SAN JOSE – Faced with a 3-1 deficit to the cellar-dwelling Edmonton Oilers two periods into Monday’s game at SAP Center, San Jose rallied for three straight goals in the third period before dropping a 5-4 shootout.
Edmonton had not won a game in California since April 1, 2012 coming into Monday’s showdown. The Oilers, by breaking a 1-1 tie after the first intermission with two goals in the second period, appeared ready to snap that losing streak in the state in regulation time.
Instead, the Sharks delivered three unanswered goals in the final period to hold a 4-3 advantage entering the final four minutes of regulation.
San Jose shaved one goal off the deficit 2:19 into the third period when Scott Hannan netted his first goal of the season, jamming in a feed from Joe Thornton.
The Sharks drew even at 3-3 at the 3:49 mark when rookie defenseman Matt Tennyson walked into a long shot from the point to beat goaltender Viktor Fasth.
San Jose enjoyed its first lead in more than 39 minutes when Pavelski turned a Brent Burns feed into a quick shot inside the left post at the 9:28 mark. Thornton’s assist was his 600th as a Shark.
Edmonton forced the overtime when Justin Schultz skimmed a low shot by Niemi at the 17:23 mark.
After five scoreless minutes of 4-on-4 skating, the shootout went 13 rounds before Oiler Rob Klinkhammer found the back of the net. San Jose had one goal in the 13 rounds, by Burns. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins responded with the equalizer, leading to eight scoreless rounds before the Klinkhammer decider.
Eberle came up with his second goal of the game 22 seconds into the second period. Playing the left wing on a 3-on-2 rush into the Sharks’ zone, Eberle was unmarked when he dipped into the slot to collect a long rebound of a Schultz shot from the right boards. Eberle’s flip shot over Niemi’s left arm gave the Oilers the 2-1 cushion.
Edmonton took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission when center Derek Roy one-timed a feed at the low slot from the endboards by Nail Yakupov at the 9:39 mark.
The Oilers fashioned a 16-12 edge in shots on net in the fast-paced first period.
Pavelski, one of the top power-play scorers in the NHL this season, gave San Jose a 1-0 lead seven seconds into the man-advantage. Patrick Marleau’s centering pass allowed Pavelski to skate down the slot and angle a shot past Fasth at the 11:50 mark.
Eberle, who came into the game leading the Oilers in both goals and points, pulled the visitors even at 18:03 of the first. Eberle kept control of the puck while gliding past Marleau, then lined a low shot past both defenseman Burns and Niemi for his 14th goal of the season.
Tomas Hertl appeared to have given San Jose a 2-1 lead with 39.8 seconds left in the period. The official at the net waived off the score, determining that Shark James Sheppard had interfered with Fasth prior to the Hertl shot.
The game drew a crowd of 17,376. After road games at Calgary and Vancouver this week, the Sharks host Carolina Saturday night.
