'We found a way': Oilers survive scare in Chicago, look for 4th straight win in Minnesota
Jay Woodcroft could hardly wait to get out of Chicago Wednesday night.
Not only did his team barely hang on to win 5-4 over the Blackhawks after holding a 4-1 lead, but the Edmonton Oilers are right back at it Thursday night.
"We got the two points and we're ready to move on. It's 11:45 at night right now and we're gonna get on a plane and go to Minnesota," the head coach said.
Woodcroft spoke to reporters for just 61 seconds, according to a video posted by the team. He chatted for eight minutes after the Oilers beat Florida 4-3 Monday.
The coach took three questions in Chicago and kept his answers to the point.
"We found a way to get 2 points and that was our goal heading into the game. We were up 4-1 and there were a couple penalty calls made, and they made it interesting, but we found a way to get the win," Woodcroft said.
The Oilers (13-10) have less than 24 hours to travel, rest and reset before taking on the Wild (10-9-2) in Minnesota.
They beat Chicago thanks in part to a three-point night by Leon Draisaitl and a goal and an assist from both Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
A bright spot for the team was the emergence of some offence from depth players. Former Blackhawk Mattias Janmark scored his first of the year and added an assist.
"Always nice to score against an old team like that, for sure," he said. "Goals are hard to come by in this league, so you gotta try to convert, and we did a good job today."
Jesse Puljujarvi also had an assist. Although he hasn't scored in 16 games, he now has three helpers in his last five games.
"It was little scrambled in the end but we won. That's the important thing," he told reporters.
"I felt good there with Nuge and Janmark. We made those little plays and when we had a chance to shoot, we shoot. Nice couple of goals there."
Minnesota has won six straight games against the Oilers, but this is the first matchup this year.
The puck drops shortly after 6 p.m. MT and Jack Campbell is expected to be in the net for Edmonton.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.