Connor McDavid scored a hat trick in the season opener, Cam Talbot made 26 saves and the Edmonton Oilers beat the Calgary Flames 3-0 on Wednesday night.
Mike Smith stopped 42 shots in his debut for the Flames, who fell to 0-7-1 in their last eight openers.
McDavid, the NHL MVP last season, began the scoring 11 minutes into the first period when he beat a helpless Smith after taking a pass from Leon Draisaitl.
Talbot had to be sharp on several occasions to keep the second period scoreless, although the Oilers led 29-21 in shots after 40 minutes.
Edmonton went up 2-0 eight minutes into the third as McDavid turned on the jets to blow past a pair of Calgary defenders and beat Smith up high on a breakaway. It was his third breakaway of the game and 150th career point.
McDavid put his third goal into an empty net as Draisaitl set him up again after a crushing hit by Milan Lucic pried the puck loose.
NOTES: It was the Oilers' 38th season opener and the 29th time they've started at home. They are 18-8-3 in those games. ... Edmonton won all four games against Calgary last season. The teams will face off five times this season. ... Recently signed forward Jaromir Jagr did not make the trip with the Flames. ... During pregame ceremonies, the Oilers paid tribute to police officer Const. Mike Chernyk, who was struck by a car and stabbed in Edmonton on Saturday, yet the joined the team on ice for the national anthem.
UP NEXT
Flames: Host the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night.
Oilers: At the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
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