The Edmonton Oilers seem to be finding their way.

Connor McDavid and Co. picked up their third straight win Thursday as the Oilers defeated the St. Louis Blues by a 3-2 score.

It was a comeback effort for the Oilers, as the Blues led 2-1 late in the final frame. Cam Talbot was a key factor in the outcome, as he turned aside 34 shots, including a number of big saves early in the game, to preserve the win.

The victory comes on the heels of wins over the San Jose Sharks and Minnesota Wild to give the Oilers their first three-game win streak of the season.

The latest win shows further signs of a turnaround in Edmonton after the team entered December with a 10-14-2 record. The Oilers now sit five points out of the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

The Oilers will look to push their streak to four games when they face off against the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

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A pair of questionable calls put the Columbus Blue Jackets behind the 8-ball Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After carrying a 1-0 lead into the third period, and then tying it at two late in the final frame, the Blue Jackets fell 3-2 in a shootout.

Both of Pittsburgh's goals came on the man advantage, but it was another call against Columbus that didn't sit well with the Blue Jackets' fiery bench boss.

A faceoff violation call against Artemi Panarin shifted the Blue Jackets' penalty kill scheme and ultimately led to a powerplay marker for Evgeni Malkin.

While Tortorella called it the right decision, the coach took umbrage that the whistled play had an impact on the game's outcome.

"It's a rule, so the teams can't decide the games. Other people decide the games. It's the rule. They made the right call," Tortorella told Aaron Portzline of The Athletic. "But it's frustrating that we don't just let the guys who are supposed to put on the show put on the show."

A cross checking call on forward Boone Jenner, who was a handed a major penalty and a game misconduct, earlier in the game also caught the ire of Tortorella, who thought it was too stiff of a punishment.

"I don't get it. It's barely a two-minute penalty," Tortorella added. "I hope we take a long look at that, at least rescind it, so we don't have that on his record.

"I lose a top-six forward. I just don't understand that. You can't guess on those type of plays. In this type of game, the intensity going on there ... it's a tough job there, I know it is. But it's not even close to a game misconduct."

Thursday's loss pushed the Blue Jackets' record to 5-5-1 in December.

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Cam Ward isn't done backstopping the Carolina Hurricanes to victory.

Seemingly replaced as the team's No. 1 netminder after the acquisition of Scott Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks this past offseason, Ward has been taking advantage of his spot starts as of late, most recently stopping 28 of 29 shots in a win over the Nashville Predators on Thursday.

For the season, Ward is now 7-2-1 with a .911 save percentage, and he's clearly not ready to abdicate a crease he's stood tall in for quite some time.

Those aren't Vezina Trophy numbers, but Ward is giving the Hurricanes a better chance to win than Darling, whose record stands at 8-10-6 with an .896 save percentage.

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Ken Hitchcock is a winner.

The Dallas Stars bench boss picked up his 800th career win Thursday. In perfect Hitchcock fashion, his team prevented the opposing Chicago Blackhawks from finding the back of the net, as Dallas won 4-0.

It's been a year of milestones for Hitchcock, who earlier this season passed Al Arbour for third place on the all-time wins list.

Only two coaches stand between Hitchcock and the top of the chart: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville (868) and legendary bench boss Scotty Bowman (1,244).

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Hampus Lindholm had himself a night.

The Anaheim Ducks blue-liner fired home a trio of goals Thursday, including the overtime winner as the Ducks downed the New York Islanders 5-4.

The trio of tallies gave Lindholm six goals on the season and the first hat trick of his career. The victory also saw Anaheim snap a three-game losing skid.

Ondrej Kase and Rickard Rakell also scored for the Ducks.

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Josh Bailey is here to help.

While it wasn't all smiles for the New York Islanders forward Thursday - as his team fell in overtime to the Anaheim Ducks - Bailey continued to build on his career year.

Picking up three assists on the night, Bailey moved into top spot as the NHL assist leader, leapfrogging Jakub Voracek, Blake Wheeler, and Steven Stamkos.

Bailey now has 35 helpers on the season. He finished last year with 13 goals and 43 assists in 82 games.

The 28-year-old picked the perfect time for a breakout, as he can become an unrestricted free agent in July, meaning pay day could be just around the corner.

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It was a short night for Pekka Rinne.

The Nashville Predators netminder was chased early Thursday against the Carolina Hurricanes after allowing four goals on just six shots.

It marked the first time this season in which Rinne got the hook from coach Peter Laviolette. Backup goalie Juuse Saros replaced Rinne at the 6:29 mark of the opening frame.

The veteran keeper entered Thursday with a .927 save percentage and 2.36 goals-against average through 26 games.

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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman took issue not only with recent comments made by Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk, but also the way they were portrayed.

On the eve of the NHL100 Classic in Ottawa, Melnyk mentioned the remote possibility of relocation at some point down the road if ticket sales don't improve.

Speaking on Sportsnet 590's "Prime Time Sports" on Thursday, Bettman admitted the comments were poorly timed.

"If you're asking me if I was happy about the swirl of attention that those comments got while we were basically closing out our centennial celebration, the answer is no," Bettman said.

At the same time, how those comments were interpreted may have also been out of line.

"How what he said was portrayed was blown out of proportion because he never said, 'I'm moving,'" Bettman added. "What he said was 'I need a new building and for the long term if things got bad I'll have to deal with it.'"

Melnyk's comments were a matter of long-term forecasting, but in Bettman's opinion, would have been better off left unsaid, especially given the occasion.

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Alex Ovechkin is moving his feet.

The Washington Capitals captain is back to his old self this season, already with 23 tallies on the year and on pace to break the 50-goal barrier for the fourth time in the past five campaigns.

It's a nice bounce back for Ovechkin, who finished last year with just 33 goals. Good numbers for sure, but not the level that Capitals fans have become accustomed to.

So what's changed? According to Capitals coach Barry Trotz, Ovechkin has tapped into his familiar playing style that combines fast footwork and an intimidating physical presence, making him a constant offensive threat.

"I felt there was too much glide in his game. I thought he could be way more productive if he could get his legs moving to get to spaces he wasn't getting into last year," Trotz told Sportsnet's "Hockey Central at Noon" on Thursday. "He got married and once he came back from his honeymoon he recommitted to getting into the shape so he could play that way."

The results have been evident so far, as Ovechkin stands atop the NHL's goal scoring charts with countryman Nikita Kucherov.

Earlier this season, Ovechkin leapfrogged Mark Recchi to move into the top 20 in all-time NHL goal scoring. He sits 19 shy of 600 career markers.

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