The Pittsburgh Penguins (14-9-9) hosted the Edmonton Oilers (16-12-6) on Tuesday night (December 16). This was a highly anticipated match as both goaltenders, Tristan Jarry and Stuart Skinner, faced their former teams just four days after being traded for each other. Neither netminder was great, but the Oilers recorded a 6-4 victory. Here is your game overview.
Summary of the game
The Penguins thought they struck first, but the Oilers successfully challenged for offside, leaving the game scoreless. A few minutes later, the Oilers opened the scoring on a 5-on-3 power play 11:38 into the first period. Leon Draisaitl passed to Connor McDavid in the high slot, and he found tight end Zach Hyman, who made no mistake for Draisaitl’s 1,000th NHL point. Then the Oilers added another power play marker just 14 seconds later. McDavid quickly entered the zone and dangled around the Penguins defenders before tucking the backhand past Skinner.
But with 44 seconds left in the opening frame, the Penguins got on the board. Anthony Mantha took advantage of a turnover and drove to the net. His first shot was stopped, but Thomas Novak pounced on the rebound and buried it. Edmonton took a 2-1 lead into the break, with a slim lead of 10-9.
Related: Projected Lineups for Oilers vs Penguins – 12/16/25
Matt Savoie gave the visitors a 3-1 lead 4:35 into the second period. Alec Regula found Savoie down the left wing and his shot crept through Skinner in a shot that the goalkeeper would like to get back.
Then the Penguins responded on the power play 6:24 into the middle frame. Sidney Crosby found Erik Karlsson at the point, and his one-timer went right through Jarry.
The visitors added another 6:47 to the final frame. After a strange rush, Draisaitl’s pass was blocked, but Vasily Podkolzin pounced on the loose puck for his ninth goal of the season.
Pittsburgh made it a two-goal game with the extra attacker. Karlsson funneled the puck to the net and Bryan Rust stopped the rebound for his 12th of the season.
However, McDavid added an empty-netter to seal the deal. But the Penguins added a late goal with 14 seconds left to make the final score 6-4 thanks to Danton Heinen. Jarry stopped 26 of 30 shots for an .867 save percentage (SV%) in the win, while Skinner stopped 17 of 22 shots for a .773 SV% in the loss.
The Oilers continue their five-game road trip against the Boston Bruins on Thursday (December 18). Meanwhile, the Penguins begin a two-game mini road trip against the Ottawa Senators the same day. Keep following The hockey writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
#Draisaitl #records #1000th #career #point #Oilers #beat #Penguins #Hockey #Writers #NHL #News #Latest #news #analysis