Oilers clinch playoff berth with 4-2 win over Sharks
Connor McDavid assisted on all four goals as the Edmonton Oilers officially clinched a playoff berth with a 4-2 victory over the last-place San Jose Sharks on Friday.
“Special teams was a big part of the game tonight,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the win. “With the kills that we had, with the majority of the power-plays — we cashed in on those.”
“The power-play looked a lot different than it usually does. We spent a lot of time in the offensive zone and we were able to get some pucks into the net, obviously. But I think a lot of that starts with Henrique winning the faceoffs, so we can spend some time in there, and then — obviously — McDavid doing McDavid things.”
Evan Bouchard, Ty Emberson, Corey Perry and Connor Brown scored for the Oilers (46-28-5), who have won two straight since McDavid returned to the lineup.
“It’s an exciting time of year,” Bouchard said. “That’s why you’ve really got to step up, and we’re looking to get on a little bit of a roll here, heading into the playoffs.”
Top-pairing defenceman Mattias Ekholm and forward Zach Hyman left the game with injuries and did not return.
Edmonton also remains without league-leading goal scorer Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed), forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (illness) and defenceman Jake Walman (undisclosed).
Will Smith and Henry Thrun replied for the Sharks (20-48-11), who have lost eight games in a row.
Calvin Pickard made 22 stops for the Oilers, while Georgi Romanov recorded 30 saves for the Sharks.
Takeaways
Sharks: Taken fourth overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, rookie forward Smith extended his goal-scoring streak to a career-high four games. Smith has been stellar for San Jose with eight points (five goals, three assists) in that span.
Oilers: McDavid has looked very sharp in his return from missing eight games with an injury, racking up seven points in two outings. With three games remaining, McDavid is three points shy of hitting 100 on the season for the fifth year in a row. He became just the third player in NHL history to record seven 70-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (16) and Mario Lemieux (eight).
Key moment
The Oilers took a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the opening period as McDavid spotted Emberson sneaking in from the point. The young defender directed it off of Romanov’s glove and in for his first of the season, snapping an 89-game goalless drought.
Key stat
Edmonton qualified for the playoffs for the sixth straight season, its second-longest stretch of consecutive post-season appearances since qualifying 13 years in a row upon entering the NHL in 1979-80.
Up next
Sharks: Take on the Flames in Calgary on Sunday.
Oilers: Visit the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
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