McDavid, Draisaitl, Bouchard's 3-pt night, Skinner’s 27 saves, and more: 3 reasons for Edmonton Oilers 5-2 win over Ottawa Senators

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Nov 20, 2024 03:44 GMT

The Edmonton Oilers got a big win over the upstart Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Oiler skated away with a 5-2 decision in a game where Connor McDavid flexed his muscles, notching three points.

Connor McDavid scored twice, with Evan Bouchard, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins adding the other tallies. Tim Stutzle and Josh Norris replied for the Senators.

So, let’s take a look at the three reasons why the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday night.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers defeated Ottawa Senators

#3 The top players fired on all cylinders

McDavid, Draisaitl, and Bouchard each got three points. Meanwhile, Vasily Podkolzin added two assists and Nugent-Hopkins got his second goal of the season. That sort of offensive outburst is what makes the Edmonton Oilers such a dangerous team.

Moreover, seeing Bouchard flex his offensive muscles is crucial for the Oilers to get wins. While Bouchard is criticized for his defensive play, his offense makes up for it. As long as Bouchard continues to add points from the blue line, the Oilers are in good shape to win games.

#2 The Oilers played with 11 forwards and seven defensemen

The Oilers altered their lineup structure somewhat on Tuesday night, dressing seven defensemen and 11 forwards. While the arrangement is not unusual, the modification allowed Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch to make up for the loss of minute-munching blue liner Darnell Nurse.

The creative arrangement also allowed fourth-liners Derek Ryan and Corey Perry to get into the game, albeit with much more limited ice time.

By the same token, the Oilers were able to deploy their top-six forward a lot more often. McDavid led all forwards with 22 minutes of ice time. Draisaitl logged just a shade under 21, and Nugent-Hopkins 20:53.

As for the defense, Bouchard played over 22 minutes with Brett Kulak becoming the workhorse at over 23 minutes. Considering the Oilers’ success with this arrangement on Tuesday night, Knoblauch may choose to keep rolling with seven defensemen until Nurse returns.

#1 Skinner delivered a solid outing

Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner has had an up-and-down season. However, he was solid on Tuesday night, showing what he’s truly capable of.

Skinner made 27 saves, keeping the Oilers in the game early. While he wasn’t overly tested, Skinner made the saves he had to. That gave the Oilers the confidence to go out and score.

It’s worth pointing out that much of the credit for the Oilers’ turnaround belongs to both Skinner and Calvin Pickard as their solid outings have contributed to the Oilers getting back into the Pacific Division playoff picture.

After playing on back-to-back nights, the Edmonton Oilers will have a day off to catch their breath before taking on the Minnesota Wild on Thursday night to close and three-games-in-four-nights stint.