EDMONTON, Alberta _ The New York Islanders didn't respond from one of their poorer outings with one of their better ones, nor did they make a convincing argument to management that this squad can navigate the playoff race without help before Monday's trade deadline.
The Islanders must heed this result. They must play better.
The Oilers won, 4-3, on Connor McDavid's goal at 1:22 of overtime on Thursday night at Rogers Place. The Islanders were hemmed in in their defensive zone for long stretches, particularly in a third period in which they were outshot 17-6 and were unable to protect a one-goal lead.
It came after Wednesday night's 4-2 loss at Calgary in which coach Barry Trotz graded his team's effort as an "F" and bemoaned the team's inability to effectively exit their zone or establish puck possession up ice.
The Metropolitan Division-leading Islanders (35-18-7), who need three points to match last season's total, saw their lead slip to two points after the second-place Capitals won, 3-2, at Toronto.
They are 9-0-1 in the second game of back-to-back sets but avoided losing consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Dec. 4-6.
The Islanders conclude their three-game Western Canada swing on Saturday night at Vancouver.
The Oilers, pressuring throughout the third period, finally tied the score at 3 at 17:08 as defenseman Oscar Klefbom got to the crease, a frequent occurrence for the opponents in the first two games of this trip.
The Oilers (25-29-6) snapped a five-game losing streak as former Islanders prospect Mikko Koskinen stopped 20 shots and didn't need to make his first save of the third period until 9:34 when he stuck out his pad on Jordan Eberle. The Oilers took the first 11 shots of the third period.
Robin Lehner made 37 saves.
"There's not too many times I can say we weren't fully invested in a game and (Wednesday) night, we just weren't," Trotz said. "I trust this group."
Still, the Islanders' first period started much like Wednesday night's, with the Oilers outskating them and beating them in puck battles while the Islanders had trouble exiting their own zone. And, like Wednesday, the Islanders fell behind, 2-0, as the Oilers took an 8-2 shot advantage.
Leon Draisaitl, with a perfect power-play feed from McDavid to the right post, made it 1-0 at 5:12 and Sam Gagner, taking a backhanded feed from Tobias Rieder on the rush, made it 2-0 at 6:30.
Unlike Wednesday night, the Islanders got to their game before the third period.
Anders Lee, knocking in his own rebound at the right post, cut the Islanders' deficit to 2-1 at 12:57.
Then McDavid threw his forearm into defenseman Nick Leddy's head at 17:38 _ no doubt a play the NHL Department of Player Safety will review _ and the Islanders went on a five-on-three advantage at 18:26 as Kris Russell slashed Lee. Lee and defenseman Darnell Nurse, who fought in the last game, exchanged a high stick and a cross check.
Brock Nelson's one-timer from the right circle off Eberle's feed tied the score at 2 with 38.2 seconds to go and Cal Clutterbuck gave the Islanders a 3-2 lead with 10.3 seconds left as he redirected Ryan Pulock's feed with the Islanders skating five-on-four.
Leddy, after being sent off the ice presumably to go through concussion protocol, returned at 1:25 of the second period. He wound up taking the Islanders' first shot of the period, which didn't come until 11:49.
