EDMONTON, Alberta _ The first two weeks of the NHL season has put on display the tremendous young talent in the league. From Auston Matthews' four-goal game for Toronto in his debut to Patrik Laine's hat trick for Winnipeg, there is no shortage.
But it's difficult to get anyone to disagree that Edmonton's Connor McDavid, the No. 1 overall pick a year ago, remains at the top. He showed that again Thursday against the Blues, without even scoring.
McDavid speed and hands set up Milan Lucic's goal 36 seconds into the third period, and that proved to be the game-winner in a 3-1 victory over the Blues at Rogers Place.
The loss for the Blues, who picked up a goal from former Edmonton forward Nail Yakupov, was their first in regulation this season. They are 3-1-1 as they head to Calgary to wrap up a three-game road trip.
McDavid finished with just one assist, but it was the most eye-popping moment of Thursday's game. He drove the left lane of the ice in the Oilers' offensive zone that lured both his defender Alex Pietrangelo and Jay Bouwmeester to him. Then with Bouwmeester's man uncovered, McDavid sent Lucic a pass and he put in the wide-open look on Jake Allen.
The Blues fell behind a goal, and despite directing 77 shots toward Edmonton goalie Cam Talbot, they couldn't find a second goal. Yakupov nearly had it, which would have been his second of the game, but after showing off his speed and wrapping around Talbot, he hit the post with 9 minutes, 46 seconds left in regulation.
Jake Allen only saw 22 shots but they were of extremely high quality. He kept it a one-goal game for the Blues for much of the third period, turning away the Oiler's Jordan Eberle and another from Lucic.
Edmonton improved to 4-1 in their new building, Rogers Place, which gasped several times Thursday when McDavid touched the puck. That included the last time, when he backhanded in an empty-netter for his fourth goal of the season. His two-point night gave him eight on the season (four goals, four assists).
The arrival of McDavid was one of the chief reasons the Oilers were able to deal Yakupov to the Blues on Oct. 7, setting up his return home on Thursday.
Although Yakupov, the No. 1 overall pick in 2012, didn't pan out in Edmonton, one wouldn't know that by the attention he received the past two days.
Yakupov walked through Rogers Place, a brand-new arena in which he never played a regular-season game, and stopped to speak to just about every rink attendant in uniform. But then it was time for Yakupov to put on his No. 64 Blues uniform and face his former teammates.
A boorish first period produced a combined 18 shots on goal from both teams, but no goals, and the game headed to the second period scoreless.
The Blues had about 1 { minutes of power-play time overlap into the middle period, but that slipped away with just one shot. But then about two minutes later, Yakupov slipped into the slot and added to the myth that hockey gods do exist, scoring the Blues' first goal against his ex-club.
Yakupov celebrated and some in the crowd applauded, as Yakupov's second goal as a Blue gave the visitors a 1-0 lead just 3:37 into the period. The goal got Yakupov one closer to 15, which if he reaches would turn the conditional draft pick the Blues gave Edmonton in the deal to a second-rounder from a third-rounder.
But the Oilers were less concerned with next summer's draft as they were Thursday's game, and they didn't sit back after Yakupov's goal. The team's fourth line tied the score on a goal by Tyler Pitlick that needed a video review before becoming official.
Edmonton defenseman Andrej Sekera put a point shot on net that was deflected by Pitlick in front. He got a piece of the puck, and it was headed in, but then Pitlick got a piece of Allen.
That got the attention of the Blues, who called for a coach's challenge, citing goalie interference. The officials took a look, but determined that the contact came after the goal was scored.
The Blues lost their timeout and they lost their lead, as Pitlick's third of the season tied the score, 1-1, with just 6:22 into the second period.
Lucic, compliments of McDavid, made it 2-1 early in the third period, and Talbot closed the door on the Blues. They finished with 35 shots on net, they had 30 more blocked and missed 12.
