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San Jose Sharks Keep Streaking Through Western Canada

By Michael Gutnick |
EDMONTON, AB - FEBRUARY 9: Tobias Rieder #22 of the Edmonton Oilers pursues Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks on February 9, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB - FEBRUARY 9: Tobias Rieder #22 of the Edmonton Oilers pursues Logan Couture #39 of the San Jose Sharks on February 9, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via Getty Images)
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The San Jose Sharks broke open the bank and collected some milestones Saturday night in a 5-2 victory over the struggling Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Arena.

The San Jose Sharks continued their winning ways in the province of Alberta, extending their win streak to five games while improving their overall record to 33-16-7. Team Teal is registering the league’s best point percentage at .800% since the beginning of the calendar year, per naturalstattrick.

Last nights game against the Oilers started off with a bit of a scare. The team lost fourth-line center Melker Karlsson early in the first period after some aggressive cross checks to the back of head and shoulder area. However this didn’t stop the San Jose Sharks from finding the back of net.

Despite playing without both the Karlssons (Melker and Erik) for a majority of the contest, the San Jose Sharks prevailed scoring five spectacular goals. The entire Sharks roster seemed to be clicking on all cylinders, with players like Kane, Burns, and Hertl continuing their strong play while getting others involved in Team Teal’s most recent offensive outburst.

Their were plenty of scoring chances to go around making this game chock full of highlights. However their were three key moments of the night that definitely deserved to be given more attention. This was a night that a few San Jose Sharks will probably never forget.

WINNIPEG, MB – FEBRUARY 5: Kevin Labanc #62 of the San Jose Sharks takes part in the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on February 5, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images)
WINNIPEG, MB – FEBRUARY 5: Kevin Labanc #62 of the San Jose Sharks takes part in the pre-game warm up prior to NHL action against the Winnipeg Jets at the Bell MTS Place on February 5, 2019 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. (Photo by Darcy Finley/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1) The Banker Cashes in Not Once, Not Twice, But Thrice

He’s been quiet throughout most of the 2018-2019 campaign, but forward Kevin Labanc cashed in his best performance of the season with his first-ever NHL hat trick.

Labanc broke the ice at 10:39 of the opening frame after his shot from just inside the left circle redirected off an Oilers defenseman into the goal to give San Jose an early 1-0 lead.

After a brief 5-on-3 opportunity expired in the second period, the San Jose Sharks worked the puck down low on a cycle. A centering feed came right out to Labanc and he rifled home the power-play marker to extend San Jose’s lead to three. The Edmonton Oilers would get one before the middle frame ended, but that would not stop “The Banker” from making any deposits.

Labanc put the finishing touches on his hat trick at 1:36 of the third period on a shot from the high slot to give the Sharks a 4-1 lead. The 23-year-old left winger now has nine goals and 36 points on the season.

The @SanJoseSharks Twitter account was kind enough to patch together all 3 of Labanc’s tallies in this short clip.

Since his name has come up in recent trade talks Labanc’s caught fire. He’s collected five goals and nine points in his last eight games. If he keeps up his scoring, he’ll see even more time on the power play and another chance at cracking the top-six again, like he did at the beginning of the year.

SAN JOSE, CA – FEBRUARY 02: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks looks over his shoulder after the play against the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center on February 2, 2018 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images)
SAN JOSE, CA – FEBRUARY 02: Joe Thornton #19 of the San Jose Sharks looks over his shoulder after the play against the Arizona Coyotes at SAP Center on February 2, 2018 in San Jose, California (Photo by Brandon Magnus/NHLI via Getty Images) /

2) The Man, the Myth, the Legend.

While tonight’s center of attention focused on Kevin Labanc, San Jose Sharks forward Joe Thornton reached a few more major milestones under the lights of Rogers Arena.

To begin the game, Jumbo Joe suited up for career game No. 1,540, tying Shane Doan and Johnny Bucyk on the NHL all-time games played list.

Despite injury and wear-and-tear, Thornton strives to make the most of this season every night he takes the ice, and there’s no sign of this ageless wonder slowing down.

Skating on the third line with Kevin Labanc and Marcus Sorensen, Thornton dished out two primary helpers on two of Labanc’s three goals, which tied him with Detroit Red Wings legend Gordie Howe (1,049) for ninth in NHL history on the all-time assists leaderboard.

Although he is the oldest member of Team Teal, Thornton’s 19 assists this season rank tied for 8th on the team with Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. Furthermore, his 27 points stand top 10 among all of the San Jose Sharks skaters.

It’s been a masterful year for Thornton, and we’ll continue to keep an eye out on the achievements he amasses this season.

EDMONTON, AB – FEBRUARY 9: San Jose Sharks Goalie Aaron Dell (30) makes a save in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the San Jose Sharks on February 9, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
EDMONTON, AB – FEBRUARY 9: San Jose Sharks Goalie Aaron Dell (30) makes a save in the first period during the Edmonton Oilers game versus the San Jose Sharks on February 9, 2019 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB. (Photo by Curtis Comeau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

3) A Dell-ightful Home Town Performance

Some were surprised to see Aaron Dell make the start tonight, but it makes sense considering he was essentially playing in front of his home town crowd. Gambling on Dell paid off for the San Jose Sharks with him putting together a solid start.

Dell held a light workout throughout the night, stopping 21 of 23 Edmonton’s shots. However, a strong finish to the second period propelled the Sharks to take care of the Oilers with relative ease.

Edmonton generated high-quality chances all night with players like All-Star Connor McDavid  rushing the zone with speed and possession. Nevertheless, Dell was up to the task and defended the crease exceptionally well to secure his seventh win of the season.

The native of Airdrie, Alberta improves his numbers to a 3.04 GAA and a .892 save percentage. While San Jose’s goaltending has been up in the air all season long, San Jose Sharks fans have been content with their goaltending of late. The tandem of Jones and Dell seem to have regained their confidence over this past week as they prepare to lock in for a tough upcoming two months.

Next. Do the San Jose Sharks Have a Problem in Net?. dark

The San Jose Sharks have a very good chance of sweeping this Western Canadian road trip and taking sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division with a win at Vancouver on Monday night.

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