logo
OilersNation has no direct affiliation to the Edmonton Oilers, Oilers Entertainment Group, NHL, or NHLPA
Flashback Friday: Looking at Ben Scrivens’ 59-save shutout over the Sharks in 2014
Edmonton Oilers Ben Scrivens
Photo credit: Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports
Ryley Delaney
Jan 30, 2026, 19:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 30, 2026, 16:30 EST
Comments
The Edmonton Oilers were not good during the Decade of Darkness.
Aside from being in the playoff conversation in 2007-08 and 2012-13 (mainly because of the lockout), the Oilers were almost always at the bottom of the league. From 2006-07 until 2015-16, the Oilers didn’t make the playoffs once, hence the nickname the “Decade of Darkness”.
There were certainly bright spots over the course of the decade. Winning the draft lottery for the 2015 draft changed the course of the franchise, as they were able to select Connor McDavid first overall. Another highlight during the Decade of Darkness is Sam Gagner’s eight-point night, and though it came before the pain really set in, who could forget Aleš Hemský’s last-second goal against the Dallas Stars after Patrik Štefan missed the empty-netter?
It’s great to see how far the Oilers have come over the past decade with McDavid leading the way. Sure, it may have taken way too long to win three consecutive games in 2025-26, but they finally got the job done on Thursday with a 4-3 overtime comeback win against the San Jose Sharks.
Ironically, one of the other most notable games during the Decade of Darkness also came on January 29th against the Sharks, but 12 years prior in 2014. In this edition of Flashback Friday, we’ll take a look at Ben Scrivens’ 59-save shutout performance.
A Jan. 30, 2014 edition of the Edmonton Journal details Ben Scrivens’ 59-save shutout of the San Jose Sharks.

Setting the stage

Scrivens, undrafted, began his career in the Toronto Maple Leafs organization after four seasons at Cornell. He made his National Hockey League debut in 2011-12, posting a .902 save percentage and 3.13 goals against average in 12 games. The following season, he had a .915 save percentage and 2.69 goals against average in 20 games during the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season.
At the 2013 draft, Scrivens was sent to the Los Angeles Kings, and had a strong performance in his 19 games, registering a .931 save percentage and 1.97 goals against average on the team that would eventually win the Stanley Cup later that season. Scrivens was not on that team though, as the Oilers would acquire him on January 15th, 2014, from the Kings for a third-round pick that year.
Up to this point, the Oilers had used four other netminders: Devan Dubnyk, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jason Labarbera, and Richard Bachman. None of them really took control of the starting job, as Dubnyk was traded to the Nashville Predators on the same day.
Scrivens made his Oilers debut the following day, allowing four goals on 33 shots from an .879 save percentage. He bounced back in his next two games, stopping 59 of 62 shots for a .952 save percentage, a precursor for his fourth game as an Oiler.
Setting the stage for this random Wednesday game, the Oilers had a 17-32-6 record, with their 40 points being the second-fewest in the league to the Buffalo Sabres’ 36. On the other hand, the Sharks were in their long window of contention that spanned a good decade and a half. Entering January 29th’s game in 2014, they were second in the Pacific Division with a 34-13-6 record and 74 points.

