Oilers open new home with win over Flames
EDMONTON, Alberta -- The Edmonton Oilers opened the brand-new Rogers Place with a lot of offensive fireworks.
Connor McDavid scored twice and added an assist as Edmonton beat the Calgary Flames 7-4 in the first regular-season game played at the new, 18,500-seat home of the Oilers.
It only took 1:10 for the Oilers to open the scoring. Patrick Maroon got the first regular-season goal at Rogers Place, tipping home a point shot from Leon Draisaitl past goalie Brian Elliott.
But, just 36 seconds after Maroon's historic opener, Alex Chiasson tied the game. The right winger came out from behind the Oilers' net, took one whack at the puck, got another chance and beat goalie Cam Talbot.
The goals kept coming. Tyler Pitlick and Zack Kassian ensured the Oilers went into the intermission with a 3-1 lead. Pitlick scored at 5:34, a wrist shot in the top corner. Kassian scored on a breakaway at 15:12. At that point, the Oilers had beaten Elliott three times on just five shots.
The Flames outshot the Oilers 40-27.
Oilers defenseman Brandon Davidson left the game after a second-period collision with Calgary's Matthew Tkachuk.
In the second, Calgary capitalized on an Oilers mistake to make it 3-2 at 8:26. Draisaitl made an ill-advised pass to the center of the ice, which was intercepted by Troy Brouwer. The Flames' right winger converted the shorthanded breakaway.
At 11:51, Michael Frolik banged home a rebound to tie the game -- the Flames' second shorthanded goal of the period.
But, then it was time for the McDavid show. At 12:17, 2015's No. 1 draft pick scored his first of the season, with a shot that went right through Elliott and crept across the goal line.
Just over two minutes later, McDavid got a breakaway chance off a giveaway from Johnny Gaudreau, was hooked by Calgary defenseman Dennis Wideman, and was awarded a penalty shot. He came in on Elliott oh so slowly, picked his spot and scored.
In the third, Oilers rookie Jesse Puljujarvi scored a power-play goal at 9:00, with a shot that went through the goalie.
Wideman scored a power-play marker at 11:29 to make the score respectable.
Jordan Eberle scored an empty netter with 1:22 left to make it 7-4.
Perhaps the biggest news for Edmonton fans came pregame: Wayne Gretzky is an Oiler again.
The NHL's all-time leading scorer was named partner and vice chairman of the Oilers Entertainment Group. The announcement came as a refurbished Gretzky statue was unveiled in front of the new arena. The Great One also joined fellow Hall of Famer Mark Messier in the on-ice opening ceremony.
NOTES: How hot were tickets for opening night at Rogers Place? As of Wednesday afternoon, the cheapest price you could find for tickets on StubHub were at $157 (U.S.) each; tickets in the club section were going for $800 (U.S.) each. ... As a member of the St. Louis Blues last year, Flames G Brian Elliott posted a league-best .930 save percentage. ... C Anton Lander, who scored just once in 61 games for the Oilers last season, survived the waiver process and was on the team's opening-night roster. He was a healthy scratch. ... The Oilers also scratched D Mark Fayne and D Matthew Benning. LW Matt Hendricks (lower body) and RW Iiro Pakarinen (lower body) are on injured reserve. ... The Flames scratched D Jyrki Jokipakka, C Freddie Hamilton and D Brett Kulak.