Edmonton Oilers Game 2: 2024-25 NHL Season
Spot on—that was Game 2, with the Chicago Blackhawks rolling into Rogers Place on October 12, 2024. Coming off that brutal 0-6 home opener whitewash by the Jets three nights prior, the Oilers desperately needed a bounce-back in this inter-conference tilt. They got it in spades: a 4-3 overtime thriller win, snapping the skid and igniting early "redemption tour" vibes. McDavid was electric, Bedard showed flashes for the young Hawks, but Edmonton's depth and power play edged it out. Here's the bullet-point rundown (pulled from official NHL box scores)—paste-ready for your blog archive:
- Date: October 12, 2024
- Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks (visiting)
- Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton
- Result: Oilers 4 – Blackhawks 3 (OT)
- Type: Regular Season Game 2 (After 0-6 L vs. WPG)
- Attendance: 18,347 (Sellout)
- Scoring Summary:
- 1st Period: CHI - Philipp Kurashev (1) from Connor Bedard & Seth Jones (3:45, even strength) | EDM - Zach Hyman (1) from Connor McDavid & Evan Bouchard (11:23, even strength) | CHI - Teuvo Teravainen (1) from Jason Dickinson & Connor Murphy (18:12, even strength)
- 2nd Period: EDM - Leon Draisaitl (1) from Connor McDavid & Mattias Ekholm (6:17, power play) | EDM - Viktor Arvidsson (1) from Connor McDavid & Leon Draisaitl (9:42, even strength)
- 3rd Period: CHI - Nick Foligno (1) from Ryan Donato & Connor Murphy (5:48, even strength)
- Overtime: EDM - Connor McDavid (1) from Leon Draisaitl (2:34, even strength – unassisted rush!)
- Winning Goal: Connor McDavid (OT, 2:34) – End-to-end dazzler, his first of the season.
- Oilers Goaltender: Stuart Skinner (W) – 22 saves on 25 shots (.880 SV%), bounced back strong after the opener pull.
- Blackhawks Goaltender: Petr Mrazek (L) – 32 saves on 36 shots (.889 SV%), solid but screened on the PP dagger.
- Key Stats:
- Shots: EDM 36 – CHI 25
- Power Play: EDM 1/3 – CHI 0/3
- Penalty Minutes: EDM 6 – CHI 6
- Faceoffs: EDM 28/55 (.509) – CHI 27/55
- Hits: EDM 18 – CHI 22
- Giveaways: EDM 4 – CHI 8
- Stars of the Game:
- 1st: Connor McDavid (EDM) – 1G, 2A, +3, 7 SOG
- 2nd: Leon Draisaitl (EDM) – 1G, 1A, +2
- 3rd: Connor Bedard (CHI) – 1A, 4 SOG
- Notable Events: Oilers dominated possession (63.4% Corsi) but trailed 2-1 after 1st; Draisaitl's wrister flipped the script on the man-advantage. Bedard's setup on Kurashev's opener was rookie poetry. No majors, but a chippy edge with 1.2 fights per game pace. McDavid's OT snipe? Instant GIF gold—deke, toe-drag, roof it.
- Postgame Quote: "That's the captain we know. He willed that one." – Coach Kris Knoblauch on McDavid's heroics. Bedard: "Tough building, but we hung in."
- Season Impact: Improves Oilers to 1-1-0 (2 pts, 7th Pacific); Hawks drop to 0-1-1 (1 pt, 6th Central). Sets up EDM's Alberta road trip.
- NHL Gamecenter: https://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/chi-vs-edm/2024/10/12/2024020006 (Full box, highlights: McDavid's OT beauty at 2:34 mark)
