EDMONTON — As the seconds ticked down in the second period, the Edmonton Oilers’ top line couldn’t make any headway to regain control of the puck from the Columbus Blue Jackets. The visitors seemed to be toying with them in the Edmonton zone, punctuating their clear edge to that point.

The fans then let the Oilers have it. Boos rained down before they left the ice trailing by two goals. Things had gone from awful to horrific just two nights after they were soundly embarrassed by the Colorado Avalanche.

“The group likes to put itself in a tough spot and then, just when you think it’s a tough spot, we go a little bit further,” captain Connor McDavid said, chuckling. “Then we decide it’s time to go.”

That McDavid was able to make light of the loud Bronx cheers can be attributed to an inspired comeback that ended in a 5-4 win, highlighted by him scoring two scintillating goals in the third period.

Jake Walman tied it up by netting his second goal of the game in bizarre fashion, his pass attempt redirecting off Blue Jackets’ Mathieu Olivier and into the top corner with 57.9 seconds left in regulation while the Oilers were short-handed.

Columbus native and former Blue Jacket Jack Roslovic then netted the decisive marker on a breakaway 56 seconds into the extra frame after being sent in by Walman.

But the Oilers don’t even have a chance in this one without McDavid’s sublime individual efforts. He left the Oilers faithful with lots to cheer about.

OH MY GOSH CONNOR MCDAVID THAT WAS FILTHY 🤢 pic.twitter.com/4EvPquPiBf

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 11, 2025

“Connor wasn’t going to let us lose,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “He was so determined to get the job done.”

McDavid tried to set the tone going into Monday’s game by stating “enough is enough” the day after the 9-1 beatdown levied by the Avalanche.

That performance was an abomination, a culmination of all the things that have been wrong with the Oilers this season in earning just six wins through their first 16 games. Basically, the only way that sentiment existed over the first 40 minutes was through specific accountability.

Trent Frederic spent a couple days getting maligned over doing next to nothing so far this season — one goal, no fights and little hitting — and even drew some criticism from Knoblauch.

He responded by dropping his gloves with Olivier, perhaps the toughest player in the NHL, on his first shift of the game. He needed repairs that cost him most of the first period and wound up with a black eye.

Frederic was rewarded with a net-front role on the power-play in the second, taking a spot on the first unit vacated by the injured Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and was praised repeatedly by teammates postgame.

Knoblauch also vowed on Sunday that he’d taking away ice time for untimely and ill-advised decisions. He made good on that promise by benching No. 1 defenceman Evan Bouchard for the last eight minutes of the first period after what Knoblauch called a “retaliatory” slashing penalty behind the Edmonton net.

The Blue Jackets didn’t capitalize on the power play, but Ivan Provorov opened the scoring three seconds after Bouchard stepped out of the box. Their next two goals came in the second period off the sticks of Sean Monahan and Boone Jenner. That left the Oilers trailing 3-1. They were playing poorly. They were pressed in their zone with turnovers the major culprit.

“We don’t have that swagger to make more plays,” Knoblauch said.

“We’re shooting ourselves in the foot a little too much — or a lot too much,” Walman said.

As bad as it was to get demolished by the Avalanche, at least they’re the class of the NHL. To be the second-best team to that point against the Blue Jackets, a middling opponent that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020, in a pivotal response game no less, was even worse.

They were reminded of that by those in attendance.

“They deserved to boo,” Walman said. “It’s not a cheap ticket. These fans love this team.

“When we’re not performing out there, I wouldn’t be happy if I were sitting in the stands, too.”

That’s when McDavid finally gave them their money’s worth.

Columbus defenceman Denton Mateychuk fell to the ice as McDavid spun around him, leading a backhand goal from the Oilers captain just 58 seconds into the third.

Adam Fantilli restored a two-goal advantage for Columbus three minutes later, but McDavid had more magic left. He took a pass from Bouchard along the right wing, blew past and then cut around Kirill Marchenko before beating goalie Jet Greaves to the far post.

“Just a guy who took over for those couple shifts,” Roslovic said. “But it’s not even (just) those shifts, it’s the whole game.”

ANOTHER gorgeous goal from Connor McDavid 🤩

Wow! pic.twitter.com/G3X5nxesAd

— NHL (@NHL) November 11, 2025

The way Walman reacted to tying the contest and the way Roslovic celebrated his winner — he was in the box for high-sticking when Walman scored — said everything about how important this game was for the Oilers.

They’d lost three straight, the first two by blowing two-goal leads in St. Louis and Dallas, and then the Saturday slaughter. They have a grueling seven-game road trip ahead now.

“It felt like a little more of a bigger game than you usually get in November,” McDavid said.

It was McDavid who led them to victory, doing things only McDavid can do.

All that was needed to set the stage was a boisterous and angry fanbase, one desperate for their Oilers to play like they’re supposed to and get the results they’re expected to achieve.

“We hear it,” McDavid said. “We understand what happened on Saturday was not what we want to display to our fans. We’re all trying to win games, and we did that tonight.”