|
 Left winger Taylor Hall converted a picture-perfect pass from center
Leon Draisaitl to give the Oilers the overtime winner, a 4-3
decision over the Sharks.
"I think for (McLellan), it's very special to win a game like that
against a team where he spent a lot of years," said Draisaitl.
It was the first time the Oilers had faced the Sharks in the regular
season since McLellan took over as Edmonton's coach. He spent seven
seasons with the Sharks, but he and the organization agreed to part
ways after the 2014-15 season.
McLellan said that, when he coached the Sharks, he saw his fair
share of wild nights in Edmonton. This was another crazy game, but
McLellan was on the other side
"I'm happy for our guys. We've managed to string some wins together
and feel more confident... We were talking after the game and I
remember the last time that teal team was in the building, I
remember getting 60 shots on goal and the time before that I think
it was 50."
"Their goalie (Anders Nilsson) was good and it was a good hockey
game," said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. "But for us playing
back-to-back and four in six nights, I thought we gave a (heck) of
an effort and probably deserved better."
The overtime came after a wild third period. The Oilers entered the
third nursing a 1-0 lead thanks to a marker from Draisaitl, but then
the two teams exploded to combine for five goals and sent the game
to overtime, tied 3-3.
It started at 3:56 of the third. Sharks defenseman Justin Braun came
in off the point, took the pass from center Patrick Marleau, then
backhanded the puck past Nilsson. It was the first goal of the
season for Braun, who scored just once in 2014-15.
"You're just trying to get that first one and then the floodgates
opened," said Braun. "We were fortunate to get the next two after
that, but unfortunately they got that third one for them to go in."
At 7:23 of the third, Jordan Eberle did a 180-degree spin and
unleashed a backhand into the top corner to give the Oilers a 2-1
lead.
The topsy-turvy third took more twist and turns as centers Patrick
Marleau and Joe Pavelski scored 90 seconds apart, turning a 2-1
deficit into a 3-2 lead. Pavelski showed great-hand eye
coordination, using his stick to bunt out of mid-air and into the
goal.
The game took another wild twist with just 4:37 left, when Oilers
right winger Iiro Pakarinen fired a puck through a screen, off
center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and into the net.
But, despite the wild exchange of goals in the third, the
three-on-three overtime wasn't filled with end-to-end action. Hall's
goal, with just 1:01 left in overtime, came off the only good
scoring chance of overtime.
[to top of second column] |
Hall said NHL teams are beginning to figure out how to make
three-on-three more tactical and close-checking.
"I think you're starting to see that it's getting dumbed down a
little bit," said Hall, who finished the night with a goal and an
assist. "And that was, by far, the least exciting three-on-three
I've been a part of this year and it seems like it's been a steady
progression to that. Teams don't want to give up anything."
Logan Couture, who came back Tuesday night in Calgary after missing
23 games with a broken fibula, started and played the first two
periods in Edmonton, but did not come out for the third. DeBoer said
Couture had a lower-body injury.
With this being McLellan's first game coaching against his old team,
there was some added emotion. After delivering a big hit, Khaira
dropped the gloves with Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon. As well,
Oilers left winger Luke Gazdic dropped the gloves and squared off
against Sharks right winger Mike Brown.
The Oilers extended their winning streak to four games.
NOTES: Oilers coach Todd McLellan won 311 career regular-season
games over seven NHL seasons as the Sharks' bench boss. He led the
team to playoff appearances in six of his seven seasons. ... The
Oilers placed veteran D Mark Fayne on waivers Wednesday. If he isn't
claimed, he will be assigned to the team's AHL affiliate in
Bakersfield, Calif. Fayne has one point in 24 games this year and is
a minus-8. Fayne had not cleared waivers by game time so was listed
as a healthy scratch. ... The Oilers five players on injured
reserve: LW Benoit Pouliot (lower body), D Andrew Ference
(undisclosed), C Connor McDavid (broken clavicle), LW Rob
Klinkhammer (undisclosed) and RW Nail Yakupov (ankle). ... The
Sharks scratched D Matt Tennyson and LW Matt Nieto, while D
Marc-Edouard Vlasic (lower body) didn't make the trip and RW Ben
Smith (concussion) is on injured reserve.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
