Connor McDavid reaches career milestones in Oilers' 5-2 win over Mammoth

SALT LAKE CITY — It was a night of career milestones at the Delta Center, but the game didn't go the way Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny would have liked for his 400th career game.

The Oilers took the lead — and momentum — after a hectic middle period, pushing themselves to a 5-2 victory over Utah.

Connor McDavid — arguably the best player in the NHL and best of his generation — reached two milestones of his own Tuesday night. The three-time MVP added to his storied career by surpassing the 400-goal milestone and recording his 1,200th NHL point.

"Goal scoring is something that has not come easy to me or naturally to me," McDavid said. "It's something that I work at. There's good nights and bad nights in that area. Fortunate to have scored a couple goals in this league."

When asked if he agreed if McDavid was a natural goal scorer or not, Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch replied: "No, I don't."

"He looks pretty natural scoring goals," Knoblauch said. "I think maybe he's better in playmaking, but he's a natural goal scorer."

A miscue by the Oilers led to the Mammoth's first goal when Alex Kerfoot's shot in the opening period hit off two Edmonton defenseman before finding its way into the back of the net.

Jack Roslovic answered with a goal of his own on a nice pass from Jake Walman. It was the first of two goals from Roslovic on a night where his pair of goals would be overshadowed by his teammate.

But it was the three goals that were scored over a one-minute stretch around the midway point of the second period, two of which went the Oilers' way, that changed the game.

Soon after the Mammoth went on power play for the first time in the game, Matt Savoie scored a short-handed goal for Edmonton, the second short-handed goal Utah has allowed in the past three games.

But Lawson Crouse made up for the Mammoth's miscue by evening the score with a power-play goal of his won. That excitement was short-lived, though.

McDavid answered immediately, scoring right after the faceoff for his 400th career-goal. McDavid beat two Utah defenders to the puck before burying his shot into the net.

The Oilers weren't finished there. Roslovic added to Edmonton's lead with his second goal after Vejmelka failed to secure the puck. It was a shaky game for Vejmelka, who has typically been strong in the net for Utah and entered Tuesday's game with the second-most wins and was tied for the second-best save percentage in the NHL.

Vejmelka was ultimately replaced by Vitek Vanecek to open the third period, who kept the Mammoth in the game with 10 saves but Utah failed to generate any offense.

After allowing Crouse's power-play goal, the Oilers dug in and prevented Utah from making any threat to the lead in the third period.

The Mammoth had chances to put more shots on goal but miss fired shots frequently that went wide of the net. The Oilers' defense was strong for the duration of the game, something that doesn't happen often for the reigning Western Conference champions.

McDavid added an empty net goal — his 401st of his career — to put the final nail in the coffin and seal Edmonton's fifth victory over Utah to remain undefeated against the NHL's newest franchise.

"They're a good team," Kerfoot said. "They've been in the cup finals twice in a row. It's hard to beat good teams in this league. They've got some elite players. We'd like to do a better job against them, and it's no excuse."

The Mammoth were left undermanned for the majority of the game after Barrett Hayton took a hit and left the ice just seconds into the game. It was a case of friendly fire as Hayton collided with Jack McBain. Hayton did not return to the game.

"We have no news on Barrett Hayton," Tourigny said. "He will have more exams tomorrow, and we'll figure out the nature of it."

The Mammoth could potentially see the Oilers in the first or second round of the playoffs if things play out that way. But McDavid had high praise for his opponent on the ice after the game.

"They're loaded with talent," McDavid said. "They're super good with the puck. I thought we did a good job checking tonight and keeping it all kind of on the outside, but they got some great shooters that can score from out there."

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