In two previous games this season between the teams, the Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild had combined for 16 goals and won in each other's arena. These two scenarios continued on Wednesday night in Minnesota, as Connor McDavid grabbed the headlines in a 5-3 win.
McDavid took home the First Star of the Game after causing plenty of chaos, in both of positive and negative way. He led the way with two goals and an assist, but also injured Wild forward Marcus Johansson with an elbow.
The Oilers captain avoided a penalty because the officials didn't see it, instead assuming Johansson had accidentally caught his face with his own stick. However, despite the attempts of some to make out like the Wild player had embellished the incident with his reaction, the reality is he did not play for the remainder of the game.
Intentional or not by Connor McDavid ?
Now we will say we don't believe McDavid meant to catch Johansson in the face -- and he certainly didn't want to injure him -- but he was still fortunate to get away with it. Although there is still the potential for some punishment after the fact, so we will wait and see.
In any event, the 28-year-old was also at his spectacular best on the night, as he helped the Oilers recover from an early 2-0 deficit to score five of the game's final six goals and clinch an important win. As a result, they moved above the Wild in the standings and into third place in the Western Conference.
Thanks to his eventful and productive performance, McDavid also moved into second place for all-time points in Oilers history, as he surpassed Jari Kurri. The superstar now has 1,044 points in 686 games, trailing a certain Wayne Gretzky who produced 1,669 points in 696 games.
McDavid didn't speak to the media postgame, so it was up to his coach Kris Knoblauch to discuss the feat. As per Jessi Pierce of NHL. com, he said:
"Quite a remarkable feat. For him to go up the scoring list as quickly as he has, and within an organization that has had so many significant players, I’ve seen so many remarkable things from him. He’s a tremendous player and great teammate. I said I wouldn’t be surprised anymore just because he surprises you so often over these years, but it’s a nice feat for him and the guys are very proud of him."
Calvin Pickard stands tall for the Oilers
While McDavid received most of the attention on the night, praise also has to go to Calvin Pickard, who faced a barrage of pressure but stayed strong. He faced a season-high 34 shots, but managed to stop 31 of them -- including some crucial saves -- and was awarded the Second Star of the Game.
Pickard improved to 11-4-0 for the season and has a genuine shot at surpassing his career-high 15 wins in 2016-17, even though he was a number one then and is now a backup. However, regardless of what transpires, he has proved to be invaluable behind Stuart Skinner in Edmonton.
The 32-year-old spoke to the media, to give his take on the night's events. Also as per Pierce, he said:
"It was a good game. They played well. They had some good looks, as did we. It was a pretty wild game. Obviously, it was 3-3 there in the second period, and I just wanted to hold them there. I knew we were going to score one or two more. I just wanted to keep it at three. And it was a huge third period by us."
The Wild felt aggrieved not to get something from the game, which we can certainly appreciate. However, when it came down to it they were unable to contain McDavid (elbow and all), which to be fair is something most teams struggle to do.
The Oilers continue to be the hottest team in the NHL, with a record of 18-4-1 in their past 23 games. Not that they will have much time to enjoy their latest win, as they travel to Colorado to face the Avalanche on Thursday night.