Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Troy Stecher scored 20 seconds apart in the second period as the Edmonton Oilers shut down the 2024 calendar year with a 4-1 victory over the visiting Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night.
With the game tied at 1, Nugent-Hopkins notched the go-ahead goal at the 4:53 mark on an odd-man break before Stecher created a two-goal margin shortly thereafter.
Mattias Ekholm had a goal and an assist and Leon Draisaitl also scored as the Oilers moved to 9-1-0 in their past 10 games at home. Connor McDavid and Connor Brown had two assists apiece for Edmonton. Goaltender Stuart Skinner had 26 saves for his 14th win of the season.
For Utah, Jack McBain scored while goalie Jaxson Stauber made 34 saves as the club lost its fifth straight game (0-4-1). Clayton Keller, who has a team-high 37 points on the season, was a late scratch due to an illness.
The Oilers got on the board at 4:26 of the first period when defenseman Ekholm stepped up into the left circle and ripped home a slap shot.
However, Utah’s leading goal-scorer, Dylan Guenther, played the role of giver 1:34 later, dishing the puck from the half-boards into the slot to a charging McBain, who slickly beat Skinner for the equalizer.
In a fast-paced first period, Edmonton fired 15 shots on Stauber, but the 25-year-old goalie turned away 14 of them.
The home side broke the game open in the second period with a pair of quick goals.
Nugent-Hopkins, who had the game-winning goal in overtime against the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 29 in Salt Lake City, forced a turnover and finished a breakaway off a pass from McDavid. Stecher then made it 3-1 before Nugent-Hopkins’ tally had even been announced.
In the third, Utah had a chance to cut into the deficit on its second power play of the game, but it came up empty.
Draisaitl’s league-leading 27th goal of the season went into an empty net at 18:58 of the third to finish off the win.
–Field Level Media
