Oilers ‘down’ Jets in Heritage Classic
Islanders silence Wild 6-3
LOS ANGELES, Oct 24, (Agencies): The Edmonton Oilers scored three goals in the second period and goaltender Cam Talbot made 31 saves Sunday as the Oilers downed the Jets 3-0 in the NHL Heritage Classic outdoor game in Winnipeg.
The Oilers broke the deadlock in the tightly contested game with a short-handed goal at 9:24 of the second period.
Center Mark Letestu intercepted a pass at his own blueline and had clear sailing all the way in on Connor Hellebuyck. He beat the Jets goalie low to the glove side with a wrist shot.
Defenseman Darnell Nurse doubled the lead at 11:10 just after the power play expired on a two-on-one with Connor McDavid.
Zack Kassian extended the lead to 3-0 at 17:16 and the Oilers improved to 5-1-0 this season, including a 2-0-0 record as visitors, to move into first place in the NHL’s overall standings.
Road teams improved to 14-4-1 in the NHL’s 19 regularseason outdoor games to date.
Hellebuyck finished with 29 saves in the losing effort in front of 33,240 at Investors Group Field, the home to the Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Jets became the 22nd team to participate in a regularseason outdoor NHL game. The Oilers appeared in their second such contest after hosting the first regular-season outdoor game in League history, the 2003 NHL Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium.
It was the 19th regular-season outdoor game in NHL history
Patrik Laine #29 of the Winnipeg Jets tries to catch Adam Larsson #6 of the Edmonton Oilers during the 2016 Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic hockey game on Oct 23 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (AFP)
Josh Jooris and J.T. Miller also scored for New York, which has won consecutive games to improve to 4-2-0. Henrik Lundqvist made 27 stops.
Radim Vrbata had both of Arizona’s goals, and Louis Domingue made 23 saves. The Coyotes have lost their first four games on a six-game trip since beating Philadelphia in overtime at home to start the season.
Girardi put the Rangers ahead with a slap shot from the right point. The veteran was paired with rookie Brady Skjei in his first game after missing New York’s previous three with a strained groin, and Skjei assisted on the goal.
Ducks 4, Canucks 2 Nick Ritchie scored the tiebreaking goal on a rebound with 8:36 to play, captain Ryan Getzlaf had three assists and Anaheim finally opened its home schedule with a victory over Vancouver.
Andrew Cogliano, Cam Fowler and Corey Perry also scored for the Ducks, who have won two straight after a four-game winless start. John Gibson made 17 saves in the Western Conference’s final home opener, thanks to a schedule that forced Anaheim to play in five teams’ home debuts this month.
Henrik Sedin scored the tying goal early in the third period for the Canucks, who lost in regulation for the first time this season. Bo Horvat scored a short-handed goal, and Loui Eriksson had two assists.
Ryan Miller made 33 saves in his first outing since opening night for the Canucks