McDavid hits 800-point milestone in Oilers’ 4-2 comeback win over Flyers

Connor McDavid had two goals and an assist to cross the 800-point mark as the Edmonton Oilers snapped a four-game skid with a 4-2 comeback victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday.

Leon Draisaitl added a goal and two assists and Tyson Barrie also scored for the Oilers (31-19-8), who have gone 10-2-5 in their last 16 games. Stuart Skinner made 23 saves.

Noah Cates and Owen Tippett replied for the Flyers (23-26-10), who have lost five of their last six. Carter Hart stopped 23-of-26 shots in the loss.

Entering the final frame down 2-1, Draisaitl capped off a three-way passing play with a sharp-angled shot 6:49 into the third period on the power play to tie the game.

There were a number of milestones on the play. Draisaitl hit 700 career points and McDavid reached 800. Playing in his 545th game, McDavid became the fifth fastest player in NHL history to hit the mark, behind Wayne Gretzky (352 games), Mario Lemieux (410), Mike Bossy (525), and Peter Stastny (531).

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also set a new career high for points in a season (70) with an assist.

McDavid scored the go-ahead goal 12:39 into the third as he banked a shot off diving defenceman Travis Sanheim and past Hart.

McDavid then put the game away with 2:25 remaining when the Flyers pulled Hart despite being on the power play. McDavid flipped the puck up high and after a couple of good bounces, it rolled in for a short-handed goal and his league-leading 44th.

The Flyers kick-started the scoring midway through the opening frame when Cates snuck a wrap-around through Skinner’s legs for his ninth of the season.

Barrie evened the score with just three seconds to play in the first period. Draisaitl won a power-play draw back to Barrie and he blasted home his 10th of the year and third in as many games.

Tippett restored Philadelphia’s lead 11:37 into the second period when Kevin Hayes sent him a pass towards the net and redirected it home for his 16th.

NOTES

Edmonton and Philadelphia came into the game with the two worst records in extra time in the NHL this season, with the Oilers sitting at 2-8 and the Flyers at 2-10. Only Dallas, Calgary, and San Jose have more overtime losses than the Flyers this season. Out with injuries for the Flyers were Zack MacEwen (jaw), Tanner Laczynski (lower body), Sean Couturier (back) and Travis Konecny (upper body). | Missing for Edmonton were Ryan Murray (back), Evander Kane (upper body) and Klim Kostin (illness). Defenceman Vincent Desharnais returned to the lineup after being called up from Bakersfield of the AHL.

UP NEXT

The Oilers begin a short two-game road trip in Pittsburgh against the Penguins on Thursday.

The Flyers return home to face the Montreal Canadiens on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2023.