Arvidsson had a three-point night and Skinner posted his first shutout as the Oilers crushed the Penguins on Hall of Fame night.

It took some work, but the Oilers' luck might finally be turning around.

They didn't quite channel the 1980s Oilers on a night when Craig MacTavish and Randy Gregg were inducted into the team's Hall of Fame, but they still came away with a 4-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday.

It was a frustrating first half for Edmonton. After 30 minutes, the game remained a scoreless tie despite the Oilers outshooting the Penguins 31-8. Pittsburgh's rookie goaltender Joel Blomqvist was excellent, holding steady despite a barrage of Oilers shots and seemingly the entire game being played at his end of the ice. It was beginning to feel like the Oilers would never score.

It was Leon Draisaitl who finally found the back of the net, picking the bottom corner with a perfectly placed shot off the post to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead with seven minutes left in the second. It was Viktor Arvidsson who passed him the puck, giving him his first point as an Oiler.

Evan Bouchard struck four minutes later, ending a long shift in the Penguins' zone with a wrister over Blomqvist's shoulder. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan challenged the goal for offside on the zone entry, but the goal was upheld by the slimmest of margins to give the Oilers a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame. Another new Oiler, Vasily Podkolzin, collected his first point of the season with an assist on the goal.

They didn't waste any time in the third, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins capitalizing on a Penguins turnover to score his first goal of the season just 16 seconds into the period. This time it was Zach Hyman's turn to hit the scoresheet, with his assist marking his first point on the year.

With Arvidsson, Podkolzin, and Hyman finally notching their first points, it was the powerplay's turn to get off the schneid. It came from an unlikely source, with Mattias Ekholm's point shot marking the second powerplay unit's first goal of the season.

That was all the goal-scoring the game had in store, but the Oilers still provided some fireworks late, when Darnell Nurse stepped up to defend Arvidsson after he was sent tumbling into the boards by Marcus Pettersson.

Arvidsson laughed it off after the game, saying Pettersson is "one of his best friends," something Nurse likely didn't know as he was raining blows on the big Swedish defender. 

The Oilers' beleaguered penalty kill made two big stops late, keeping the Penguins at bay to close out a 4-0 victory in which the Oilers outshot their opponents 50-27,  easily their best game of the young season.

Player of the Game: Viktor Arvidsson

He wasn't able to collect his first goal in blue and orange, but Arvidsson made up for it with a three-assist night, all of them primary helpers. Apart from springing Draisaitl for the opening goal, he found Bouchard on the second tally and won a rare faceoff back to Ekholm for the assist on his powerplay marker.

His scoreless game wasn't for a lack of trying, either. He put four shots on net and was around it all night, with Blomqvist stopping him twice in close early in the first period. The second line of Podkolzin, Draisaitl, and Arvidsson was the Oilers' best and should see more time together going forward.

Play of the Game

Oh yeah, and Stuart Skinner posted a shutout. Did I not mention that? Skinner wasn't too busy in this game, especially in the first half, but he made every stop the Oilers needed as the Penguins pressed in the second half. 

His best came with the man advantage in the third period, robbing Erik Karlsson on an Oilers powerplay that eventually ended with Ekholm's goal.

This was exactly the game the Oilers needed after their disappointing start to the year. Hyman and Arvidsson are still looking for that elusive first goal, but everything else that has plagued the Oilers all season was rectified on Friday night. 

Hyman, Arvidsson, and Podkolzin all gathered their first points, Nugent-Hopkins scored his first goal, both special teams were effective, and Stuart Skinner has now posted two consecutive great starts. 

The Oilers can hope that this win creates some momentum as they embark on a four-game road trip, starting on Sunday in Detroit.

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