The game

In preparation for this article, I decided to watch this game. Let’s just say that it took me way back to when I was an angsty teen that loved Soundgarden. Moreover, it was also a blast of the past in terms of names on the ice, featuring the top line of Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Taylor Hall, as well as the wagon line of Matt Hendricks (who they got for Dubnyk), Boyd Gordon, and Ryan Jones.
The first two stops were fairly pedestrian for Scrivens, one from near the goal line and the other a wrister from the point with no traffic. His third stop was a little more dangerous, but he was square to the shooter. The bulk of his 59 saves were of this variety, but he had some big stops throughout the game.
Three minutes into the game, the Sharks got their first real look. Brent Burns, who was playing wing in this game, slapped it from the point, with Scrivens giving up a big rebound. Joe Pavelski picked it up, skated across the goal mouth, and was about to shoot before Jordan Eberle’s hook impeded his shot.
Scrivens’ first big stop came on that power play. Ryan Jones had a shorthanded breakaway that was stopped, giving the Sharks a two-on-one. Patrick Marleau skated in and took the shot, with Scrivens just getting enough of it to redirect the puck towards the corner. Six minutes into the game, Scrivens made another big stop off a point-shot rebound, and then made one of the weirder saves you’ll see.
Just six minutes into the game, the Sharks already had eight shots. After a few more, the Sharks drew another power play, and once again, Scrivens made a big stop. It was so good, even Sharks colour commentator Drew Remenda was in awe.
Scrivens made one more notable stop toward the end of the first period, while the Oilers scored to carry a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. After just one period, the Sharks had 20 shots to the Oilers seven. Before the start of the second, the Sharks’ broadcast showed which players on the two teams were heading to the 2014 Olympics, with Hemský representing Czechia, Martin Marinčin representing Slovakia, and Anton Belov representing Russia.
The Sharks’ first real scoring opportunity in the second period came about three minutes in. A shot from the left side was stopped by Scrivens, with the rebound spilling out to the high slot on the right side of the ice. That shot was also saved, with the rebound finding its way to a wide open Matt Nieto. With a gaping net, it looked like a sure goal, but Scrivens lunged across to get a pad on it.
Another few minutes went by with Scrivens making a few easy stops. Midway through the second period, the Sharks had already hit 30 shots. Then, Scrivens made the two biggest saves of the game.
The Sharks had sustained offensive zone pressure for a good minute. Eventually, the puck found its way to Jason Demers at the blue line, with the defenceman taking a shot. Scrivens made the stop in an odd way, with the rebound falling to Bracken Kearns in the slot. The Oilers netminder robbed him. On the ensuing faceoff, Scrivens leaked out a huge rebound which found its way to Demers. With no one around him, Demers looked as if he had a sure goal, but Scrivens dove across and robbed him with the glove.
After these two saves, there was a 10 minute or so span where not much happened. The Sharks didn’t get any high-danger scoring chances, with their two best chances ringing off the post. With just over three and a half minutes left in the middle frame, the Oilers drew a penalty. As you can imagine, the best chance belonged to the Sharks.
Philp Larsen couldn’t hold the puck in and Marleau overwhelmed him for a breakaway. Scrivens got a blocker on it to send it into the corner. The Oilers got brief control in the zone, but turned the puck over leading to a two-on-one. Burns passed the puck to Marleau, who was once again robbed thanks to the blocker. Somehow, the puck stayed out on a net-front scramble shortly after.
Through two periods, the Sharks had an incredible 42 shots, with Scrivens stopping all of them. It was clear at this point that this game was destined to be one for the history books if Scrivens could just find a way to keep the puck out.
The Sharks had 17 shots in the third period, but except for a flubbed shot on a two-on-one, none of their chances were of the high-danger variety. On the other hand, the Oilers extended their lead to two just over six minutes into the game, then iced it with a power play goal with 80 seconds remaining.
At the end of 60 minutes, the Sharks were unable to solve Scrivens as he set the record for the most stops in a shutout. Over his last 17 games, Scrivens cooled off, posting just a .906 save percentage in that game. Two of those games came against the Sharks, where he allowed 10 goals for an .866 save percentage.
Scrivens was the Oilers’ primary starter in 2014-15, but struggled in that role as he posted an .890 save percentage and 3.16 goals against average in 57 games. He didn’t play again with the Oilers, and was traded the following season to the Montréal Canadiens for Zack Kassian.
The 2013-14 Oilers were not a good team. Still, Scrivens’ 59-save shutout is illuminated in what is otherwise a dark period in the Oilers’ history.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. Follow her on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

Featured

Editorials

Breaking News