Edmonton Oilers’ Perfect Road Record Ends in Newark Shootout Loss
A thirty-one-save performance from Tristan Jarry and a regulation-tying goal from Leon Draisaitl weren’t enough to keep the Edmonton Oilers‘ perfect road record intact on Tuesday night, as the New Jersey Devils secured a 4-3 shootout victory in Newark.
Jack Hughes scored twice in regulation for New Jersey, while Arseny Gritsyuk delivered the decisive marker in the fourth round of the shootout to halt Edmonton’s three-game winning streak. Despite the loss, the Oilers extended their point streak to five games and maintained an 11-2-3 record overall, picking up five out of a possible six points on their annual New York-area road trip. Edmonton entered the contest as the last team in the National Hockey League without a regulation loss on the road, standing at 7-0-1 away from Rogers Place before the defeat.
The visitors opened the scoring at 8:29 of the first period when Evan Bouchard ripped a slap shot past Connor Hellebuyck from the top of the left face-off circle, set up by Mattias Ekholm. Edmonton has now gone five consecutive games without allowing a first-period goal, outscoring opponents 14-2 in the opening frame on the road this season.
"We feel fortunate to get a point here tonight, they were better than us… It's a good road trip, I didn't like it as much today, but good road trip." Coach Bacock speaks on the #Oilers shootout loss & three-game road trip. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/CoCB2koqBd
Second-Period Collapse Tests Edmonton Depth
New Jersey seized control in the middle frame, outshooting Edmonton 15-3 during a chaotic twenty minutes that left Oilers head coach Mike Babcock searching for answers. Connor Brown tied the game 1-1 at 7:42 of the second period on a power-play goal at the left post, chipping in a loose puck from a Hughes rebound. Hughes then added his second of the night forty-five seconds later following an elbowing penalty to Jake Walman, giving the Devils a 3-1 lead.
“I don’t know what was going on in the second period,” Babcock said. “They were way better than us. They were way faster. We just kept turning it over. We feel fortunate to get a point here tonight. They were better than us.”
"Props to us pulling our way back & then getting that point." The #Oilers are headed home with five of a potential six points after a shootout loss in New Jersey as the Devils claimed a 4-3 victory. @paigymartin has your recap.@CIBC | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/gITlhSjgVW
Edmonton responded before the second intermission when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored on a power play, deflecting a shot off Brown’s stick past Hellebuyck. Draisaitl then leveled the match at 3-3 just one minute into the third period with a one-timer past Hellebuyck for his 13th goal of the campaign.
Milestones and Historic Streaks Continue for Oilers Stars
The night marked a major milestone for Nugent-Hopkins, who skated in his 1,038th regular-season game to break a tie with Hall of Famer Kevin Lowe as the longest-serving player in Oilers franchise history. Teammates wore commemorative T-shirts bearing his number and a caricature of him.
Connor McDavid recorded a single assist to extend his NHL record for consecutive games with an assist to open a season to 16 contests. McDavid leads the league with 31 assists, and he, Draisaitl and Bouchard sit one-two-three atop the NHL scoring race. Jarry saw his personal shutout sequence halted at 153:59—marking the fifth-longest streak in franchise history—before finishing the night with 31 stops on 34 shots.
Devils goaltender Hellebuyck won his first home start of the season, turning aside 19 shots before denying Kasperi Kapanen in the shootout to seal the two points.
Upcoming Homestand Schedule for Edmonton
Following an overnight stay in New Jersey, the Oilers fly home Wednesday to prepare for a four-game homestand starting Thursday at Rogers Place. Edmonton hosts the Anaheim Ducks to open the stretch. The Devils remain at home to host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday night.
Worth a look