Oilers defeat Flames 4-1 in exhibition debut of Edmonton’s NHL hub-bubble
Posted Jul 28, 2020 11:30 pm.
EDMONTON (CP) – Connor McDavid scored two goals Tuesday to pace the Oilers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames in the official debut of Edmonton’s NHL post-season hub-bubble.
Kailer Yamamoto and Patrick Russell also scored for Edmonton while Elias Lindholm replied for Calgary.
It was the lone exhibition game for the two teams prior to the weekend start of the NHL’s play-in round.
It was played before thousands of empty seats at Rogers Place, which has been locked down to prevent any spread of COVID-19 as Edmonton hosts the Western Conference play-in/play-off series to finish the 2019-20 season.
The game was only a minute old when Oiler centre Leon Draisaitl chased down a dump-in to Calgary’s end to spark an attack that ended with Yamamoto firing a rebound over goalie Cam Talbot’s glove to make it 1-0.
The Oilers’ power play, the league’s best at 29.5 per cent in the regular season, made it 2-0 at the 7:44 mark. Draisaitl threaded a cross-ice pass through heavy traffic in the slot to McDavid on the doorstep who then flicked the puck over a sprawling Talbot.
The Flames outshot the Oilers 37-30 and outplayed them in the 3rd but couldn’t beat Mike Smith.
Russell and McDavid would then both score late in the 3rd to seal the deal.
Next up, the Flames will take on the Jets on Saturday in Game 1 while the Oilers face Chicago.
