Draisaitl scores twice to pass 50 goals, OT winner lifts Oilers past Flames

EDMONTON -- Leon Draisaitl scored his NHL-leading 50th and 51st goals of the season and added an assist to lift the Edmonton Oilers to a 3-2 overtime win against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Place on Saturday.

Playing in his first game since sitting out the past four with an undisclosed injury, Draisaitl beat Calgary's Dustin Wolf stick side with a wrist shot from the high slot at 2:25 into the extra session, setting an NHL record with his sixth overtime goal of the season.

“Those are the types of games we are going to have to win, 3-2, tight-checking, good defensive hockey. Getting comfortable in these situations is big right now,” Draisaitl said. “I’m sure I’ll get a call from my old man, and maybe my mom too. I’m looking forward to that.”

Darnell Nurse had two assists, and Calvin Pickard made 26 saves for the Oilers (42-26-5), who ended a two-game losing skid. Edmonton has 89 points and is tied for second place in the Pacific Division with the Los Angeles Kings, who have one game in hand.

“He was amazing tonight, coming back from an injury and scoring two crucial goals for us. He made some amazing defensive plays over the course of the game, he was our leader out there tonight,” Nurse said of Draisaitl. “There aren’t many pass-first, consistent 50-goal scorers. He’s one.

“His vision for the game, the way he sees the game, is second to none. On top of that, when you're passing and seeing the game the way he does, find open space and opportunities to get his shot off. And he’s worked on his shot.”

Brayden Pachal had a goal and an assist, and Yegor Sharangovich also scored for the Flames (34-26-12), who had won four of their previous five. Both players were healthy scratches in a 5-2 loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday.

“There were parts of it I liked and there were parts I thought we sat back and just didn’t have that assertiveness or that killer instinct tonight that I thought we needed,” Flames coach Ryan Huska said. “So, it is a tougher one, but as we’ve said over the last little while, you have to quickly turn the page and move on and get ready for our next one.”

Calgary sits seven points behind the St. Louis Blues for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference. Nazem Kadri, whose five-game goal streak (seven goals) came to an end, had two assists, and Wolf made 26 saves.

“That’s kind of how it goes, you trade a couple chances here and there and it just comes down to who can get that bounce,” Kadri said. “Fortunately for them, that was on their side tonight.

“Good player, you give him too much space he’s going to make you pay and we saw that firsthand tonight," Kadri said of Draisaitl. "I really liked our game, actually. It felt like we really didn’t give up a whole lot either, so it (stinks) not to come out with two points, but one point’s one point.”

Playing on Calgary’s top line in place of Connor Zary (lower-body injury), Sharangovich made it 1-0 at 4:32 of the first period, snapping a rebound off a Kadri shot past the right pad of Pickard from in close.

Viktor Arvidsson tied it 1-1 at 16:20, taking a cross-ice pass from Draisaitl and sending it past Wolf’s blocker from the left circle.

Pachal put Calgary ahead 2-1 at 7:55 of the third period when he sent a wrist shot past Pickard’s glove from the slot.

“It’s tough, we kind of blew it at the end there,” Pachal said. “These two points are the most important thing at this time of the year in the race that we’re in, so it’s disappointing to lose that one tonight.

“I think we played pretty well for 55, 56 minutes but moral victories don’t matter right now. We came here for the two points and we didn’t get it.”

Draisaitl tied it 2-2 at 16:48 with a quick release from the right dot under Wolf's blocker to reach the 50-goal mark for the fourth time in his career.

"Very impressive for many reasons,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “Hadn't played for a week or so and was questionable coming in. Thinking long term, maybe he should have another game off or a few more days and play in the Vegas game (Tuesday).

“In on all three goals and some pretty big plays, key ones, probably the most key was the tying goal coming down the rink and sniping that. I'm sure he garnered a few votes for some hardware after the season.”

NOTES: Kadri extended his personal point streak to six games (seven goals, three assists), factoring in on the opening goal of the game to became the fifth member of the 2009 NHL Draft class to reach 700 points. ... Draisaitl became the 15th player in NHL history and just the fourth born outside North America to reach the 50-goal mark four times. ... Draisaitl tied Jari Kurri (four) for the second-most 50-goal seasons in Oilers history behind Wayne Gretzky (eight). ... Draisaitl became the ninth player in NHL history to record four seasons with at least 50 goals and 50 assists, joining Gretzky (nine), Mike Bossy (seven), Mario Lemieux (six), Marcel Dionne (six), Guy Lafleur (six), Phil Esposito (five), Steve Yzerman (five) and Kurri (four). ... Draisaitl’s 19th career overtime goal tied Jaromir Jagr for the second-most by a player born outside North America, behind Alex Ovechkin (27). ... Draisaitl became the fifth player in Oilers history with 100 career three-point games (Gretzky has the most with 301).