The Edmonton Oilers didn’t make it easy on themselves Thursday night in Montreal. What started as another sluggish, disjointed effort turned into one of their wildest victories of the young season — a 6–5 comeback capped by Vasily Podkolzin’s dramatic game-winner in the final minute.

This game had a little bit of everything: defensive miscues, untimely turnovers, a furious scoring outburst from Cole Caufield, some questionable officiating, and ultimately, a third-period rally powered by Edmonton’s stars and finished by a depth guy whose dad would have been proud. 

A Flat Start For the Oilers — Again

Once again, the Oilers came out looking flat. The Canadiens dictated much of the first period, striking first at 12:32 when Alex Newhook buried a rebound after Evan Bouchard lost coverage in front. Moments later, Bouchard compounded the mistake by taking a slashing penalty.

At one point, Edmonton had just two shots on goal through 15 minutes — a familiar and frustrating storyline this season. David Tomasek finally broke through late in the period with his first goal as an Oiler, a seeing-eye wrister that deflected off Newhook before beating Samuel Montembeault. It tied the game 1–1, but Edmonton hardly looked in control.

The Canadiens nearly reclaimed the lead right after, forcing Calvin Pickard to make a pair of key saves to keep things level.

Second Period Chaos

Things opened up in the second. Adam Henrique’s deft redirection in front gave Edmonton a 2–1 lead, and moments later, a gorgeous sequence from Connor McDavid and Darnell Nurse set up Andrew Mangiapane for his third of the year. Nurse did seem a little less enthused about his pass when we talked to him after game, but only because he missed a wide-open tap in for a goal.

Edmonton suddenly led 3–1 — despite managing only 11 shots.

But the lead didn’t last long.

Montreal erupted with three goals in under two minutes, completely flipping the game. Josh Anderson started the barrage after forcing a turnover from Nurse, and then Caufield took over. The Canadiens sniper danced around Bouchard for one highlight-reel goal, then ripped another past Pickard through the arm on a wrist shot Edmonton simply stopped playing before.

In a flash, it was 4–3 Canadiens after forty minutes, and it appeared as though the Oilers might be giving another game away. 

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A “Gift” Turns the Game

Early in the third, Montreal struck again when Newhook netted his second of the night to make it 5–3. The Oilers looked lost — until a controversial call changed everything.

Juraj Slafkovsky was whistled for boarding Ty Emberson, a penalty Habs fans clearly disagreed with. But that wasn't the kicker. McDavid was tripped twice on separate rushes, and the officials awarded Edmonton another power play on the second knockdown. One could argue neither sequence was an actual trip, but the second opportunity would prove decisive.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins found McDavid below the goal line, who zipped a perfect feed to Leon Draisaitl in the slot. The one-timer found the back of the net, cutting the deficit to 5–4 — and finally waking up the Oilers. It was the first time this season they’d scored four in a game.

Momentum fully shifted moments later when Josh Anderson took an unsportsmanlike penalty. On the ensuing power play, McDavid again set up Nugent-Hopkins, who went backhand, top shelf over Montembeault’s glove to tie it 5–5.

The Canadiens, meanwhile, were furious. Brendan Gallagher said postgame that officials admitted the Slafkovsky call was a mistake and that the penalty on Anderson came because “the ref felt Anderson showed him up.” Gallagher added, “He didn’t.”

Caufield said, "The refs kind of took over the game there and kudos to them for winning it." While the "them" was likely in reference to the Oilers, this statement likely won't sit well with the NHL. 

Podkolzin Finishes It

With less than 90 seconds to play, the Oilers’ third-period surge was completed. Podkolzin, who had been moved up the lineup in the third, took a pass at the blue line and spun a backhander that found its way past Montembeault for the winner — his first of the year and one he won’t soon forget.

“I never practiced the pass from the blue line and backhand,” Podkolzin joked after the game. “I’m not Malkin or a guy like him. But it’s unbelievable — the process, the little details, little tips and things like that — they help you score two or three extra goals in a season.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch praised his team’s resilience and hinted that the new line combinations seen late in the game may stick. “I wanted to reward the guys who were playing well, and Howard was one of those guys,” Knoblauch said. “He’s figuring out how to play in the NHL quickly. I like where his game is at.”

He added that McDavid and Draisaitl will start on separate lines next game in Seattle — just as they finished this one.

For the Oilers, the performance was far from perfect, but it was good enough, proving that they can still win when they fall asleep for 20 minutes and then find it again. 

“You want to keep building on what we did right offensively,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “You try to take the good with the bad.”

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