Oilers engineer late rally to tip Sharks 3-2 in OT

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97) battles for the puck against San Jose Sharks' Mikael Granlund (64) and Timothy Liljegren (37) during second period NHL action in Edmonton, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (Timothy Matwey)

Leon Draisaitl scored 18 seconds into overtime to extend his point streak to eight games as the Edmonton Oilers overcame a slow start to win their second straight game in extra time, defeating the San Jose Sharks 3-2 on Saturday.

Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm also scored for the Oilers (20-11-2), who have won 10 of their last 12 contests. Connor McDavid had three assists, while Evan Bouchard had a pair of helpers.

Ekholm, with the goalie pulled, scored at 19:42 of the third period to tie the game and force overtime.

Luke Kunin and Jan Rutta replied for the Sharks (11-19-6), who have lost four in a row and seven of their last eight.

Calvin Pickard was only tasked to make 20 stops in net for the Oilers, while rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov stood on his head to record 41 saves in the loss for the Sharks, playing in just his sixth NHL game.

Takeaways

Sharks: Playing in his 31st game of the season, Jake Walman picked up an assist, giving him 20 helpers on the season. He became the fastest defenceman in franchise history to pick up his first 20 assists with the team, besting the previous mark established by Erik Karlsson who did it in 34 games in 2018-2019.

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Oilers: Hyman continues to be on a real hot streak, scoring for the fifth consecutive game. Hyman now has nine goals in his last eight games since returning from an injury, giving him 12 goals on the season after scoring just three goals in his first 20 games. Hyman, whose nine goals are tied for the league lead since Dec. 5, had a career year last season with 54 goals.

Key moment

Edmonton tied the game 2-2 with just 18 seconds left in the third period and their goalie pulled as Corey Perry made a quick pass to Ekholm in the slot and he blasted his fifth of the season into the net. Ekholm now has a four-game point streak.

Key stat

Edmonton has dominated the Sharks in recent years, now with wins in 10 of their last 11 meetings. Edmonton has outscored San Jose 57-22 over the last three seasons.

Up next

Sharks: Visit the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.

Oilers: Host the Ottawa Senators on Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 21, 2024.