SAN JOSE — The Edmonton Oilers kept their early-season roll going Saturday, skating out of SAP Center with a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks for a fourth consecutive victory.
Mattias Ekholm, Vasily Podkolzin and Alex Formenton supplied the goals, while Connor McDavid added an assist to stretch his season-opening scoring streak to five games. Edmonton is 4-0-1 and has collected a point in each of its first five outings.
Tristan Jarry turned aside 19 shots for the Oilers. Yaroslav Askarov made 17 saves for San Jose, which fell to 3-2-0.
Quick facts
- Edmonton won its fourth straight game and is 4-0-1.
- Connor McDavid has 13 points, including 10 assists, through his five-game streak.
- Vasily Podkolzin has five goals and seven points during his own five-game run.
- Macklin Celebrini returned from a two-game absence with a lower-body injury and scored his first goal of the season.
- Tristan Jarry made 19 saves; Yaroslav Askarov stopped 17 shots.
Ekholm opened the scoring at 12:37 of the first period. Isaac Howard won the puck along the right-side boards and sent it back to the blue line, where Ekholm drove a slap shot through traffic and over Askarov’s glove.
The Sharks stayed within one through the second period, but Edmonton broke the game open early in the third.
McDavid raced up the left wing at 3:13 and found Podkolzin high in the slot. Podkolzin stepped into a one-timer and beat Askarov on the glove side for a 2-0 lead.
The assist gave McDavid three goals and 10 assists in five games. Podkolzin’s finish pushed his opening stretch to five goals and two assists.
Formenton added insurance at 5:40 of the third. Mathieu Joseph fed him on the rush, and Formenton drove toward the crease before lifting a backhand over Askarov’s left pad.
Celebrini gave the home crowd a late answer in his return to the lineup. Michael Misa moved the puck to him near the top of the left circle, and Celebrini snapped a shot in from the face-off dot at 11:19 for the 3-1 final.
