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The way they had been picking up points at home, with just two wins in eight games at Rogers Place this year, the Edmonton Oilers They have become the underdogs in their own building.

When you’ve scored only 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 that the New York Island workers would be a difficult way out.

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What they didn’t know was that the Oilers would turn a certain victory into another nightmare in the third period. 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 ugly and terrifying in equal measure. but when Connor McDavid he puts on his cape and decides that he’s going the way to Edmonton tonight, there’s not much the others can do about it. And so it was that the Oilers captain had a goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime victory on Tuesday, reaching 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 in the end we’re finding ways to win games. That’s what we’re supposed to do.

“I thought tonight was going to be a dream from the beginning for both sides, but on nights like this you have to generate your own momentum and I thought we were able to make some things work. “Obviously we would like to close it out (in regulation), but we found a way in overtime.”

It’s now virtually a certainty that he will reach the milestone at home on Thursday against the Nashville Predators.

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“I hope I don’t curse him, but I have a feeling (the race to 1,000) isn’t going to make it to Toronto,” Draisaitl smiled. “Knock on wood. I hope I’m right. “I’m sure he would love to do it in front of our fans at home.”

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

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

The Oilers had things comfortably under control Tuesday when Evan Bouchard scored 57 seconds into the third period and McDavid made it 3-1 at 10:19. But another collapse in the third period sent the hosts into overtime. Anders Lee reduced the score to 3-2 at 12:54 and then tied it with the retired goalkeeper at 17:19.

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

“Just keep moving forward,” Oilers forward Adam Henrique said. “You want to try to step on them when you can and end the game early, but it was a solid performance by (New York). Sometimes it comes and goes, you have to find a way to keep pushing yourself and stick to your game and in the end it paid off.”

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

“The whole goal was set by them,” Draisaitl said. “Unfortunately you don’t get on the scoresheet for that, but you move the puck for 50 seconds or a minute and you bring out new players and it’s in the back of the net. Without a doubt, that all depends on the guys who came before us.”

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

“It’s getting better and better,” Draisaitl said. “I think our urgency is emerging. We’re getting more sniffs online. “We need to keep building it and reducing it and keep getting back to what we are capable of doing and what we expect from it.”

LATEST 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 allow a goal on the man advantage… The Islanders are ravaged by injuries, especially those to Matthew Brazil and Anthony Duclair, but they still came to Edmonton with a triple. -1-1 roll.

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