The Edmonton Oilers picked up a big win in Vegas and were looking to keep the good times going against the Sharks on Thursday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. And while the Oilers secured the 3-2 win as planned, it was hard not to think about how they also lost Leon Draisaitl in the process.

It’s hard not to start a recap of last night’s game against the Sharks with anything other than Leon Draisaitl leaving the game late in the second period. There were a few different moments in the game when he was either tied up in a battle or took an awkward tumble to the ice, and the result was leaving the game in some clear discomfort without any real idea of what was going on. During the second intermission, Bob Stauffer speculated that it might be a core issue unrelated to what kept him out of the lineup before, but it’s hard not to wonder if he still came back too early.

Of course, regardless of the injury, we probably won’t get much of an update. The Oilers are too close to the playoffs to give out any real information — I don’t blame them, by the way, since we know the competition will take advantage of such details — and I won’t be surprised if the next update says that Leon is out day-to-day and that the return date will be uncertain. Much like the last time he was out, being without him for even one game is too many, but this will have to be another chance for the veteran-laden roster to step up and win without its two best players. The boys got the job done with Draisaitl in the third period against the Sharks, but that task gets much more difficult on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Viktor Arvidsson had a tough start to his tenure as an Oiler. I wrote about it plenty. Gregor wrote about it. Everybody talked about it. And the reason we were all rattled was because we all know that he is so much better than what the box scores were saying early in the year. As someone who cheered against Arvidsson for years, he was always so annoying because he could get under people’s skin and burn you on the scoreboard. I mean, the guy has 20-goal (and some 30) seasons all over his NHL resume, and whether it is fair or not, those numbers dictated the expectations.

With goals in three straight, Viktor Arvidsson has chipped in five in his last night games, which would be a 45-goal pace over the course of an entire season. I’m not bringing that up because I’m suggesting he’ll get close to that number or anything like that, but rather to point out how hot he can be offensive when he’s at his best. And with the playoffs just around the corner and the games turning into the kind of grinds he seems to thrive in, I’m hopeful this run he’s on will be the start of his best offensive hockey of the season. He’s already playing the best we’ve seen so far, and it’s beautiful that he’s finally being rewarded for his efforts on the scoresheet.

When I was watching the post-game breakdown on Sportsnet, they mentioned that Thursday’s win was the first time Calvin Pickard has ever had a 20-win season. That’s an incredible stat for a guy drafted in the second round back in 2010. As much as I was happy to see him lay down a .931 save percentage on 29 shots against, I was even happier to think about how he battled through 15 years of post-draft hockey before finally hitting that milestone. That’s a grind very few would have ever bet on to pay off, and a credit to his love for the game and keeping his dream alive.

How can you not love a guy who put that much time into pro hockey before finally hitting a milestone like that at 32 years old? The story gets even wilder when we remember that Calvin Pickard was initially brought in as the third-string option behind Jack Campbell and Stuart Skinner, only to get thrown into the backup spot unexpectedly, end up playing two playoff games last spring, and now this running career-high in wins. That’s a hell of a story for a guy no one would have ever predicted to be here. And while you can say what you will about the Oilers’ goaltending situation, cheering for Pickard is one of the easiest things you can do. How can you not love an unexpected hero? That’s our pal, Cal. At least he is from my side of the TV screen.

How about Connor Brown’s goal at the 6:22 mark of the first period? Our man flew through the neutral zone so fast that we could have thought it was the other Connor for a minute. That one was scored with a 20-goal touch, and while it was only Brown’s ninth of the year, he pumped that puck into the back of the net like it was his 20th. Like many of his teammates, Brown has had some healthy gaps between goals at times, but none of that will matter if he can start heating up as we play out these last handful of games.

As I’m sure you remember, Brown cranked his game up in a big way at this point last season, and I’m asking the Hockey Gords to help him make it happen again. I and the rest of the fanbase loved everything about playoff Connor Brown, and I’m bullish on No. 28 getting that mojo going again. Depth scoring is so crucial at this time of year, and Brown is a guy who has done it at this level before, so we’re going to need him to summon that touch once more. Take my energy, Connor Brown. We need ya.

1. Pray for Leon.

2. Jeff Skinner keeps scoring goals despite often playing limited minutes, and I will build him a statue in my yard if he can keep that trend going. He’s going to score a massive goal in the playoffs, and I’m going to explode into a cloud of glitter.

3. The Skinner-Janmark-Brown trio produced both of the Oilers’ 5v5 goals, and you love to see the depth goals coming from guys who don’t always get the most offensive opportunities. If that trio can keep building this chemistry, they could absolutely be a weapon as we end up in the post-season.

4. Did anybody else get nervous when you found out the Sharks were starting a goaltender with only three NHL starts on his resume? Georgi Romanov got shelled in his last outing against the L.A. Kings, so it almost felt like a trap game where an unknown goalie pulled out a Vezina performance that stole a win. We’ve seen that movie before, and the kid did his damnedest to pull it off. Romanov ended up with a .921 save percentage on 38 shots against, which was the primary reason the Sharks were in the game until the end. Almost, kid. Almost.

5. We got the best of both sides of Evan Bouchard against the Sharks, didn’t we? On the one hand, there was the goal by Toffoli, where Dad got caught puck-watching, and on the other, we had another two points on the board for a guy who helps with the offence in a way we haven’t seen around here in quite some time. I love him. It’s a ride sometimes.

6. I love faceoff wins, and I’m pleased to report that the Oilers won 57.1% of them. Great success.

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