Oilers extend early-season momentum with 3-1 win over Sharks at SAP Center

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Connor McDavid and Vasily Podkolzin continued Edmonton’s hot start as the Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 at SAP Center on Saturday, extending the Oilers’ win streak to four games. The result lifted Edmonton’s record to 4-0-1 and maintained a five-game point streak to start the season.

Edmonton’s scoring began in the first period when Mattias Ekholm opened the game’s scoring at 12:37. Isaac Howard worked the puck off the right boards and found Ekholm at the point, and Ekholm’s slap shot beat a screened Yaroslav Askarov over the glove side.

Tristian Jarry guarded the Edmonton net for the win, stopping 19 San Jose shots. For much of the evening, Edmonton controlled the scoring chances through its transition work and sustained pressure, building a two-goal lead before San Jose could find the equalizer.

The Oilers pushed the advantage to 2-0 in the third period at 3:13. McDavid carried the puck down the left wing and fed Podkolzin at the top of the slot, where Podkolzin fired a one-timer past Askarov to the glove side.

After Edmonton’s two-goal cushion, Alex Formenton scored to make it 3-0 at 5:40. Formenton received a feed from Mathieu Joseph as Edmonton entered the rush, moved in on Askarov, and backhanded the shot over the goalie’s left pad.

San Jose responded late in the period when Macklin Celebrini scored at 11:19, finding the net in his return to the lineup. Celebrini had missed two games due to a lower-body injury, and he converted for his first goal of the season with a wrist shot from the dot after Michael Misa pushed the puck to him at the top of the left face-off circle.

McDavid finished the game with an assist, and his point streak extended to five games. The NHL.com recap noted that McDavid has 13 points during the run (three goals, 10 assists), while Podkolzin has seven points in his own five-game stretch (five goals, two assists).

For the Sharks, Yaroslav Askarov made 17 saves in the loss. San Jose slipped to a 3-2-0 record following the defeat as Edmonton secured the win to stay among the early season leaders in points and momentum.