Kostin, McDavid lead Oilers’ 6-2 rout of last-place Ducks
By Greg Beacham, The Associated Press on January 11, 2023.
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Klim Kostin scored two goals, and Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a goal and an assist apiece in the Edmonton Oilers’ 6-2 victory over the last-place Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday night. Dylan Holloway and Leon Draisaitl also scored and Jack Campbell made 21 saves for the Oilers, who snapped a two-game skid on the second stop of a four-game West Coast road trip. Holloway got the opening goal just 3:24 into Edmonton’s four-goal first period, which was highlighted by McDavid’s exceptional backhand goal after a turnover by Cam Fowler to make it 3-1. McDavid has 79 points in 43 games this season after his 22nd multi-point game, boosting his lead over Draisaitl to 16 points in the race for his fifth NHL scoring title. Kostin had his third career two-goal game and his second in the past two weeks, scoring late in the first period off a turnover by Dmitry Kulikov and getting another in the second period. Sam Carrick and Simon Benoit scored and John Gibson stopped 31 shots while giving up six goals in the first two periods for the Ducks, who dropped to 3-5-1 on their franchise-record 10-game homestand. Anthony Stolarz relieved Gibson in the third period for Anaheim, which already was the NHL’s worst defensive team before yielding 17 goals in its past three games. Max Comtois had his first two assists of the season in his 31st game for the Ducks. When Kostin’s second goal hit the net, Anaheim had given up eight goals in its last 42 minutes of play dating to Boston’s three-goal third period in the Bruins’ 7-1 win on Sunday. Draisaitl’s power-play goal to make it 6-1 in the second period was another thing of beauty: The German superstar redirected the puck with his stick between his own legs, beating Gibson with style. Benoit scored his first goal of the season and his second in 97 career NHL games early in the third period for Anaheim. D-MAN DEBUTS Vincent Desharnais made his NHL debut for Edmonton. The 26-year-old defenseman was a seventh-round pick by the Oilers in 2016. Derek Ryan missed his first game since Oct. 18 with the Oilers electing to dress seven defensemen for Desharnais’ debut. Calvin Pickard backed up Campbell while rookie goalie Stuart Skinner was away from the team to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. DUCKS DECISIONS Max Jones returned to Anaheim’s lineup for the first time since Dec. 12, missing 12 games with an upper-body injury. Ducks forward Justin Kirkland missed his second straight game after getting into a car accident on the way to the rink last Sunday and spending a night in the hospital. Kirkland is expected to make a full recovery. UP NEXT Oilers: At San Jose on Friday. Ducks: Host New Jersey on Friday. ___ AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports 22-21
