Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Connor McDavid scored three times to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a Game 2 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The victory evened the Stanley Cup qualifiers series at 1-1.
Tyler Ennis, James Neal and Alex Chiasson also scored for Edmonton in the 6-3 win Monday at Rogers Place.
"It was our work ethic," McDavid said when asked about the difference of play from Game 1 to Game 2. "We kept it simple. It sounds all cliche, but that's all stuff we didn't do it Game 1."
McDavid's first score Monday came just 19 seconds into the game. The three-time All-Star hovered around the Blackhawks net during the play before he received a pass from Darnell Nurse. McDavid then smashed the puck into the net past Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford from point-blank range.
McDavid lit the lamp for a second time less than four minutes later. He showed off why he is known as one of the fastest skaters in the NHL during that sequence.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins flipped a puck ahead for McDavid to spark the play. McDavid tracked down the feed before he tapped the puck around the defense and skated toward the Chicago goal. He finished the play with a flick of the puck just under the crossbar to make the score 2-0.
Blackhawks star Patrick Kane cut the Oilers lead in half 9:06 into the first frame. Ennis pushed the lead back to two scores with another Oilers goal 1:44 into the second period.
Slater Koekkoek and Olli Maatta then scored for the Blackhawks to tie the score at 3-3 with about five minutes left in the bridge frame before McDavid struck once more.
Chiasson fought for a loose puck behind the Blackhawks net at the start of that sequence. He then fired a short pass to Nugent-Hopkins. Nugent Hopkins then slapped a pass off the board behind the Blackhawks net, which found McDavid on the other side. McDavid attempted to send another pass in front of the net, but the feed deflected off of a skate and into the far-post netting as he sounded the horn for a third time.
Neal and Chiasson added unassisted scores in the third period to secure the victory for Edmonton.
"Connor led the way, especially early," Ennis said of McDavid. "He set the tone for us and gave us a spark. That's exactly what we needed and everybody followed."
The Oilers and Blackhawks continue their best-of-five playoff qualifier series with Game 3 at 10:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday in Edmonton.
