell to the glove side for his fourth of the season.

The Penguins made it 3-1 just 2 minutes into the second as Rust banked a shot off of Campbell and in from behind the net for his third.

Shortly after that, the Oilers got a real scare as captain Connor McDavid went hard into the net after a shove from Jeff Petry and appeared to hurt his ribs or back and left for the dressing room. McDavid returned later in the second.

INJURIES

Penguins forward Jake Guentzel (upper body) remained out but was skating on Monday morning. Also out for Pittsburgh was Teddy Blueger (upper body). … Absent for Edmonton was rookie forward Dylan Holloway (upper body), forcing the Oilers to once again dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen due to salary cap constraints.

UP NEXT

Penguins: At Calgary on Tuesday night in the third of a five-game trip.

Oilers: At St. Louis on Wednesday night to open a three-game trip.

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