Talbot makes 33 saves, earns sixth shutout season as Oilers blank Canucks

EDMONTON — Cam Talbot made 33 saves to record his sixth shutout of the year as the Edmonton Oilers continued their hot play of late with a 2-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.

Connor McDavid and Mark Letestu scored for the Oilers (38-24-9), who have won three straight games.

The Canucks (28-34-9) have now lost six straight.

There was no scoring in the first period, with it tied 8-8 in shots. The Canucks had the best chance, with Christopher Tanev ringing a shot off the post with six minutes to play in the opening frame.

Edmonton finally broke the scoreless deadlock with 3:18 remaining in the second period as McDavid cut in with speed and beat Vancouver goalie Richard Bachman high to the glove side for his 25th goal of the season, putting back in the NHL scoring lead with 80 points.

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Talbot made a pair of big saves on Vancouver’s Markus Granlund in the second period, including one just before the buzzer sounded, to keep it 1-0 through 40 minutes.

Vancouver came close to tying it up once again midway through the third, hitting a post. Then during a major scrum in front of the Oilers net, the Canucks were unable to push the puck across the goal line.

Edmonton made it 2-0 with 4:38 left in the third period, as Leon Draisaitl made a great cross-ice feed to Letestu, who one-timed a shot past Bachman for his career-best 14th goal of the season.

The Oilers close out a season-high eight-game homestand on Monday against the Los Angeles Kings. The Canucks play the second game of a five-game trip on Tuesday in Chicago.

Notes: It was the third of five meetings this season between the two teams. Edmonton won the first game 2-0 in October, with the Canucks taking the second contest 3-2 in a shootout on Dec. 31… Bachman got just his second start of the season in net for the Canucks. The former Oiler was called up from the AHL on Feb. 27 after Jacob Markstrom sustained a lower-body injury… Tanev returned to the lineup after missing the previous three games with food poisoning.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press