2 weeks Ago By Field Level Media
Evan Bouchard collected one goal and one assist and goaltender Stuart Skinner recorded his first shutout of the season as the host Edmonton Oilers claimed a 4-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Mattias Ekholm also scored, while Viktor Arvidsson collected three assists in the victory. Skinner made 27 saves to net his fifth career shutout.
Joel Blomqvist stopped 46 shots in a valiant effort for the Penguins, who have lost four consecutive games overall and seven straight to Edmonton. The Oilers dominated play from the drop of the puck, but it took until their 34th shot, 13 minutes into the second period, to open the scoring. Draisaitl elected to shoot during a rush up ice and found the mark inside the far post for his fourth goal of the season.
That opened the floodgates after Blomqvist had done so much to give his team a chance to end its skid. Bouchard doubled the score at 17:35 of the one-sided middle frame with his second of the campaign by stepping in from his point position and ripping a top-corner wrist shot from the top of the right circle. Nugent-Hopkins made it 3-0 with his first of the season 16 seconds into the third period.
Then, after a turnover in the Pittsburgh zone, Nugent-Hopkins gained the puck in the slot and promptly lifted a shot over Blomqvist's shoulder. Ekholm's power-play goal extended the lead seven minutes into the third period, converting a long point shot with a screen set for his first of the season. Skinner was nowhere near as busy as his counterpart, but he was called upon for a few clutch saves.
His biggest arguably was a one-on-one shutdown of Erik Karlsson early in the third period, after which his teammates clamped down to preserve his shutout. This article first appeared on Field Level Media and was syndicated with permission..
