Robert Thomas scored just nine seconds before overtime ended, giving the St. Louis Blues a 3-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers at home on Friday.
The Blues were trailing 2-0 with less than eight minutes left in the third period when Pius Suter and Cam Fowler scored to tie the game. Thomas then dramatically scored the winning goal with a precise wrist shot from the circle.
The Blues are currently on a streak where they have earned points in seven games (with a record of 6 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie) and have gone 7-1-1 since the NHL’s Olympic break. This success has boosted their chances of making the playoffs, as they are now five points behind the Los Angeles Kings, who hold the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Joel Hofer, the goalie for the Blues, made 36 saves out of 38 shots, contributing significantly to the team’s effort. Hofer’s record in his last six games is 5 wins, 0 losses, and 1 tie, and he has a save percentage of . 948.
Fowler was the only player on the Blues to have more than one point in the game, as he also helped set up Thomas’ goal.
For the Oilers, Kasperi Kapanen and Connor McDavid each scored, but the team has struggled lately with a record of 4 wins, 7 losses, and 1 tie in their last 12 games.
Connor Ingram, the Oilers’ goalie, saved 22 of 25 shots and assisted on McDavid’s goal.
The first goal of the game was scored at 15:41 in the second period when Leon Draisaitl made a fantastic backhand pass from the corner that went through the slot to Kapanen, who was open in the far circle and scored with a wrist shot.
Even though Edmonton has the best power play in the league, they didn’t score on any of their three chances on Friday, while the Blues created better scoring opportunities during a 5-on-4 situation early in the third period. Colton Parayko and Alexey Toropchenko both had breaks towards the goal, but Ingram made two crucial saves to prevent them from scoring.
McDavid scored his 37th goal of the season, making the Oilers ahead 9 minutes and 56 seconds into the third period. Suter answered back at 12 minutes and 22 seconds, scoring off a pass from Jonatan Berggren, who was behind the net.
At 16 minutes and 14 seconds into the third period, the puck came back to Fowler after Oskar Sundqvist won a faceoff in Edmonton’s area. Fowler took a wrist shot that went past Ingram, who had a player blocking his view, which tied the game.
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