Connor McDavid scores first National Hockey League goal, but Oilers lose in familiar fashion

I would think the temperature is definitely rising in California.

Let the celebration of hockey glories past unfold, memory by memory, as the present season proceeds. As the team’s new home, Rogers Place will feature 18,500 seats and 57 suites – making the arena and the new Ice District Canada’s largest multi-purpose entertainment facility. That was enhanced by the orange scarves that had been draped on the seats. He won 12 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins on opening night. Dallas is a really good team, I guess, but they still have to prove it to everyone, including themselves.

Despite being outshot 20-6 in the third, Nail Yakupov had an opportunity to give the Oilers the lead with five minutes to go but was turned aside by Leftonen on a clear-cut breakaway. “All I had to do was settle it down and get a good shot off. I think it went in only because (Hiller) is wrong-handed”. No elaborate pre-game whoop-de-doo, at all.

McDavid, selected No. 1 overall in the June draft, scored in the second period to pull the Oilers even at 2 after they had fallen behind 2-0.

It was Korpikoski that opened the scoring at 1:36 of the first, driving to the net to convert a Blues turnover past Brian Elliott (24 saves). While Edmonton is off to a rough 0-3 start, the Blues must take them seriously (as Hitchcock repeatedly emphasized last week), because the young cast that features potential future stars like Connor McDavid, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Griffin Reinhart is bound to gel at any time under new head coach Todd McLellan.

The quick scoring burst for Edmonton ended a 90-minute home scoreless streak to start the season for the Stars, who got a shutout from Niemi in the season opener. A message fans have heard before, but not with the same authority or anything like the same reason to be hopeful. Dallas was creating chances with cross-seam passes, shooting off the rush, and testing Anders Nilsson from nearly every area you could imagine.

NOTES: Oilers D Andrew Ference, C Rob Klinkhammer and D Griffin Reinhart were scratched…. The 36-year-old Sherwood Park native is part of a rotation for a spot on the team’s third defence pairing, a rotation that includes Brandon Davidson and former Oil Kings captain Griffin Reinhart. Eaves left the game in the first period and did not return.

What is it? The concept is pretty simple, guess who scores the Oilers’ first goal of the evening and you could win a prize. He was faultless on the two Blues goals, the second one a bullet of a one-timer from the top of the left-wing circle by Vladimir Tarasenko at 16:01 of the second period. “(I) thought we stayed with it”. “How does that compare to a few of the other players I’ve been around?”

Thirdly, defenceman Justin Schultz added to his strong body of early-season work, particularly his in the offensive zone. “I’m more prepared this season”.

The Oilers didn’t quit, say that for them. The result was a very good, motivated team.