Oilers Beat Canadiens 6-5
The Edmonton Oilers staged a comeback to defeat the Montreal Canadiens 6-5 in a wild contest. Montreal head coach Martin St. Louis criticized the officiating afterward, stating "The refs kind of took over the game there, and kudos to them for winning it." The victory helps Edmonton in the tight playoff race as teams fight for postseason positioning.
- The Oilers erased a 5-3 deficit in the third period, with Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring power-play goals just 58 seconds apart to tie the game before Vasily Podkolzin scored the winner with 1:09 remaining. - Podkolzin's game-winning goal was his first of the season. - The officiating controversy centered on several third-period penalties against the Canadiens. Montreal forward Brendan Gallagher stated that the referees later admitted to him that a boarding call on Juraj Slafkovsky was a mistake. - The game-tying goal came after Canadiens forward Josh Anderson was assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following an Oilers goal, a call for which coach Martin St. Louis said he received no explanation. - Edmonton was given five power plays in the game, while Montreal received only one. - Montreal's Alex Newhook and Cole Caufield each scored two goals in the loss. - With three assists in the game, Oilers captain Connor McDavid tied Jari Kurri for the second-most three-point games in franchise history. - The Canadiens were playing the second game of a back-to-back, having defeated the Calgary Flames in overtime the previous night.
