Oilers nip Sharks in OT to win Hitchcock's debut

[November 21, 2018]  Leon Draisaitl scored 51 seconds into overtime to cap a three-point night as the visiting Edmonton Oilers overcame three deficits to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3 on Tuesday night.

Draisaitl's goal came when the puck banked off his skate and into the net to give new head coach Ken Hitchcock the 824th victory of his career on the day he took the reins after Todd McLellan was fired.

The sign it would be a see-saw clash came early when Joonas Donskoi opened the scoring for the hosts just 45 seconds from the drop of the puck. Left alone in the slot, Donskoi pounced on a rebound for the easy goal.

Edmonton's Connor McDavid tied the game at 8:09 of the first period with the 100th goal of his career. McDavid cruised untouched into the slot and took a feed from Draisaitl, which he promptly buried for the milestone marker. He reached the 100-goal mark in his 230th game, the fourth-fastest player in Oilers history to reach triple figures behind Wayne Gretzky, Glenn Anderson and Jari Kurri.
 

McDavid also collected three points.

Marcus Sorensen put the Sharks ahead a second time at 10:32 of the opening frame, another beneficiary of horrid defensive play that left him alone in prime position. Joe Thornton collected the assist, the 1,033rd of his career, which ties him with Mario Lemieux for 11th place on the NHL's all-time list.

Oilers left wing Milan Lucic (27) watches the puck against the San Jose Sharks during the first period at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Again the Oilers evened the score when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied 1:45 of the second period, just as a Sharks power play ended. Nugent-Hopkins took a feed while on a two-on-one rush and nailed a short-side shot.

Logan Couture put the Sharks ahead a third time when he snapped his scoring drought at 10 games with 56 seconds remaining in the second period. He waltzed around Adam Larsson before going top shelf with his shot.

However, Drake Caggiula forced overtime when he finished a three-way passing play with Draisaitl and McDavid at 3:32 of the third period to make it a 3-3 count.

Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen made 22 saves to net the win, while Sharks netminder Martin Jones stopped 19 shots.

--Field Level Media

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