A Saturday (Dec. 21) matinee saw the Edmonton Oilers come from behind and defeat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in overtime. The Oilers fought from behind all game, as they were trailing 2-1 since the midway mark of the first period, and trailed up until Mattias Ekholm tied the game with only 18 seconds remaining in the third period. It seemed like they would never get the equalizer. They missed some glorious chances, and Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov was seemingly unbeatable. Ultimately, the Oilers found a way to grab two points over a divisional opponent, in a game they were supposed to win. With that said, here are three takeaways from this gutsy effort.
Hyman’s on a Heater
Zach Hyman is red-hot and is absolutely rolling. Even a broken nose can’t deter him right now. He broke it in the second period against the Florida Panthers on Monday night (Dec. 16), and was right back on the ice in the third period, rocking a full face shield. He’s feeling it, and that continued in this one, as he got the Oilers on the board from the left faceoff circle courtesy of a Connor McDavid cross-seam pass.
Since being left off Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, the Oilers forward has nine goals in eight games, including goals in five straight games. Prior to that, he was really slumping, as he only had three goals in his first 20 games to start the campaign. He’s now up to 12 goals on the season.
Related: Oilers’ Zach Hyman Is Going on the Offensive After Team Canada Snub
I’m sure Canada’s management staff is really regretting their decision to leave him off the roster, and Hyman is making them look foolish. In a short tournament, having instant chemistry is incredibly important. That’s why the duo of Cale Makar and Devon Toews, and Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore were easy selections for Team Canada. So, why not have McDavid’s linemate for the past three seasons on the team? That doesn’t make sense, especially considering Hyman scored 54 goals last season alongside the Oilers’ captain. Hyman is proving everyone wrong and that’s great to see.
Oilers With Another Slow Start
For the third straight game, the Oilers had an underwhelming first period. They were down 2-1 against the Panthers, 2-0 against the Boston Bruins, and fell behind 2-1 in this contest. It’s never ideal to fall behind early in games, so they need to come out of the gates on time and set the tempo more frequently.
Calvin Pickard got the start for Edmonton, and let in a pretty weak goal that gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead. You need your goalie to make saves, especially early on when the team isn’t playing well in front of him. However, the Oilers netminder responded nicely, and made some big saves down the stretch to give his team a chance to push for the equalizer.
The Oilers were playing a far inferior opponent who’s currently 29th in the league standings, and they didn’t put them away, because of a lacklustre opening period. Edmonton failed to put the pedal to the floor early, which resulted in San Jose hanging around and almost walking out of Rogers Place with an upset win. They need to be much better at starting games, especially when they play elite competition. They got away with a slow start against the Sharks, but they can’t make a habit out of this.
Oilers Complete the Comeback
The Sharks have had a third-period lead in six straight games and have lost five of them, including this one. Edmonton was getting absolutely goalied, courtesy of Askarov who was only making his sixth NHL appearance. After falling behind 2-1 8:21 into the opening frame, this game was all Oilers, but they couldn’t find a way to beat the Sharks netminder. They had a season-high 23 shots in the second period with nothing to show for it, and outshot San Jose 42-22 in the game. It seemed like the Oilers were destined to lose, but Ekholm saved the day with a clutch goal to force overtime, and then Leon Draisaitl capped off the comeback only 18 seconds into extra time.
For the second-straight game, the Oilers forced overtime in the late stages of the third period, and both times resulted in a 3-2 overtime victory. This is an exciting team, and they are never out of a game. Their big guns are showing up when it counts. McDavid got the tying goal in their last game, and followed that up with three assists in this one. Also, Hyman keeps scoring, and Draisaitl continues his domination, getting the overtime winner for his league-leading 24th goal of the season. Draisaitl extended his point streak to eight games, but his seven-game multi-point streak was broken, as he only recorded the lone point in this one. At the end of the day, this team is finding ways to win, and they are led by their superstars up front.
The Oilers picked up their 20th win of the season, and are now 7-2-0 in the month of December. They are back in action Sunday night (Dec. 22) when they take on the Ottawa Senators in the second half of a back-to-back, and the last game before the holiday break.
