Hyman’s hat trick leads Oilers over Predators 6-3

By Jim Diamond (), The Associated Press on December 13, 2022.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Zach Hyman had a hat trick, Leon Draisaitl scored twice and added three assists and Connor McDavid had a goal and three assists to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-3 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Jack Campbell made 29 saves for Edmonton, winners of three of four. Tyson Barrie had a pair of assists.

Cody Glass, Ryan Johansen and Dante Fabbro scored and Kevin Lankinen made 31 saves for Nashville, losers of four straight. Roman Josi had two assists.

Edmonton is 9-0-1 in its last 10 games played against Nashville.

Glass scored on the game’s first shot on goal at 1:15 of the opening period, but the Oilers stormed back with three to finish out the first, two by Hyman and then a Draisaitl power-play goal with five seconds remaining in the period.

In the second, Johansen and Draisaitl traded goals 57 seconds apart early in the frame. Fabbro scored his first goal of the season midway through the second, but McDavid connected on the power play with 1:05 remaining to restore Edmonton’s two-goal lead.

McDavid has points in 10-straight games, scoring 10 goals and adding 14 assists over the course of the streak. He has three four-point games in his last six.

Hyman completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 2:37 remaining in the third. The hat trick was the first of Hyman’s career.

JOSI APPROACHING RECORD

With his two-assist performance, Josi moved to within one point of the Nashville franchise record for points. Josi’s 565 career points place him just one behind David Legwand.

Tuesday was career game 787 for Nashville’s captain. Legwand, Nashville’s first-ever draftee when the team entered the NHL in 1998, played 956 games for the Predators.

POWER PLAYS

Edmonton entered Tuesday with the NHL’s top power play, clicking at 30.2 percent. Including a 2-for-2 effort against Nashville, the Oilers have scored seven goals with the man advantage in 15 opportunities over the last four games.

On the other hand, Nashville entered Tuesday 29th in the 32-team league with a 16 percent success on the power play. The Predators came up empty in five chances against the Oilers, including a 43-second two-man advantage in the second period.

Nashville has not scored a power-play in its last four games, going 0-15 over that span.

DRAISAITL DOMINANCE

Draisaitl has dominated the Predators in his career. Tuesday marked the 22nd time he has faced Nashville. With his two goals and three assists in Edmonton’s victory, Draisaitl has 22 goals and 13 assists against the Predators. In two games played against Nashville this season, Draisaitl has three goals and seven assists.

WHAT’S NEXT

Predators: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

Oilers: Host the St. Louis Blues on Thursday

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