McDavid, Oilers wrap up a playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over the Sharks
Associated Press
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Connor McDavid had four assists and the Edmonton Oilers wrapped up a playoff spot with a 4-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Friday night.
Edmonton is third place in Pacific Division, two points behind Los Angeles. The Oilers reached the playoffs for the sixth straight season.
Corey Perry gave Edmonton the lead on a power play at 7:32 of the third period. Evan Bouchard, also on a power play, and Ty Emberson had first-period goals, and Connor Brown capped the scoring with an empty-netter in the final minutes.
Calvin Pickard made 22 saves for the victory.
Oilers top-pairing defenseman Mattias Ekholm and forward Zach Hyman left the game with injuries and did not return. Edmonton also remained without NHL goals leader Leon Draisaitl (undisclosed), forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (illness) and defenseman Jake Walman (undisclosed).
Will Smith and Henry Thrun scored for NHL-worst San Jose. The Sharks have lost eight in a row. Takeaways
Sharks: Georgi Romanov stopped 30 shots.
Oilers: McDavid pushed his assists total to 71. He has 26 goals in 65 games. The Oilers have won two straight since he returned to the lineup after an injury. He's the third player in NHL history with seven 70-assist seasons, joining Wayne Gretzky (16) and Mario Lemieux (eight). Key moment
Perry broke a tie with his 17th goal of the season. Key stat
Emberson scored his first goal of the season. Up next
The teams have back-to-backs Sunday and Monday, before the meet again Wednesday night in San Jose to end the regular season. The Sharks are at Calgary on Sunday night and Vancouver on Monday night. The Oilers are at Winnipeg on Sunday night and host Los Angeles on Monday night.
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