The San Jose Sharks couldn’t keep out of the penalty field on Friday evening towards the Edmonton Oilers, and it value them any likelihood of ending their prolonged shedding streak.
The Sharks took 5 penalties towards the Oilers – all stick fouls — together with Alexander Wennberg’s borderline tripping name on the 5:54 mark of the third interval. Simply 1:38 later, Corey Perry scored a go-ahead power-play aim, serving to at hand the Sharks a 4-2 loss at Rogers Place.
The Sharks additionally allowed a first-period power-play aim to Evan Bouchard and went 3-for-5 on the penalty kill, serving to to increase their shedding streak to eight video games.
Connor McDavid had 4 assists for the Oilers, who clinched a spot within the playoffs.
“If you put a team on the power play five times, doesn’t matter if it’s McDavid or anyone else in the league,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky stated, “they’re going to make you pay.”
Will Smith and Henry Thrun each scored for the Sharks, who allowed three power-play objectives to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday evening. San Jose’s street journey continues Sunday towards the Calgary Flames.
The Sharks’ penalty kill got here into Friday ranked twenty ninth within the NHL at 73.6%.
“We’ve been out of the playoffs for a while, but you can see right now, everyone is fighting for one another,” Wennberg stated. “This game, obviously, they have a lot to play for. But we’re digging in, we want to be a part of it, and we want to give them a hell of a challenge, and I felt today we did that.”
Thrun scored his second aim of the season on the 5:44 mark of the center interval. After taking a go from William Eklund within the Oilers’ zone, Thrun, from alongside the boards, fired the puck towards the crease, the place it went off Darnell Nurse’s skate and previous goalie Calvin Pickard to tie the sport 2-2.
Goalie Georgi Romanov, nonetheless searching for his first NHL win, began Friday’s recreation and made 30 saves. Romanov confronted the Oilers on April 3 and made 35 saves in a 3-2 Sharks loss. Earlier than Friday, Romanov was 0-4-0 with an .873 save proportion.
The Oilers entered Friday with 95 factors and have been in third place within the Pacific Division. They solely wanted one level to clinch a spot within the 16-team playoffs for the fifth straight yr.
The Sharks entered Friday 5 factors behind the Chicago Blackhawks for thirty first place within the NHL. To keep away from ending in thirty second and final place for the second straight season, the Sharks now must win all three of their remaining video games and have the Blackhawks lose their final three video games in regulation time.
Whichever workforce finishes in thirty second place can have one of the best likelihood (25.5%) of profitable subsequent month’s NHL Draft Lottery. No workforce has completed in final place total because the Buffalo Sabres introduced up the rear in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
“I said to our coaching staff after (the game), you’d never know we only have 20 wins,” Warsofsky stated. “I give a lot of credit to our group. We’re competing.”
The Sabres nonetheless haven’t made the playoffs since 2011, when Sharks basic supervisor Mike Grier, now 50 years outdated, was on the Buffalo roster. The Sharks have now missed the playoffs in six straight seasons.
The Sharks took two minor penalties within the first interval and trailed 2-1.
Simply six seconds after Smith was referred to as for slashing on the 6:41 mark, Bouchard took a go from McDavid and fired a shot from level that bought via a display and previous Romanov to offer the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
On the 15:41 mark, McDavid arrange one other workforce, as he separated himself from Timothy Liljegren and located former Sharks defenseman Ty Emberson for a back-door tap-in aim and a 2-0 Edmonton lead. The aim was Emberson’s first in 73 video games with the Oilers this season.
The Sharks bought that aim again 1:32 later. After a forecheck from Celebrini, Nikolai Kovalenko picked the puck up alongside the boards and located Smith, whose low shot discovered the brief aspect on Calvin Pickard for his 18th aim of the season and his fifth aim in his final 4 video games.
Friday’s recreation marked the return of defenseman Jan Rutta, who missed the final 27 video games with a lower-body damage and final performed on Jan. 23 when the Sharks confronted the Nashville Predators.
Rutta, who was on injured reserve, returned two days after defenseman Mario Ferraro sustained a damaged ankle within the Sharks’ 8-7 time beyond regulation loss to the Minnesota Wild on Wednesday. Ferraro blocked a Matt Boldy shot late within the second interval as he stood close to the Sharks’ internet.
This season, Rutta, who performs primarily in a third-pair function, has eight factors in 51 video games and averages 17 minutes on ice.
Initially Printed: April 11, 2025 at 9:04 PM PDT
