GAME RECAP: Oilers 5, Penguins 2

EDMONTON, AB - Move over, Sid the Kid.
In a game billed as a contest between two generational talents in Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby, it was the Oilers captain setting the pace.
McDavid posted a four-point night, recording an empty-netter and three assists as the Oilers improved to 16-5-0 on the season with a 5-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
Zach Hyman scored twice to record his third multi-goal game of the season and reach double digits for goals, and Mikko Koskinen put in a strong performance with 32 saves on 34 shots for his 12th win of the campaign.
Defenceman Evan Bouchard chipped in with a goal and assist, while Kailer Yamamoto's fifth tally of the year in the third period went down as the game-winner.

YOUR GAME-DAY ESSENTIALS

GAME DAY
Photo Gallery
Full Highlights
Look Back at the In-Game Blog
POST-GAME VIDEO
OILERS TODAY | Post-Game vs. PIT
POST-RAW | Coach Tippett
POST-RAW | McDavid & Niemelainen
POST-RAW | Hyman & Yamamoto
POST-GAME UPDATES
Inside The Oilers Blog

FIRST BLOOD

Take it all the way why don't you, Zach?
Zach Hyman collected Connor McDavid's breakout pass on the left halfboards in the Oilers zone before turning on the jets and speeding up ice. The real heat came on the ensuing shot when Hyman ripped his 10th goal of the season into the top-left corner past Tristan Jarry on Edmonton's first shot of the night. Make it three goals in his last two games for Hyman.

PLAY OF THE GAME

McDavid and Hyman put some great chemistry on display Wednesday night, first on Hyman's opening goal then again on a 2-on-1 that put the Oilers back ahead on the scoreboard before the second intermission.
The Captain sent a cross-ice feed over the stick of Brian Dumoulin to Hyman, who quickly one-timed home his second goal of the game before Jarry had a chance to stretch out the right pad.

SAVE OF THE GAME

Mikko Koskinen's Ranford-style save on Dominik Simon with just over three minutes to go in the first period was the Finn's most-confident save of the night as he kicked out the left pad to parry away the Pittsburgh forward's open look from the left of goal. The netminder was extra critical in a second frame that saw the Penguins carry the pace of play all period and send 15 shots his way.

TURNING POINT

Kailer Yamamoto's notched his fifth goal of the season and the game-winner with a deft deflection 2:53 into the final frame. The forward was lurking in the slot and got a piece of Tyson Barrie's point shot that was heading wide, sending the puck back towards goal and into the bottom-right corner. Kris. Russell earned the secondary helper on the night he was presented with a commemorative belt buckle by the organization for setting the NHL record for blocked shots (1,999).

TOP PERFORMER

McDavid was once again sensational, scoring an empty-netter and delivering three assists to extend his league-leading helper total to 25 -- four ahead of his teammate Leon Draisaitl, who added one assist of his own tonight. The four-point night helped McDavid defeat Sidney Crosby head-to-head in a contest highlighted by two generational talents. On the year, McDavid has 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points in 21 games, good enough for second overall in the NHL behind Draisaitl.

PARTING WORDS

Defenceman Markus Niemelainen on making his NHL debut:
"I was pretty nervous at the start, but I had a lot of fun though and got a good win here."
"I got hit pretty hard in the first period, so that kind of woke me up a little bit I guess."
"I was at a grocery store, and then I got the call (to Edmonton). I went to the rink and I packed my stuff, went to the apartment, packed there, and went to LA because I had an early flight the next day... (Condors Head Coach Jay Woodcroft) gave me some advice and said good luck. Nothing special, I guess."
McDavid on trying to pass off to Hyman with the net empty for his first NHL hat-trick:
"He had a lot of chances, and obviously we thought he had it there (on an earlier disallowed goal). It was just a hair offside, so obviously, I'm trying to get him that puck. I almost feel guilty putting it in the net, but (Evan) Rodrigues kind of glued himself to Hyman and you've got to put it away as well. Obviously, I'm trying to get him the puck, but I just couldn't find a way."

McDavid on the Oilers scoring four goals at even strength against Pittsburgh and the importance of that detail:
"I thought we generated some chances, especially there in the third period. We just worked. I thought it just came down to working harder. I know it sounds cliché, but they were bringing it to us there in the second period and we just needed to up our work ethic and get pucks to the net so good things could happen. I liked that we were able to generate some stuff 5-on-5. We didn't rely on the power play, and our penalty kill was good as well. Overall, I thought it was a good win.
McDavid on the elevated play from a young blueline and organizational depth in all positions:
"It's been great to see the young d-men come in and play well. It's good to see Skinner doing well, and that goes a long way. Obviously, it's a long year and there's going to be injuries. There are going to be things that happen, and you need that depth. I thought the guys have done a great job stepping in and picking up where we left off."
McDavid on the importance of getting a win against Pittsburgh, who've dominated the matchup over recent seasons:
"I think it's important. We've played Pittsburgh not a tonne of times during my career, but like you said, we haven't found ways to get wins although we've had some good games. They've all been tight, but we hadn't found a way to get a win. I'm definitely happy to get a win against those guys."

Hyman on the young defencemen stepping up in the absence of some veteran blueliners:
"I think it's the next-man-up mentality. I think it's great for our young players and our prospects on the back end to get thrown into the fire and have to play against some really good players and really good teams. I think as forwards, we try to help them out as best we can, but when you have to play big minutes as a young player and you're in your first season or second season, it helps get you acclimated really quick."
Hyman on having 12 multi-goal games but no hat-trick:
"The breakaway almost went in, but I don't think about it too much. I think it'll eventually happen and I'm happy to score when I can and help the team win, obviously. It was fun almost getting a hat-trick there."
Head Coach Dave Tippett on the team's turnaround in the third period after a slow first 40 minutes:
"We were better in the third. We turned the puck over far too much in the first couple, and just couldn't get any rhythm to our game whatsoever just batting it around like it was a tennis ball. Once we got to work, we still turned it over a few times, but at least we worked to get it back in the third. That was the difference. We got our legs under us. You get around pucks a little more and we were opportunistic with some of the chances we had. We had some good chances and capitalized on them, and in the third, we got to work a little more."