The San Jose Sharks started slow, but finished strong in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Tuesday night. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
The San Jose Sharks started slow, but finished strong in a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers at Rexall Place on Tuesday night.
Joe Pavelski netted his third hat trick of the season, scoring twice on the power play and once on even strength raise his total to 37 goals scored this season.
It was Pavelski’s first goal that got the Sharks going. After a sub par first period that saw David Perron beat Antti Niemi to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead, the Sharks stormed back in the second, scoring three unanswered goals. On the power play at the 6:28 mark, Pavelski banged the puck into a wide open net after the Oilers’ penalty kill completely broke down. Then, on the another power play minutes later, Patrick Marleau scored on a shot from the right point after some good puck movement to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead. But they weren’t done just yet, as Martin Havlat beat Ben Scrivens with a wicked wrister with under a minute left in the period.
The Sharks essentially had control of the game at that point, but Pavelski wasn’t quite done. Just a minute into the third period, he scored yet another power play marker as he had plenty of time right in front of the net to beat Scrivens. To cap off the hat trick, Pavelski then netted a one-timer from Joe Thornton at the 13:00 mark.
For a team that has struggled mightily on the power play as of late, going 3-for-3 on the man-advatange has to be a welcome sight, albeit it was against the lowly Oilers. The Sharks did exactly what they had to do: take advantage of the dysfunctional Oilers and head back home with their heads held high.
Tale of the Tape
Sharks:
- Shots on goal: 34
- Power play: 3-for-3
- Hits: 29
- Giveaways: 12
- Takeaways: 5
- Faceoffs won: 32
Oilers:
- Shots on goal: 30
- Power play: 0-for-2
- Hits: 21
- Giveaways: 9
- Takeaways: 9
- Faceoffs won: 27
Good to Know
Antti Niemi leads the NHL with 36 wins, Joe Pavelski is tied-2nd with 37 goals, Joe Thornton is 2nd with 60 assists.
— Darin Stephens (@SharksStats) March 26, 2014
Injury Report
Adam Burish hurt his finger (it’s gross) while blocking a shot, and judging by the look of it, he’ll be missing some action. Yuck.
Meanwhile, Logan Couture, who also hurt himself blocking a shot against the Flames on Monday did not travel with the team to Edmonton but is not expected to be out for very long.
What’s on Tap
The Sharks return home to face the Jets on Thursday night.