OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - In five previous games against the Senators, Connor McDavid had yet to score a goal. He more than made up for it on Thursday night.
McDavid had two goals and two assists, and the Edmonton Oilers eliminated Ottawa from playoff contention with a 6-2 win on Thursday night.
“He just took the game over,” Ottawa coach Guy Boucher said.
Oilers coach Todd McLellan admitted he’s beginning to run out of accolades for McDavid.
“He’s just a remarkable athlete,” McLellan said. “Especially the way they responded after getting scored on, that was important. It was great leadership and we talked a lot about this pushback, response shifts and he and their line did a tremendous job of doing that. He’s just got so much pace to his game, change of speed, deception, it’s tough to defend.”
Drake Caggiula also had two goals for the Oilers, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Ty Rattie adding the others. Cam Talbot stopped 33 shots as Edmonton concluded a four-game trip 3-1-0.
Matt Duchene and Filip Chlapik replied for Ottawa, while Craig Anderson made 32 saves.
Trailing 2-0 to start the third, the Senators made it a one-goal game on Duchene’s power-play tally. But the Oilers responded with a goal eight seconds later by Nugent-Hopkins following a great pass from McDavid.
Edmonton then made it 4-1 on yet another stellar play by McDavid, who set up Rattie for his third of the season. Caggiula scored his second of the night at 6:34, also on the power play.
“I thought we had some guys who did a really good job on (McDavid) early and he had the one goal where he found some open ice, but other than that I thought we kept him in check,” Duchene said. “It just shows you that if you give a guy like that a little bit of room, he can make you pay.”
Ottawa made it 5-2 as Chlapik scored his first NHL goal, tipping a shot by Marian Gaborik. Bobby Ryan picked up his 500th career point with the second assist.
McDavid scored his second of the night and 36th of the season late in the contest as he walked around Mike Hoffman.
McDavid gave the Oilers a 2-0 lead five minutes into the second when he took a pass from Nugent-Hopkins in the slot and beat Anderson high.
Edmonton opened the scoring midway through the first as Caggiula found a loose puck in the crease and knocked it in for his 11th of the season.
NOTES: Ryan Dzingel returned to Senators’ lineup following a one-game absence after taking a puck to the back of the head last Saturday. … D Christian Wolanin made his NHL debut with the Senators. Wolanin signed with Ottawa on Wednesday after three seasons at the University of North Dakota. His father, Craig, played 695 NHL games and won a Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche. … G Filip Gustavsson, acquired by Ottawa from Pittsburgh in the Derick Brassard trade, arrived Thursday and met with reporters for the first time. The Swedish prospect, who had been playing in his native country, will join the AHL’s Belleville Senators on Friday. “I like playing on the small ice,” Gustavsson said. “There’s a bit more speed and I’m looking forward to it.” … The Senators were without captain Erik Karlsson (personal reasons) and forward Mark Stone (leg). Edmonton forward Mike Cammalleri was a healthy scratch.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Host Los Angeles on Saturday night.
Senators: Host Carolina on Saturday night.
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