By The Canadian Press

McDavid nets hat trick as Oilers drill Predators 6-2

Jan 6, 2026 | 10:51 PM

EDMONTON — Connor McDavid scored three goals, including one on a penalty shot, and Leon Draisaitl had a goal and two assists as the Edmonton Oilers came away with a 6-2 victory over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.

Kasperi Kapanen had a goal and an assist and Curtis Lazar also scored for the Oilers (21-16-6) who snapped a two-game losing skid.

The team that has scored first has emerged victorious in the last 20 Oilers’ games, with Edmonton now sporting an 18-1-3 record when getting the game’s first goal.

Ryan O’Reilly and Nick Blankenburg replied for the Predators (19-19-4) who have lost two of their last three.

Connor Ingram put together a 24-save performance to earn the win in net for Edmonton, while Juuse Saros made 37 stops for Nashville.

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TAKEAWAYS

Predators: Edmonton did a good job keeping Steven Stamkos off the scoresheet. The veteran forward looked listless to start the season with just five points in his first 22 games. However, he has bounced back in a big way, coming into the contest with 14 goals and 23 points in his previous 19 games, including six goals in his last eight contests.

Oilers: McDavid extended his points streak to 16 games during which he has posted 39 points (17G, 22A). It is his fourth points streak of 16 games or more, tying Denis Savard for the fourth most in NHL history behind Wayne Gretzky (16 times), Mario Lemieux (five) and Peter Stastny (five).

KEY MOMENT

The Oilers went up by four goals with 1:08 to play in the middle frame as Kapanen returned to the lineup after missing the last 36 games with an injury and took a Draisaitl feed in front of the net and recorded his first goal of the season.

KEY STATS

Draisaitl has positively feasted on the Predators in recent years. With his goal and two assists on Tuesday, the German phenom has recorded 22 goals and 42 points in his last 16 games against Nashville dating back to the 2019-20 season. Edmonton has gone 14-1-1 in those games and have outscored the Predators 72 to 36. … Ryan Nugent-Hopkins recorded his 500th career assist when he helped set up McDavid’s third goal.

UP NEXT

Predators: Host the New York Islanders on Thursday.

Oilers: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 6, 2026.

Shane Jones, The Canadian Press