Draisaitl OT heroics, McDavid’s 3 helpers, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers won 3-2 in OT over San Jose Sharks

By Nestor Quixtan

Modified Dec 22, 2024 02:50 GMT

Follow Us

Share

0 Discuss

The Edmonton Oilers edged the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in a tight overtime matchup on Saturday evening at Rogers Place. Leon Draisaitl got the game-winner 18 seconds into the extra frame to give the Oilers two points.

Mattias Ekholm and Zach Hyman scored for the Edmonton Oilers while Luke Kunin and Jan Rutta got the tallies for the Sharks.

Let’s take a look at the three key reasons why the Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks on Saturday evening.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers won over San Jose Sharks

#3 The Oilers dominated the game

Despite the tight score, the Edmonton Oilers dominated the Saturday evening tilt. The Oilers outshot the Sharks 42-22, won over 58% of the draws, and stayed out of the penalty box for the most part.

However, the Sharks got a great performance from rookie netminder Yaroslav Askarov, making it tough for the Oilers to score. Askarov was close to stealing a game for the Sharks, as seen in the tremendous sequence of saves he made in the second period.

With a little over six minutes to go in the period, Askarov made four brilliant saves in a row to keep the game 2-1 at that point. But the Oilers eventually got through, scoring the equalizer with less than 20 seconds left in the third period and then getting the winner early in overtime.

#2 McDavid’s three assists

Connor McDavid was on fire, assisting in all three Edmonton Oilers goals. In particular, McDavid controlled the entire play during the 6-on-5 sequence that led to Ekholm’s equalizer.

During the sequence, McDavid controlled the puck, making a nifty cross-ice feed to Corey Perry, who then dished a perfect pass to Ekholm. Ekholm didn’t miss the shot, landing his fifth goal of the season.

In overtime, McDavid stripped rookie Macklin Celebrini of the puck as the Oilers controlled the puck in the Sharks zone. As McDavid skated around with the puck, Leon Draisaitl got open, taking the feed from McDavid and beating Askarov for the winner.

McDavid made the play look easy, but that’s a testament to the incredible skill he possesses with and without the puck.

#1 Draisaitl’s game-winner

Draisaitl got the game’s third star due to his nifty game-winner. However, Draisaitl did much more than just score the game-winning goal. He skated in nearly 23 minutes of ice time over 19 shifts. He landed six shots on goal and ended the night as a plus-1.

Overall, it was a strong game for Draisaitl whose hard work was rewarded by netting his 24th of the season. Most importantly, the goal gave the Edmonton Oilers two crucial points as they look to climb to the top of the Pacific Division.

The Oilers will have little time to celebrate as they get set to face the Ottawa Senators on Sunday evening at Rogers Place.