New York Rangers defenseman Braden Schneider (4) and Edmonton Oilers left wing James Hamblin fight for the puck during the first period of an NHL hockey game in New York, Friday, Dec. 22, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter K. Afriyie)
NEW YORK (AP) – Warren Foegele and Ryan McLeod each had a goal and an assist in Edmonton’s four-goal third period, helping the Oilers beat the New York Rangers 4-3 on Friday night.
Zach Hyman and Evander Kane scored 1:08 apart early in the third to get the Oilers’ comeback started for their second straight win after losing three straight. Stuart Skinner stopped 31 shots.
Mika Zibanejad had a goal and an assist for New York, which had won three straight. Blake Wheeler and Will Cuylle also scored, and Chris Kreider had two assists.
Jonathan Quick finished with 24 saves while taking his first regulation loss of the season after a 9-0-1 start.
The Oilers trailed 1-0 until a four-goal flurry over a 6:45 span in the third.
Hyman tied it at 3:07. He got the puck back from Mattias Ekholm on a give-and-go, and then moved it from his forehand to his backhand before putting it past Quick for his team-leading 19th of the season.
Kane then put the Oilers ahead at 4:15 when he knocked in his own rebound off a faceoff for his 13th.
Foegele made it 3-1 with his fifth on the season at 6:36. He cut right to left across the circles and fired it past Quick.
McLeod gave the Oilers a three-goal lead at 9:52 with his third in two games and No. 5 on the season.
With Quick pulled for a 6-on-4 advantage during a Rangers power play, Zibanejad knocked in a loose puck on left side of the crease for his 12th with 4:18 remaining.
Cuylle fired a shot past Skinner with 0.1 seconds remaining for the final margin.
The Oilers came in fourth in the NHL on the power play at 26.7 per cent, but went 0-for-2 as they failed to convert with the man advantage for a season-high fourth straight game – falling to 0-for-10 over their drought.
The Rangers got on the scoreboard first with just under nine minutes remaining in the first period. After Kreider dumped the puck behind the Oilers’ net, Zibanejad went after it and sent a no-look drop pass between his skates to a trailing Wheeler, who quickly put it past Skinner from the right side.
It was Wheeler’s fifth of the season, giving him three goals and six points in his last five games. Zibanejad extended his point streak to six games with six goals and four assists in the stretch.
Quick made some stellar saves over the first two periods to keep the Oilers off the scoreboard.
Leon Draisaitl had a short-handed breakaway in the waning seconds of the first, but his shot missed wide left.
Zibanejad fired a one-timer that knocked Skinner’s mask off less than 30 seconds into the second period. Artemi Panarin knocked the rebound into the wide-open net, but the goal was disallowed after a review.
Skinner then made a nice blocker save on another try by Zibanejad later in the opening minute of the second during a power play that carried over from the first.
UP NEXT
Oilers: At San Jose on Thursday to open a three-game post-Christmas trip to California.
Rangers: Host Buffalo on Saturday night in the second of a three-game homestand.
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/NHL
