Oilers 7, Senators 2
OTTAWA -- The Edmonton Oilers kicked off an important four-game road trip with a convincing 7-2 victory over the sagging Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
The win was the second in a row for the Oilers, who are trying to climb back into the Western Conference playoff race, while the Senators lost their third in a row and fifth in their last six games.
Winger Jordan Eberle led the Oilers with two goals and an assist. Also scoring for Edmonton were defensemen Mark Fayne, Andrej Sekera and Brandon Davidson, winger Zack Kassian and center Leon Draisaitl.
Rookie center Connor McDavid had two assists for the Oilers in his second game back from a broken collarbone.
Replying for the Senators were wingers Mike Hoffman and Mark Stone.
Senators goalie Craig Anderson was pulled at 11:41 of the first period after giving up three goals on 10 shots. Goalie Andrew Hammond replaced him and made 14 saves.
Oilers goalie Cam Talbot stopped 36 shots.
The Oilers broke the game open with two goals early in the third. Sekera picked up his sixth of the season on a power play point shot at the 2:24 mark, and Draisaitl beat Hammond with a short side shot at 5:53. Davidson rounded out the scoring with a point shot and 3:04 left in the third.
The Oilers held a 4-2 lead despite trailing 24-23 on the shots chart after two periods.
For the 35th time this season, Ottawa gave up the game's first goal when Fayne's point shot deflected in off Senators center Max McCormick 4:29 after the opening faceoff. The goal was Fayne's second of the season.
From there, McDavid and Eberle went to work. Eberle's first goal of the night and 14th of the season came after he took a pass from his center and beat Anderson with a high shot in close at the 5:10 mark. Just over six minutes later, McDavid was behind the net when he found Eberle in front for a quick shot that would be the last goal surrendered by Anderson.
He was replaced by Hammond 25 seconds later after making an easy save.
Hoffman finally put the Senators on the board with a wrist shot that beat Talbot high to the glove side while Ottawa enjoyed its first power play of the period.
The shots on goal were even at 13 at the intermission.
The Senators narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the seventh minute of the second when Stone broke in from the right wing and went high with a shot that hit the post, then bounced in off Talbot's back.
But Kassian restored the Oilers' two-goal lead with a snap shot from the left wing circle that beat Hammond between the legs at the 12:58 mark.
NOTES: Senators D Marc Methot returned to the lineup after missing six games with a lower-body injury. To make room on the blue line, Senators D Jared Cowen was a healthy scratch for the 14th time this season. ... Senators C Kyle Turris missed his seventh game with a lower-body injury. Turris has resumed skating, but he is not yet practicing with the team ... Oilers D Justin Schultz returned to the lineup after missing one game because of an illness ... Oilers D Brandon Davidson returned after missing two games with an undisclosed injury ... Oilers scratched D Griffin Reinhart, D Adam Clendening and C Anton Lander.