The Edmonton Oilers won despite being goalie’d by a netminder playing his sixth game in the NHL.
On Saturday afternoon, the good guys hosted the San Jose Sharks for the first matchup between the two Pacific Division rivals this season. Unlike last year, the Oilers didn’t fall in their first meeting with the rebuilding club, as a late goal pushed the game to overtime for the second time in as many game. Edmonton once again won 3-2, but let’s look at what happened.
About three and a half minutes into the game, the Oilers double-committed in the corner, leaving Luke Kunin wide open in the slot. He made no mistake beating Calvin Pickard for the game’s first goal.
The Oilers evened the game less than four minutes later, as Connor McDavid circled around the net in the offensive zone and found Zach Hyman on the weak side. Bubble Boy made no mistake in burying the one-timer, his ninth goal in eight games since he returned from injury.
Less than two minutes later, the Sharks retook the lead on a delayed penalty, as Jan Rutta’s shot from the point beat Pickard off the post and in.
Just like on Thursday against the Boston Bruins, the Oilers tied the score in the dying moments of regulation time. This time it was Mattias Ekholm who banged a pass in the slot with 17 seconds left on the clock to send the game to overtime. It was his second goal in as many games after he scored the overtime winner a earlier this week against Boston. 
After missing two open nets, Leon Draisaitl expanded on his league-leading goal total, beating Yaroslav Askarov five-hole to seal the comeback for the Oilers. This has been a Hart Trophy start to the season for Draisaitl. 

Takeaways…

Remember when Ben Scrivens set the National Hockey League record for most saves (59) in a shutout against the Sharks back in 2014? Well, 10 years, 11 months, and five days later, Yaroslav Askarov and the Sharks nearly repaid the Oilers, as Askarov saved 40 of 43 shots on Saturday afternoon. He’s the sole reason why the Sharks even had a chance to win this game.
If I had a nickel for every time I’ve watched the Sharks blow a game in the final minute, I’d have three nickels. This was the sixth consecutive game where they’ve led in the third period, but the fifth time in that span where they’ve lost the game. That’s just where they are at the point in their rebuild, as they’re a young, exciting team with the skill to push for the playoffs in a couple of seasons, but they have to learn how to close out games.
Calvin Pickard didn’t goalie the Sharks, but he was solid between the pipes, saving 20 of 22 shots for a .909 save percentage. Tomorrow, the Oilers host the Ottawa Senators, so expect Stuart Skinner to start that game.
Connor McDavid had a terrific game, as he picked up three assists to lead the Oilers. Evan Bouchard had a good bounce-back game, picking up two assists in over 25 minutes of ice time. Moreover, Draisaitl picked up his league-leading 24th goal of the season, although he could have realistically had a hat trick.
The Oilers play their final game before the Christmas break on Sunday, as they host the Ottawa Senators at 6:00 PM MT. Going into a week off riding a winning streak would certainly be nice. 
If you enjoy my content, you can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.