![\"Leon](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Leon-Draisaitl-Oilers-5-1200x800.jpg\")
Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl, left wing Zach Hyman and center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins celebrate a goal on Nashville Predators goalie Justus Annunen (Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n
Goaltender Connor Ingram<\/a> made 26 saves in a winning effort for the Olers. Nashville netminder Justus Annunen stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced.<\/p>\n Thanks to the victory, Edmonton\u2019s record improves to 33-26-9. With 75 points, the Oilers sit third in the Pacific Division standings, one point back of the second-place Vegas Golden Knights (31-22-14) and two back of the division-leading Anaheim Ducks (37-27-3).<\/p>\n Strong Start Propels Oilers<\/p>\n This was one of the Oilers\u2019 best 60-minute performances of the season, and it was keyed by a strong start, when Draisaitl scored on the power play just 3:12 into the first period. From that point on, Edmonton was in the lead.<\/p>\n Related: 3 Takeaways From Oilers\u2019 4-3 Victory Over Avalanche<\/a><\/p>\n It was a welcome reversal for the Oilers, who gave up the game-opening goals at 0:32 and 1:23 of the first period to the Colorado Avalanche last Tuesday (March 10) and the Dallas Stars on Thursday (March 12), respectively. Edmonton\u2019s win percentage when scoring first this season is now .735 (from a record of 25-4-5), which ranks fourth among all Western Conference teams, and second among Pacific Division clubs.<\/p>\n In 32 career games against the Predators, Draisaitl now has an incredible 30 goals. Only Jarome Iginla has scored more career goals against Nashville, with 42 in 68 games.<\/p>\n Oilers Stick Up For Teammate<\/p>\n Barely over a minute after he scored, Draisaitl took a hard hit<\/a> from Predators forward Ozzy Wiesblatt. He left the ice and limped back to the Oilers\u2019 dressing room. He returned to the bench and stepped out on the ice during a stoppage in play to test how he felt, but did not play the rest of the game and was not on Edmonton\u2019s bench for the final two periods.<\/p>\n While the hit from Wiesblatt wasn\u2019t really dirty, the Oilers made sure he had to answer for it. First, Kasperi Kapanen slashed the Predators forward, then Trent Frederic threw Wiesblatt to the ice.<\/p>\n Kapanen and Frederic were both given two-minute minors for their transgressions, but the Oilers successfully killed off both penalties. And after the game, Edmonton coach Kris Knoblauch praised his team for sticking up for each other.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t mind killing those; you\u2019re sticking up for your team,\u201d \u00a0Knoblauch said while speaking to media after the game<\/a>. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to take them too often, but if you never take those penalties, you probably have a pretty disconnected team, and sometimes, as painful as it is, sometimes it bites you, but for your team, you need some of that throughout the season.\u201d<\/p>\n For a team that\u2019s been mired in mediocrity like Edmonton has this season, anything galvanizing and unifying can be a huge positive. As for Draisaitl, Knoblauch didn\u2019t seem overly concerned about the superstar centre being out for an extended period.<\/p>\n \u201cThe medical staff looked at him, and they were comfortable with him trying it out, and he went out, and he just didn\u2019t feel quite right, so the fact that the medical staff said \u2018it doesn\u2019t seem too bad, no immediate red flags\u2019 tells me that it shouldn\u2019t be a really long injury,\u201d Knoblauch said. \u201cThere might be some time off, but we\u2019ll find out later.\u201d<\/p>\n Ingram Continues to Solidify Role in Crease<\/p>\n During his pre-game media availability<\/a>, Knoblauch said that Ingram \u201cis our starting goalie, he\u2019ll be getting the majority of the starts, as of now, until something changes.\u201d<\/p>\n While Knoblauch\u2019s words weren\u2019t exactly shocking, given the recent struggles of Oilers netminder Tristan Jarry, they served as a strong statement, nonetheless.<\/p>\n Ingram rewarded his coach\u2019s faith with another strong performance on Sunday, making a number of impressive saves. The veteran goaltender is now 3-1-0 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.53 and save percentage (SV%) of .897 in five starts this month. That represents a massive improvement from his prior seven appearances, which saw him go 2-3-0 with a 3.69 GAA and .850 SV%.<\/p>\n The Oilers only have one instance of playing games on back-to-back dates over the remainder of their 2025-26 season schedule, meaning they can lean heavily on Ingram so long as he continues to perform at his current level.<\/p>\n Expect Ingram to get the start again when the Oilers are next in action, at home on Tuesday (March 17) against the San Jose Sharks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a>![\"SUBSCRIBE](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Oilers_Banner-1200x122.jpg\")
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