CHICAGO — Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers didn’t miss when it really mattered.
McDavid scored 53 seconds into overtime to lift the Oilers to their third straight win, 2-1 over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday.
After Patrick Kane and Brandon Saad got caught deep in the Chicago zone, McDavid finished a 2-on-1 break, taking a cross-ice feed from Leon Draisaitl and beating Cam Ward from the low edge of left circle for his eighth goal.
With only Chicago defenceman Erik Gustafsson back, Draisaitl made the perfect pass and McDavid buried the shot to give him goals in four straight games.
“We’re fortunate to have those two,” Oilers coach Todd McLellan said. “They feel real comfortable in those situations. They wait for their moments and they make them count.”
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Along with four goals, McDavid has two assists in his last four games. Overall, he has a point in nine of 10 games.
“We’ve got some skill,” McDavid said. “Even if it’s not me and Leon, it’s some of our D jumping in and up and down the lineup. And we know how to play 3-on-3. It’s different style hockey that we all seem to understand.”
Cam Talbot stopped 31 shots as Edmonton improved to 3-1 in overtime games. Chicago is 3-3 in contests that go beyond regulation.
“We didn’t give them a whole lot,” Talbot said. “I thought we stayed poised, calm and collected. Connor and Leon did what Connor and Leon do all the time.”
Chicago’s Brent Seabrook and Edmonton’s Zack Kassian scored in the first period.
Kane, Chicago’s leading scorer, assisted on Seabrook’s goal to extend his point streak to six games. Kane entered with an NHL-leading 11 goals and has been held without a point only once in 12 games.
Ward made 24 saves as the Blackhawks rebounded with a tighter defensive effort following a 7-3 loss at St. Louis on Saturday.
“It was a concerning game going in,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. “It was interesting to see how we responded.
“I thought our first (period) was ordinary, but our last two were OK. We took a point and you hope you get a second one.”
The Oilers and Blackhawks play again at Edmonton on Thursday in their second of three meetings.
Seabrook opened the scoring at 11:02 of the first period, completing a give-and-go with Kane during a 5-on-3 power-play for his second goal this season.
Seabrook passed from the blue line to Kane in the right circle. Seabrook then slipped through the slot, took Kane’s return feed and beat Talbot high on the glove side.
Kassian’s first goal tied it 1-all with 1:34 left in the period to cap a flurry around the Chicago net following a faceoff. Ward made a pad save on Darnell Nurse’s shot from the point, and then Jujhar Khaira flipped the rebound off the crossbar.
Kassian corralled the loose puck at the right side of the net and scooped it in with Ward sprawled on the ice.
Chicago outshot Edmonton 13-7 in the scoreless second. Talbot stopped Nick Schmaltz on a breakaway 3:22 into the period and Marcus Kruger close in with 2:20 left.
Tobias Rieder shot wide on a short-handed 2-on-1 break midway through the scoreless third. Talbot stopped Erik Gustafsson from the slot with 17 seconds left in regulation.
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