Oilers top Sharks to continue Pacific surge
EDMONTON, Alberta -- The hottest line in hockey propelled the Edmonton Oilers to within one point of top spot in the Pacific Division.
Patrick Maroon scored twice, and Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid each extended their point streaks to nine game as the Oilers beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 Thursday.
With the win, the Oilers (43-25-9) take over second spot in the Pacific, one point behind the Anaheim Ducks, who lost in overtime in Winnipeg earlier in the night. The Ducks face the Oilers on Saturday.
The Sharks (43-27-7), holding onto third spot in the Pacific, have lost seven of their last eight.
The Sharks outshot the Oilers 40-22, but Oilers goalie Cam Talbot had an outstanding night with 38 saves.
With a goal and an assist, McDavid leads the NHL with 91 points on the season. McDavid has 28 goals, Maroon and Draisaitl each have 27.
Jannik Hansen quieted the Rogers Place crowd just 1:01 into the game, as he took a couple of whacks on a rebound from a Paul Martin point shot before the puck floated in over the pad of Talbot.
The Sharks assault on the Oilers continued; nine minutes into the game, the Sharks were outshooting the home side 12-2, forcing Talbot into several good saves that kept his team from being snowed under early.
But, despite the early domination, the Sharks yielded the lead at 10:22. McDavid's pass found Maroon in the slot, and Maroon made no mistake.
McDavid then gave the Oilers the lead at 17:28, with his team a man down. Seconds after Drake Caggiula rang a shot off the post, McDavid got the puck at the Sharks blueline, blew past Patrick Marleau, then lifted a nifty backhand over goalie Martin Jones.
The Sharks had a golden chance to tie the game 12 minutes into the second. Justin Braun and Marleau broke in on a two-on-nothing chance, but Marleau lost his balance as Braun made the pass, and the puck went wide.
Maroon got his second of the night at 7:51 of the third, tipping in a shot from Kris Russell.
Joe Pavelski tipped home a point shot with 6:01 left in regulation to make it 3-2.
NOTES: The Sharks last regulation win came on March 14, a 4-1 triumph over Buffalo. ... Sharks C Logan Couture has been out since Saturday, after he was struck in the mouth by a puck and required major dental work. ... Oilers D Matt Benning returned to the lineup; he missed Tuesday's game against the Kings with a lower-body injury. ... The Oilers scratched C Matt Hendricks, RW Iiro Pakarinen, LW Jujhar Khaira and D Eric Gryba. ... The Sharks scratched LW Marcus Sorensen, RW Kevin Labanc and D Dylan DeMelo.