Ducks edge Oilers 5-4 as Mintyukov, Sennecke each score twice
The Ducks won their third straight game despite Connor McDavid extending his points streak to 17 games.
EDMONTON · Pavel Mintyukov and Beckett Sennecke each scored two goals and added an assist as the Anaheim Ducks held on for a 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. Cutter Gauthier also scored for the Ducks, who have now won three consecutive games and improved their record to 8-7-1. Laurent Brossoit made 23 saves to earn the win in goal for Anaheim. The Oilers, who fell to 11-3-3 with their second straight loss, got goals from Evan Bouchard, Connor McDavid, Kasperi Kapanen and Leon Draisaitl.
McDavid extended his points and assist streaks to 17 games this season with a goal and three assists, giving him an NHL-best 44 points. The Oilers captain tied for the fourth-longest points streak to start a season in league history. His performance came after he was rattled early in the game when Ducks defender Drew Helleson took him hard into the post. Fourth-string goaltender Matt Tomkins made 16 saves for Edmonton, as starter Tristan Jarry was out due to illness and both Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen are injured. The Oilers became the first team in the NHL to dress a full-time emergency backup goaltender, with Brett Epp sitting on the bench.
Gauthier extended his goal-scoring streak to four games, giving him nine goals during that stretch, including seven on the power play. He entered the contest having recorded back-to-back hat tricks in his previous two games. The Ducks' power play, which had jumped to first in the NHL at 38 per cent after converting on 10 of its last 12 chances, went 2-for-7 against Edmonton. Anaheim regained the lead 6:15 into the second period at four-on-four as Mintyukov pounced on a rebound for his second goal of the game and of the season. The Ducks' power play efficiency had surged from 23.8 per cent in October. The Oilers continue their homestand against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. Nosy Mag reported in October that McDavid took the NHL scoring lead with a three-point night.
With files from The Canadian Press, Global News and CityNews