McDavid hits 999 points to save day as Oilers nearly cough up ...

The way they’d been coughing up points at home, just two wins to show for eight games in Rogers Place this year, the Edmonton Oilers have become underdogs in their own building.

When you’ve scored just 15 goals in those eight games, people honestly wouldn’t be surprised if you told them the Oilers had just lost a practice 4-2.

So everyone knew the hard-working New York Islanders would be a tough out.

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What they didn’t know is that the Oilers would turn a sure win into another third-period nightmare. In their first home game since a 2-1 lead against the Vegas Golden Knights deteriorated into a 4-2 loss last week, the Oilers blew a 3-1 lead in the final seven minutes of the third period against the Islanders.

It was equal parts ugly and scary. But when Connor McDavid puts on the cape and decides that this night is going Edmonton’s way, there’s not much the other guys can do about it. And so it was that the Oilers captain notched a goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime victory Tuesday, moving to 999 career points.

“We’re staying afloat,” McDavid said of the 8-7-1 Oilers. “That’s not what we want to do (in the third period), but ultimately we’re finding ways to win games. That’s what we’re supposed to do.

“I thought tonight was a snoozer from the beginning on both sides, but on nights like to tonight you have to generate your own momentum and I thought we were able to and get some things going. Obviously we’d like to close it out (in regulation) but we found a way in overtime.”

It’s now a virtual certainty that he hits the milestone at home Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

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“I hope I’m not going to jinx it, but I have a feeling (the chase to 1,000) is not going to get to Toronto,” grinned Draisaitl. “Knock on wood. Hopefully I’m right. I’m sure he would love to do it in front of our fans at home.”

Four points on four goals to save the night? Draisaitl, even though he’s on the same plateau as his captain on a lot of nights, still marvels at what the captain is capable of.

“We’re not talking greatness, we’re talking legendary type stuff,” he said. “It’s fun to be a part of.”

The Oilers had things comfortably in hand Tuesday when Evan Bouchard scored at 57 seconds of the third period and McDavid made it 3-1 at 10:19. But another third-period collapse sent the hosts to overtime. Anders Lee cut it to 3-2 at 12:54 and then tied it with the goalie pulled at 17:19.

Then McDavid fed Draisaitl for the winner at 1:52 to save the night.

“You just have to keep going,” said Oilers forward Adam Henrique. “You want to try and step on them when you can and put the game away earlier, but it was a solid performance on (New York’s) part. It’s going to go back and forth sometimes, you have to find a way to keep pushing and sticking with your game and it eventually paid off.”

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• The overtime goal wouldn’t have been possible, or wouldn’t have come quite so seamlessly, if it hadn’t been for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm controlling the puck, wearing out the Islanders trio and then changing up to get the fresh legs of McDavid and Draisaitl out there.

“The whole goal was set up by them,” said Draisaitl. “Unfortunately you don’t get on the scoresheet for that, but you rag the puck for 50 seconds or a minute and you get fresh guys out and it is in the back of the net. That is all certainly on the guys before us.”

• For only the second time this season the Oilers scored a power play in back-to-back games — one in Vancouver and one against the Islanders. That’s nothing compared to the last few seasons, but it’s a step in the right direction after an inexplicably slow start for the PP.

“It is getting better and better,” said Draisaitl. “I think our urgency is coming up. We’re getting more sniffs around the net. We need to keep building and chipping away at it and continuing to get back to what we’re capable of and what we expect of it.”

LATE HITS: Edmonton’s much-maligned penalty kill snuffed out two Islanders power plays in the first 22 minutes. It was just the second time in the last 10 games that the Oilers didn’t give up a goal on the man advantage… The Islanders are gutted by injuries, most notably to Matthew Brazil and Anthony Duclair, but still came into Edmonton on a 3-1-1 roll.

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