WINNIPEG, Manitoba — Mike Smith stopped 26 shots in his third shutout of the season, and the Edmonton Oilers blanked the Winnipeg Jets 3-0 on Saturday night.
Tyson Barrie, Jesse Puljujarvi and Alex Chiasson scored for the Oilers, who had not played since a 5-0 loss at Calgary last Saturday. Captain Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl each had two assists.
Edmonton (26-12-2) pulled within three points of Winnipeg for second place in the North Division.
The Jets (27-15-3) were playing their fourth game in six nights. Connor Hellebuyck stopped 22 shots in the loss.
Hellebuyck put on a show in the first period to keep the well-rested Oilers at bay.
In a two-minute span midway through the frame, last year’s Vezina Trophy winner denied Kailer Yamamoto and Chiasson on breakaways before shutting the door on Zack Kassian with a dangerous tip in front.
Both teams came into the game with identical second-ranked power plays, but Edmonton finished 2 for 6 with the man advantage while Winnipeg went 0 for 3.
The Jets took four penalties in a row between the first and second periods, and the Oilers’ dangerous power play made them pay on the fourth one.
With Neal Pionk in the box for hooking, the Oilers finally managed to sneak a puck past Hellebuyck when Barrie one-timed McDavid’s setup from the point at 12:00 of the second.
Puljujarvi made it 2-0 when he converted a beautiful no-look, one-handed pass by McDavid from behind the net at 6:37 of the third. Two Jets defensemen converged on McDavid, leaving Puljujarvi all alone in the crease.
Chiasson helped close it out with Edmonton’s second power-play tally of the game, a slap shot from the point at 12:57 of the third.
The Oilers improved to 5-2-0 versus Winnipeg this season.
UP NEXT
Oilers: At Montreal on Monday night to open a two-game series.
Jets: Host Toronto on Thursday night to open a two-game series
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