For the first time in 23 days, and the second time this month, the Edmonton Oilers were victorious.
Their latest triumph, only the eighth win in this disappointing season for Edmonton, came Tuesday night as they downed the defending Stanley Cup champion L.A. Kings by a final score of 3-2 in the shootout, ending a nine-game losing skid.
It took four rounds to determine a winner, with David Perron scoring the lone and deciding goal in the skills competition on a nice move to the backhand on Jonathan Quick.
And that’s despite getting outshot 39-21 and getting dominated in the puck possession department at five-on-five. Ben Scrivens was a big reason for the win. He made 37 saves.
It’s also the first NHL win for head coach Todd Nelson, who took over the position on Tuesday. Prior to this game, general manager Craig MacTavish had been working alongside Nelson on the bench following the firing of Dallas Eakins.
“We bent but we didn’t break. It feels good to get a win. This group needed it,” said Nelson, as per the club’s Twitter account.
“It’s more a relief for everyone here to get one under our belt. Now we can carry it forward into Calgary tomorrow,” he added.
There is still the matter of rookie Leon Draisaitl and whether he’ll be sent back to junior in the coming days. For what it’s worth, MacTavish said Draisaitl’s “status as an Edmonton Oiler hasn’t changed.”