Draisaitl has 4 goals, 5 points as Oilers rout Predators 8-3

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Leon Draisaitl had the first four-goal game of his career and added an assist as the Edmonton Oilers routed the Nashville Predators 8-3 on Monday night to sweep the season series.

Connor McDavid scored the go-ahead goal in the third period and had four assists. Kailer Yamamoto and Josh Archibald each had a goal and an assist, and Zack Kassian also scored as Edmonton won its second straight.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Darnell Nurse had three assists apiece.

Nashville had dominated Edmonton lately, including 13 straight wins between 2014 and 2018. These aren’t those Oilers, though. Edmonton is second in the Pacific Division and pulled within two points of first-place Vegas with a game in hand.

Edmonton broke open a tie game by scoring three of five goals in the third in a span of 2:21. McDavid put the Oilers ahead to stay at 4:42, then Draisaitl made it 4-2 just 35 seconds later with his 41st of the season. Kassian finished the flurry at 7:03.

Draisaitl, the NHL’s scoring leader, got his hat trick at 8:28. Then he chased Pekka Rinne from the goalie’s first start since Feb. 21 with his 43rd goal of the season at 9:55 of the third.

It was the first time Rinne, the 2018 Vezina Trophy winner, had allowed eight goals in a game.

Roman Josi and Calle Jarnkrok scored 14 seconds apart, and Nick Bonino also had a goal for Nashville. The Predators remain in the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference thanks to two games in hand on Winnipeg and Arizona, with all three at 72 points.

This was the first of a three-game road swing for Edmonton, and the NHL’s highest-scoring team scored twice in the first period. Archibald scored from in front off a pass from Tyler Ennis with an assist from McDavid.

Draisaitl started his scoring spree with his 40th goal with 28.8 seconds left, beating Rinne with a snap shot from an awkward angle at the edge of the right circle. He also became the seventh Edmonton player with multiple 40-goal seasons, joining McDavid and Paul Coffey on a list headed up by Wayne Gretzky.

The Predators tied it within the first three minutes of the second. Josi scored his career-best 16th goal on a slap shot from the top of the left circle at 2:14, then Jarnkrok scored from in front off a turnover at 2:28.

Yamamoto, back after missing three games with an injured ankle, put Edmonton up 3-2 at 13:34 off a nice pass from Nugent-Hopkins. But then Bonino tied it again, lifting the puck over goalie Mike Smith’s right leg off a rebound at 15:05.

NOTES: Draisaitl has 19 points (14 goals, five assists) in 17 career games against Nashville, and McDavid has 18 points in 13 career games against Nashville. … Josi tied his career best with 61 points and matched the Predators record for points in a single season by a defenseman. … Edmonton improved to 27-6-2 when scoring first. … Nashville dropped to 4-16-2 when trailing after one period and 8-19-4 when allowing the first goal.

UP NEXT

The Oilers visit Dallas on Tuesday night.

The Predators visit Minnesota on Tuesday night.