McDavid Shines in Oilers’ Victory
In a commanding performance on Tuesday night, Connor McDavid led the Edmonton Oilers to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, notching his 14th career hat trick and bringing his season goal total to 28. McDavid opened the scoring with a power play goal in the first period, contributing to Nashville’s troubling trend of conceding the first goal for the seventh consecutive game.
Oilers’ Offensive Onslaught
The Oilers continued their offensive onslaught in the second period with three unanswered goals, extending their lead to 3-0. McDavid not only scored during a power play but also capitalized on a penalty shot later in the same frame after being fouled by Adam Wilsby during a breakaway.
Predators Attempt Comeback
The Predators attempted a comeback in the third period, with Ryan O’Reilly managing to find the net for his 12th goal of the season, breaking Connor Ingram‘s shutout attempt. O’Reilly pounced on a rebound from Nic Hague‘s shot, with Luke Evangelista providing an assist. Just 15 seconds later, Nick Blankenburg fired a shot from the blue line that slipped past Ingram, narrowing the gap to 4-2 with the assistance of Reid Schaefer and Michael Bunting.
Oilers Regain Control
However, the Oilers quickly regained control, as Leon Draisaitl restored their three-goal cushion before McDavid concluded the outing with his third of the night in the final moments of the game. The Predators faced a tough match, being outshot 43-26 and struggling at the face-off circle with only a 43.3% win rate. Juuse Saros, despite the loss, saved 37 of the 43 shots on goal—the highest he has faced in a single game this season.
Looking Ahead
With this defeat, Nashville’s record stands at 19-19-4, placing them three points shy of a Wild Card position as they tally 42 points overall. After concluding a challenging seven-game road trip with a 4-3-0 record, the Predators are set to return to Bridgestone Arena on Thursday for a matchup against the New York Islanders, scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
