Don’t they say that not every win can be a Picasso? I disagree. Saturday’s 3-2 overtime win over the San Jose Sharks was a Picasso. It was one of his paintings where the eyes were in the wrong place, and you weren’t sure if you were looking at a person or a pig. Yeah, it was a Picasso, alright.

Sometimes, I still can’t believe Ken Holland was able to pull off the Mattias Ekholm trade. Given the pieces Edmonton gave up to get him, I don’t know how you can describe the transaction as anything but a landslide win for the Oilers in the short term. No matter the situation, Ekholm is more likely to do good than bad, and he’s come through in a massive way for his teammates lately on the offensive side of the puck.

Ekholm won the game for the Oilers in OT on Thursday against the Bruins, and he came up with the tying goal against the Sharks with only 18 seconds left on the clock. At a time when the pressure was at its highest, Big Viking Daddy came through with a key goal for the second straight game. There’s just something about watching him score that gets you fired up, you know? I can’t put my finger on it, but there’s nothing like a Mattias Ekholm clutch goal to get the people fired up.

The Sharks made a ballsy trade with the Nashville Predators earlier in the year when they shipped out Magnus Chrona, David Edstrom, and a conditional first-round pick in the 2025 draft in exchange for a goaltender who had only three NHL games on his resume. The 11th overall pick from the 2020 draft was unhappy with his playing time with the Preds, and it triggered a trade to California that looks like it was a pretty good bet by Mike Grier and the Sharks.

In only his third game of the season, Askarov stared down Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on more than one occasion, and his performance in net gave the Sharks a chance to win even though they were being wildly outplayed. There were more than a few shifts when the Oilers spent the entire time circling San Jose’s defensive zone, and had it not been for the goaltender, the home side could have easily run up the score.

Instead, it took until the 59th minute for Edmonton to pick up their second goal of the night and send the game to overtime. The 22-year-old goalie made 38 saves and was a major part of helping them get there. It may be very early in Askarov’s career, but if he’s got more starts like the one we watched this afternoon, this could be the beginning of a wonderful career. The Sharks clearly believe in him since they decided to move on from Mackenzie Blackwood, and at least in this one start, he’s making the decision look like a fun one.

With the three assists he picked up on Saturday, you can give Connor McDavid 17 points (3G, 14A) on this eight-game streak he’s built. It’s no surprise that the Oilers have also won seven of those eight games. When McDavid is humming the way he is, and Leon Draisaitl is just as hot, the Oilers can outscore a lot of their problems. Yaroslav Askarov was that problem with a stellar performance in net, and it’s no surprise that the captain picked up primary helpers on two of three goals at moments in the game when his team needed something to work.

The three assists he picked up against the Sharks puts him at 48 points, just outside the league’s top-five scorers. It’s pretty funny to think about when you remember that he was 130-something not that long ago. With one game left to play before the Christmas break, I almost wonder if you’d rather boys be able to keep playing. I’d love to see what else McDavid has up his sleeve now that he’s back up to running at full speed. After a “slow” start for the captain, his pace has picked up almost exponentially, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing how he can keep this going after a little rest.

. How funny is the heater that Zach Hyman is on since he wasn’t named to Canada’s 4 Nations roster? Hyman has nine goals in his last eight games since returning from injury, and it’s the kind of heater that puts him back near a 40-goal pace for the season. While I don’t think anyone expects this run to continue forever, how can you not love seeing ZMH popping goals like mad with a bubble cage on and two black eyes.

. Leon Draisaitl stayed red hot with OT winner to extend his point streak to nine games. Over that span, Draisaitl has registered 19 points (7G, 12A) and continues to lead the NHL in goals, putting his name, in my opinion, firmly in the conversation to be the league MVP. Draisaitl has been consistent all season long, and he’s found a way to produce regardless of his linemates. This goes well beyond the whiny nerds from other cities complaining that he only gets the job done with Connor McDavid. If you watch Oilers games, especially this season, you know just how silly that argument actually is.

. Calvin Pickard had an interesting start, didn’t he? I don’t think the first goal was his fault at all — the boys in front him duffed things up pretty good — but the second goal was something he absolutely would want to have another chance at. Outside of that, Pickard locked things down for the final 51 minutes, and he gave the Oilers quality stopped at times when they needed them. I’m not saying a .909 save percentage on 20 saves is a banner night, but you’re lying to yourself if you say anything other than Pickard giving the Oilers another solid chance to win.

. Were you wondering who won more faceoffs? I was hoping you’d ask. The Oilers won 58.3% of the faceoffs, and yours truly couldn’t be happier about it.

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