On March 10, 2026, inside a rocking Ball Arena in Denver, the Edmonton Oilers survived a goaltender injury, a controversial ejection, and a furious Colorado comeback attempt. Connor McDavid broke a 3-3 tie with a power-play snap shot with 10:57 remaining, lifting Edmonton to a 4-3 win over Colorado.
This game had everything. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice, Leon Draisaitl recorded his 59th and 60th assists of the season, and Nathan MacKinnon’s ejection became the game’s biggest flashpoint.
Keep reading to get the full story on one of the most eventful games of the 2025-26 NHL season.
Colorado draws first blood with a lightning start
Ross Colton scored just 32 seconds into the game, giving Colorado its NHL-leading seventh opening-minute goal of the season. His shot deflected off a stick and past Edmonton goalie Connor Ingram before the Oilers had settled in. Ball Arena erupted immediately and set a tone of intensity that never really let up throughout the night.
Edmonton refused to panic after falling behind early. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins answered on the power play at the 8:13 mark of the first period, finishing a neat exchange with Connor McDavid to tie it 1-1. Martin Necas restored Colorado’s lead before Jack Roslovic scored late in the period to send the teams into intermission tied 2-2.
Nugent-Hopkins puts Edmonton in front with a big second
Nugent-Hopkins scored again early in the second period to give the Oilers a 3-2 lead. A scramble along the boards freed up space, and he converted with the clinical finish that has defined his most efficient games this season. It was his third multigoal outing of the year and his first since December 21.
The two-goal performance was a reminder that Edmonton’s offense extends well beyond its two superstars. On nights when Nugent-Hopkins is sharp and converting chances, the Oilers become a genuinely difficult team to manage defensively for a full sixty minutes of hard, physical professional hockey.
The MacKinnon collision that turned the game upside down
With Colorado on the power play and trailing 3-2, Nathan MacKinnon drove hard to the net chasing a cross-ice pass from Brock Nelson. Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse made contact with MacKinnon just before the crease. MacKinnon then barreled directly into goaltender Connor Ingram, who left the ice bleeding from a forehead cut and did not return.
Officials called a five-minute major on MacKinnon for goaltender interference and issued him a game misconduct, ejecting the superstar for the rest of the game. The lengthy video review during the stoppage upheld the call. Colorado’s bench was furious. Coach Jared Bednar said postgame there was no chance MacKinnon hits the goalie without Nurse running into him first.
Fun fact: Despite playing 932 NHL games, MacKinnon had never once been suspended in his entire career entering this game. He also won the Lady Byng Trophy in 2019, which is awarded to the league’s most sportsmanlike player.
The NHL steps in and clears MacKinnon’s record
Two days after the game, the NHL rescinded Nathan MacKinnon’s major penalty and game misconduct from the March 10 loss to Edmonton. MacKinnon later said mistakes happen and indicated that Colorado had asked the league to review the play.
The decision was significant because NHL rules provide for an automatic suspension when a player accumulates two game misconducts in the physical infractions category within the specified window. The rescission also drew major attention because it reversed one of the game’s defining calls and removed a potential future suspension risk for MacKinnon.
Tristan Jarry steps in cold and holds the line
Backup goaltender Tristan Jarry had no warmup time and still delivered a performance that won the game for Edmonton. Jarry entered the game with just 34 seconds left in the second period after Ingram’s injury. Jarry stopped 11 of the 12 shots he faced and helped keep Edmonton within reach of the victory.
Colorado still managed to tie the game at 3-3 in the third period before McDavid struck. But without Jarry staying composed through a chaotic and emotionally charged stretch of play, the Oilers could have easily found themselves chasing the game rather than controlling its outcome. His relief performance was one of the quietest, decisive contributions of the entire night.
Fun fact: Before joining Edmonton, Jarry spent most of his NHL career in the Pittsburgh organization and dressed as Marc-André Fleury’s backup for the Penguins’ first 11 playoff games during their 2017 Stanley Cup run.
Colorado’s five-game winning streak ends painfully
Colorado had won five straight games and seven of its previous eight entering this matchup. The Avalanche were genuinely rolling and had genuine momentum as a playoff contender. Losing MacKinnon to ejection and Ross Colton to an upper-body injury in the same game left them with just 10 available forwards for the third period. That is nearly impossible to manage at this level.
Despite those disadvantages, Colorado still tied the game at 3-3 in the third and pushed Edmonton all the way to the wire. The team showed real character in the face of adversity. The Avalanche and Oilers are set to meet again in the final week of the regular season, and a playoff rematch between these two Western Conference rivals remains a very realistic possibility.
McDavid ends the debate with one perfect shot
McDavid’s goal was his 36th of the season, a snap shot on the power play that beat Mackenzie Blackwood cleanly to the far side with 10:57 remaining in the third. He spun away from Devon Toews, received a return pass from Draisaitl, and fired without hesitation. The puck was in the net before Blackwood could even react to the movement.
The goal came during a stretch in which McDavid had accumulated 15 points across eight straight games. He was awarded First Star of the game, and the Oilers were also playing the same opponent that had beaten them 9-1 on Nov. 8, 2025.
TL;DR
- Connor McDavid scored the power-play winner with 10:57 left in the third to break a 3-3 tie and lift Edmonton 4-3.
- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored twice and earned Second Star honors, Leon Draisaitl notched his 59th and 60th assists of the season.
- Nathan MacKinnon was ejected late in the second for goaltender interference; the NHL rescinded his game misconduct two days later.
- Backup goalie Tristan Jarry entered cold with 34 seconds left in the second period and stopped 11 of 12 shots.
This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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