McDavid returns to action, leads Oilers past Blues 4-3

Jeff Gordon, St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Apr 10, 2025

Published in Hockey

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Oilers superstar Connor McDavid returned to action for the first time since March 20 on Wednesday night, and the Blues were not thrilled to see him back.

McDavid assisted on three goals -- including Connor Brown's game-winner with 20.4 seconds left -- as the Oilers edged the Blues 4-3 in Edmonton.

The Blues got goals from Jordan Kyrou, Pavel Buchnevich and Ryan Suter, the team’s Masterton Trophy nominee for his perseverance through 1,524 games and counting,

The Oilers were missing star forwards Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, defensemen Mattias Ekholm and Jake Walman, goaltender Stuart Skinner and others. Edmonton’s makeshift lineup included just five defensemen.

But they had McDavid, and that was the difference.

The Blues had a chance to clinch a postseason berth Wednesday with a regulation win over the Oilers and a regulation loss by the Calgary Flames at Anaheim.

But the Blues lost and the Flames earned a point with their 4-3 overtime loss to the Ducks, so the wild card race continues.

Coming off a flat offensive performance in Winnipeg, the Blues opened with a different look against the Oilers.

Coach Jim Montgomery flipped wingers Jordan Kyrou and Jimmy Snuggerud, moving Kyrou up to the Robert Thomas line and dropping Snuggerud down to the Brayden Schenn line.

Dalibor Dvorsky returned to the lineup by replacing Mathieu Joseph on the third line.

Later in the game, Montgomery did some shuffling with his bottom three lines while learning hard on the top line of Thomas, Buchenvich and Kyrou.

Blues strike after melee

After Jordan Binnington stretched out to deny Vasily Podkolzin’s drive to the right post in the first period, Oilers agitator Corey Perry skated into his head area a few seconds later.

Irked by that dangerous play, Binnington jumped up and popped Perry in the back of the head. Then he jumped on Perry from behind. Then Binnington got up again looking for more.

This triggered a free-for-all that ended with Jake Neighbours wrestling Perry in the main event. Edmonton got a power play out of this mayhem, but the Blues scored a shorthanded goal to take a 1-0 lead.

Suter broke up the left on a 2-on-1 break, took a pass from Buchnevich, then cut to his backhand to beat Edmonton goaltender Calvin Pickard.

The Blues finished the period with a flourish and generated multiple scoring chances on their late power play. But Pickard made big stops on Buchnevich and Dvorsky.

Oilers move up 2-1 in second period

Justin Faulk's turnover in the left corner opened the door for Edmonton's game-tying goal. After Skinner rang a shot off the left post, McDavid poked the puck away from Faulk as he tried to advance up the middle of the defensive zone.

That gave Brown a point-blank opportunity to tie the game 1-1.

McDavid struck again the forecheck, intercepting Buchnevich's attempt to rotate the puck behind the net to Tyler Tucker. McDavid passed back to Darnell Nurse, who fired a shot straight away from the blue line.

Podkolzin parked in front of the net, with his back to Binnington, and he backhanded the rebound in.

Game opens up in third period

The Blues tied the game 14 seconds into the third period by scoring off the rush, with Kyrou coming down the middle to convert Buchnevich's deft feed from the left wing.

But Edmonton moved ahead 3-2 with another greasy goal, Viktor Arvidsson screened Binnington, then banged in the rebound of Brett Kulak's shot from the blue line.

Buchnevich took a pass from Kyrou at the left post, then tied the game 3-3 with second effort.

After Nurse tracked down Blues winger Nathan Walker's attempted breakaway at one end, McDavid set up Brown's winning goal off the rush at the other end.