The Edmonton Oilers grabbed a crucial two points in the tight Pacific Division playoff race, defeating the San Jose Sharks 5-3 at Rogers Place. The Oilers now have a seven-point cushion over the Sharks and jumped into second place in the Pacific Division, leapfrogging the Vegas Golden Knights, who lost 2-0 to the Buffalo Sabres.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy, Vasily Podkolzin, Max Jones, and Zach Hyman scored for Edmonton, while Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda, and Kiefer Sherwood scored for San Jose. Connor Ingram stopped 27 of 30 shots for a .900 save percentage (SV%) in the win, while Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 32 of 37 shots for an .865 SV% in the loss. Here are three takeaways from this massive divisional win.
Oilers’ Depth Came Through
Earlier in the day, the Oilers announced that superstar Leon Draisaitl would miss the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury. While that’s a massive blow, this provides an opportunity for other players to step up and gain some confidence down the stretch. That’s exactly what happened in this game.
Related: 4 Oilers Who Need to Step Up in Draisaitl’s Absence
In limited minutes, the fourth line was fantastic. Jones played 6:56, Adam Henrique played 10:12, and Trent Frederic played 7:01. That trio each got a point on Jones’ game-winning goal. A strong forecheck, forcing turnovers, and getting to the net led to that goal. Frederic won a battle in the corner and centred the puck to Henrique. Then, Henrique found Jones in front of the blue paint, and he outmuscled the defender and jammed the puck home. That was simple hockey, and that’s how the fourth line must play to be effective.
After that goal, they had another shift immediately. They sustained offensive zone time while maintaining momentum throughout a line change, and the top line came on and scored another goal following another great fourth-line shift.
Jones had one goal, two shots, and four hits; Henrique had two assists and two shots; and Frederic had one assist, one shot, and two blocked shots. That line was outstanding, but the home team also got contributions from Podkolzin and Murphy. The Oilers scored five goals, and Connor McDavid was held to only one power-play assist. That’s saying something with how well the depth played. This was arguably Henrique’s best game of the season.
Oilers Had a Sloppy Second Period
The Oilers had a 3-1 lead after one, but they gave it up in the second period. They weren’t ready to play in the middle frame, and the Sharks capitalized on Edmonton’s mistakes. If it weren’t for Ingram, the Sharks could’ve easily taken the lead into the intermission. The Oilers’ netminder made some massive saves to keep his team in it until they found some momentum.
After a solid first period, the Oilers completely fell asleep in the middle frame. They looked lethargic and lackadaisical, leading to unforced errors. They weren’t generating speed through the neutral zone, and they were missing routine and easy passes. They kept trying to flip the puck from the neutral zone, but they didn’t have enough speed on the forecheck to retrieve those pucks. That led to easy clearing attempts by the Sharks’ blueliners. The visitors had a 15-12 advantage on the shot clock in the second period and a 7-4 advantage in high-danger chances at 5-on-5.
Fortunately, the Oilers found their game in the third period and poured on the pressure. They bounced back after an underwhelming second period and took control of the game. They responded well, and that was great to see.
Oilers Limited Smith & Celebrini
The Sharks are a rebuilding team that relies on their youth for offence, most notably Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini. Celebrini is already a superstar in the NHL, and he’s currently fifth in league scoring with 95 points in 65 games. However, the youngster was held pointless with two shots and one hit in 22:51 of ice time. He was noticeable with the puck, but the Oilers didn’t allow him to generate much offensively and kept him on the perimeter. They played him extremely well.
The Oilers also held Smith to just one shot in 13:27 of ice time. Unlike his teammate, he wasn’t noticeable and didn’t look dangerous. Edmonton did a great job of containing the Sharks’ best players, forcing their depth to beat them. The Oilers’ depth was better, and that was ultimately the difference.
The Oilers continue their four-game homestand against the defending two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers on Thursday (March 19). Keep following The Hockey Writers for all your NHL content throughout the season.
