- Vasily Podkolzin fought Drew Helleson after the Ducks defenseman drove Connor McDavid into the net
- McDavid still put up four points, but Anaheim won 5-4 in Edmonton
- Read below for the full game rundown and McDavid’s 17-game point streak
Vasily Podkolzin wasn’t going to let that one slide.
The Oilers forward fought Ducks defenseman Drew Helleson in the first period Thursday after Helleson drove Connor McDavid into the Anaheim net. Podkolzin earned a game misconduct for it, and Edmonton lost 5-4 at Rogers Place.
Helleson hit McDavid after a shot attempt around the midway point of the first, and the Oilers captain crashed into the net hard. McDavid got up slowly and exchanged words with Helleson. Podkolzin went straight at the defenseman, who looked hesitant to drop the gloves while Podkolzin kept throwing.
Watch the hit and the fight:
Helleson got a two-minute minor for roughing. Podkolzin picked up a two-minute instigator, a five-minute fighting major and the game misconduct, since referee Cody Beach ruled it a one-man fight. It was Podkolzin’s first scrap of the season and the first NHL fight for Helleson.
McDavid shook it off. He assisted on Evan Bouchard’s power-play goal late in the first, then scored a shorthanded goal 2:34 into the second to put Edmonton up 2-1:
The Ducks answered with four straight goals. Pavel Mintyukov scored twice in the second period, Beckett Sennecke added two more, and Anaheim led 5-2 early in the third.
Kasperi Kapanen scored on the power play with McDavid assisting, then Leon Draisaitl made it 5-4 with 45 seconds left, also on a McDavid assist. Edmonton outshot Anaheim 27-21 but ran out of time.
McDavid finished with a goal and three assists, extending his season-opening point streak to 17 games. That ties his career high from 2021-22, per the NHL’s PR account:
He had already passed a Gretzky mark with his assist streak earlier this month, and he now has a point in every game Edmonton has played.
The Oilers host Vancouver on Saturday.
