GAME RECAP: Oilers 4, Utah 1 – NHL.com

Ekholm information a aim & an help whereas each Brown & McDavid contributed two helpers on New Yr's Eve because the Oilers rang within the new yr at Rogers Place with a 4-1 victory over Utah
EDMONTON, AB – See U(tah) subsequent yr.
The Edmonton Oilers concluded 2024 with a 4-1 victory over Utah Hockey Membership on New Yr’s Eve, bouncing again from back-to-back weekend defeats on to ring within the new yr on a profitable observe at Rogers Place.
Connor Brown and Connor McDavid each had two assists for the Oilers to push their respective level streaks to 5 and 12 video games, choosing up the helpers on Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ and Troy Stecher’s tallies that got here 20 seconds aside in the course of the second interval.
Mattias Ekholm opened the scoring along with his sixth aim of the season and added an help on Leon Draisaitl’s empty-netter late in regulation, giving the German his league-leading twenty seventh aim of the season.
Goaltender Stuart Skinner made 26 saves on 27 pictures, whereas Vasily Podkolzin and Ty Emberson every added assists within the victory.
The Oilers enter 2025 with a 22-12-3 general document, having gained 12 of their final 15 video games (12-2-1) as they appear towards their first problem of the brand new yr on Friday evening after they host the Anaheim Geese at Rogers Place.
The Oilers shut out 2024 with a 4-1 win over Utah Hockey Membership
The Oilers arrived at Rogers Place on New Yr’s Eve with extra fireworks than their opponents after opening the scoring on Mattias Ekholm’s sixth aim of the season that was powered residence by the Swedish defenceman from the left circle 4:26 into the primary interval.
On a powerful second shift from Edmonton’s second line, Viktor Arvidsson cycled the puck with Leon Draisaitl earlier than getting it to the blue line for Evan Bouchard to let go of a shot on aim with Vasily Podkolzin parked in entrance to offer the display screen. The Russian winger knocked the puck down and pushed it into area for a wide-open Ekholm to tee up an unbeatable effort over the best shoulder of Utah goalie Jaxson Stauber that gave the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
Ekholm blasts residence his sixth aim for the early lead vs. Utah
The Oilers ended the primary interval with extra pictures (15) than their first two durations mixed in Anaheim (13), however they would not have the ability to escape to the intermission with their lead.
Simply over a minute-and-a-half later, former Edmonton Oil Kings ahead Dylan Guenther floated a go on the frenzy to Jack McBain, who beat Stuart Skinner beneath the best arm to tie the sport at 1-1 on his aspect’s first aim in Oil Nation because the Utah Hockey Membership.
Ryan speaks following the Oilers 4-1 New Yr’s Eve victory
Connor Brown’s New Yr’s decision? Preserve doing what he is been doing in current video games.
The Oilers winger picked up two assists because the Oilers struck twice in a 20-second span close to the five-minute mark of the second interval to take a 3-1 benefit over Utah, who had been fortunate to not be down larger heading into the ultimate interval of Oilers hockey in 2024.
Nugent-Hopkins finishes a slick go from McDavid for his eighth
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins knocked down Mikhail Sergachev’s tried ahead go to create an odd-man state of affairs for the guests in their very own finish, leaving the puck for Brown to get it down low to McDavid, who arrange No. 93 on the again door for a straightforward tap-in to attain his eighth of the season and his second aim in as many video games in opposition to Utah.
Brown’s transfer to the highest line on New Yr’s Eve continued to repay on the following shift, the place the winger offloaded a go to Troy Stecher coming into the offensive zone for the defenceman to fireside a puck on web that pinballed its manner by way of to place the Oilers up 3-1 lower than half a minute after Nugent-Hopkins restored the lead.
Stecher’s shot pinballs by way of site visitors & previous Stauber to make it 3-1
With the secondary help, McDavid notched his second helper of the interval to increase his level streak to 12 video games (2G, 20A) whereas passing Mark Messier (1,034) for the third-most factors in franchise historical past. Stecher’s second aim of the season gave the Oilers the second-most targets scored from defenceman this season with 24 – a 20 p.c aim share from blueliners that trails solely the Columbus Blue Jackets (25).
Stecher was referred to as for tripping later within the interval to ship Utah to the facility play, the place that they had their solely actual offensive alternative of the center stanza by when Sergachev struck the best put up by way of site visitors on a shot that Skinner could not observe within the Oilers’ crease.
Edmonton outshot Utah 16-7 within the center body and led 3-1 after 40 minutes.
Time to drop that ball.
With Utah’s web empty late in regulation, Leon Draisaitl took a terrific blueline-to-blueline go from defenceman Ty Emberson to stroll in uncontested and slide in his twenty seventh aim of the season that wrapped up 2024 for the Blue & Orange with a 4-1 victory.
Draisaitl finds the empty web for his twenty seventh to cap off the victory

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