GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Jets 1

WINNIPEG, MB – The vets were vibing in Winnipeg on Sunday.

The Oilers got goals from veteran forwards Connor Brown, Adam Henrique, Corey Perry and Viktor Arvidsson to post an impressive 4-1 road victory over the Jets for their third consecutive win.

Edmonton held the Jets to a season-low 18 shots on goal and Stuart Skinner turned aside all but one of them in his first game back between the pipes since March 26 against the Dallas Stars.

The victory gives the Oilers 99 points in 80 games and sets up an important encounter with their first-round playoff opponent, the Kings, on Monday at Rogers Place, as Los Angeles has 101 points in 79 games.

A fourth win in a row would give the Blue & Orange a chance to regain home-ice advantage in the upcoming post-season series.

"Everyone played a really solid game, whether it was our first or fourth line, all six defence, and Stu had a solid game, so it was nice to see," Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said of the victory. "We got some key goals... it was a good team effort."

"I thought we had a good game," Brown added. "I thought we got contributions from everyone throughout our lineup. Goaltending was great... a lot of good things tonight."

FIRST PERIOD

There was more star power on the scratches list than there was in the active lineups for both teams with the Oilers missing Leon Draisaitl, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Mattias Ekholm, Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and Trent Frederic, while the Jets were without Neal Pionk, Josh Morrissey, Luke Schenn, Adam Lowry, Gabriel Vilardi and Nikolaj Ehlers.

Perhaps it should come as no surprise, in that case, that there were no goals scored during the opening frame, but it wasn't for a lack of opportunities, as Winnipeg's Nino Niederreiter had two Grade A chances in alone on Skinner, but his first was lifted just over the net and his second was stopped by the Oilers netminder.

Both Connor McDavid and Noah Philp had prime scoring chances for Edmonton, with the captain sliding a backhand deke just wide of the post, and Jets goaltender Eric Comrie denying the rookie's point-blank attempt as he continues his quest for his first NHL goal.

The first period also featured the Oilers killing off their 18th consecutive penalty, but unfortunately that impressive streak came to an end the following period with a Winnipeg power-play tally.

SECOND PERIOD

McDavid continued his maniacal point production in the middle frame as he assisted on on Brown's opening goal, stealing the puck from Alex Iaffalo and feeding his namesake all alone on Comrie for a backhand deke. It was Brown's fourth goal in Edmonton's last three games, bringing him up to 13 on the season.

"I believe in myself, I believe in this group," he said of his little hot streak. "We've been working all season to get better and better, and it's nice to be able to contribute."

For the captain on the setup, it was his eighth assist on nine Oilers goals scored since he returned to the lineup on Wednesday, bringing him up to 98 points on the season.

The Jets responded with their power-play tally as Skinner got his glove on Mark Scheifele's one-timer but Iaffalo pounced on the loose puck in the crease for the equalizer.

While it didn't count as a power-play marker, the Oilers also turned a man advantage into a goal later in the period when McDavid's one-timer blast hit Dylan Samberg in the knee, taking the Jets defenceman out of the play and allowing Perry to set up Henrique at the side of the net just as Scheifele was getting out of the penalty box.

The tough break for the home side was Henrique's second goal and fifth point in the last five games as the Oilers took a 2-1 lead into the third and were leading shots 28-12.

"We've had a lot of guys that have been in and out of the lineup lately, so guys are moving around, playing different positions, and when you get more opportunity, you try to take advantage," he said. "I'm just simply trying to do that and chip in where I can and feel good about it heading down the stretch."

THIRD PERIOD

Perry picked up his 18th goal of his Renaissance campaign to extend Edmonton's lead to 3-1 at the 12:25 mark of the final frame. The play started when 38-year-old Derek Ryan, back up from AHL Bakersfield on an emergency recall, stole the puck in the neutral zone and found the 39-year-old Perry streaking down the right wing for a no-doubt wrist shot past Comrie for his second tally in as many games.

Arvidsson's empty-netter with 1:20 on the clock iced the win for the Oilers and also gave McDavid his second assist of the night and ninth in three games, leaving him one point away from achieving his fifth consecutive and eighth career 100-point season.

Skinner's return to the crease was a smooth one as he turned aside 17 of 18 shots and earned his first victory since March 22 against the Seattle Kraken.

"He looked poised in there," Brown said. "I think that was the biggest thing. He just really looked calm, squared, everything, wasn't scrambling at all. He kind of made it look easy. He's such a talented goaltender. It's nice to have him back."

"Really solid," Knoblauch added. "I think we defended really well in front of him. The goal that he let in, absolutely no chance. He made a heck of a save on the glove and the rebound's there, no chance for that. And then the rest of the night he kept everything out, so I was very happy with his performance."

Knoblauch said Sunday morning there's a chance the Oilers could have Draisaitl and/or some of the other players who were absent back in the lineup for Monday's home showdown with the Kings as they look to set the tone for their fourth straight first-round series and keep their home-ice hopes alive.

"When we get our full lineup, we're such a deep club and complement the best two players in the world," Brown said. "The sense of belief in this group is very high. Couple more games here before the dance, so let's keep our habits up and keep playing well."

Edmonton will wrap up their regular season schedule on the road in San Jose on Wednesday for their third game against the Sharks in a 14-day span.