Connor McDavid had four assists as the Edmonton Oilers beat the Buffalo Sabres 8-3 Thursday night at Rogers Place.
The Sabres took the lead 1:38 into the evening when J.J. Peterka found himself alone in front and snapped a shot past Stuart Skinner. Rasmus Dahlin beat Skinner later in the period but the goal was negated after the Oilers successfully challenged for offside. Victor Olofsson would get one that counted on a long wrist shot.
The Oilers struck late in the first when Leon Draisaitl muscled a shot on the power play through Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for his 35th of the season.
Mattias Ekholm deployed a nifty toe drag and popped in his sixth to make it 2-2 early in the second. Peterka earned his second of the night when his flubbed shot fooled Skinner.
In the last minute of the second, Ekholm’s lobbed point shot ticked off Hyman on the way it to even it 3-3. It was Hyman’s 47th of the season.
Darnell Nurse gave the Oilers their first lead of the night when his point shot skittered through Luukkonen with 15:22 left in the third. Just 1:02 later, Draisaitl sent a behind-the-back pass to Ekholm, who pulverized his second of the game past Luukkonen’s glove.
McDavid set up Hyman for his 48th with 4:42 to go. Ryan McLeod scored on a two-on-one. Connor Brown deposited a rebound for his second of the season with nine seconds left.
McDavid is up to 86 assists as he strives to become just the fourth player in NHL history to have 100 assists in a season.
The Oilers, 42-21-4, will visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 3:30 p.m., game at 5 p.m.).
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