Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid power Oilers over Senators

[April 08, 2021]    Leon Draisaitl collected a hat trick in a four-point game while Connor McDavid scored one goal -- the third-period, game-winning tally -- and added three assists to lead the visiting Edmonton Oilers a 4-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday.

Edmonton Oilers centers Leon Draisaitl (29) celebrates with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) after his goal in the first period against the Ottawa Senators at the Canadian Tire Centre. Mandatory Credit: Marc DesRosiers-USA TODAY Sports

Oilers goaltender Mikko Koskinen made 28 saves, the biggest in the final minute against Tim Stutzle while it was a one-goal game. Edmonton tied a franchise record by earning its eighth consecutive win over the Senators this season.

Josh Norris and Connor Brown scored for the Senators. Goaltender Marcus Hogberg, playing his first game since Feb. 18, stopped 31 of 34 shots in the loss.

The clubs meet for the last time this season on Thursday in Ottawa when the Oilers will look to complete a nine-game sweep of the last-place Senators.

McDavid, who has racked up four goals and 16 assists this season against Ottawa, netted the winner with 6:06 remaining. He took a pass from Draisaitl, then went around a defender before driving to the net and lifting home a wrist shot.

Draisaitl added an empty-netter in the final second to give him 10 goals and 21 points this season against Ottawa. The last Oilers player to collect 20 points in a season against one opponent was Wayne Gretzky, who did it against both the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks in 1986-87.

Draisaitl's power-play goal midway through the first period opened the scoring. McDavid sent a pass from the left faceoff dot to Draisaitl at the right dot, and he buried a one-timer to reach the 20-goal mark.

The Oilers are the league's lone team with two players who have scored 20 or more goals so far this season in Draisaitl (22) and McDavid (23). In fact, only four teams have a single 20-goal scorer.

After Josh Norris scored for the Senators 25 seconds into the second period, Draisaitl's second of the game came with another one-timer -- this time the puck from his release point was just ahead of the goal line near the corner -- late in the second period.

Brown scored for the fifth consecutive game 62 seconds into the third period to again pull the Senators even, but that set the stage for McDavid's heroics that give him 68 points through 40 games.

McDavid's point total is the most through 40 games since the Pittsburgh Penguins' Jaromir Jagr had 72 to begin the 1999-00 campaign.

--Field Level Media

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