SAN JOSE, Calif. — Connor McDavid scored on a breakaway at the 31-second mark of overtime, taking an outlet pass from goalie Mike Smith and beating James Reimer with a backhand shot to give the Edmonton Oilers a 2-1 win over the Sharks at SAP Center.
The goal was McDavid’s 41st of the season, as the Sharks fell to 0-2-1 in three games against the Oilers this season.
The Sharks were nearly perfect on the defensive end for the first two-and-a-half periods of Tuesday’s game. The only issue was their inability to add to a one-goal lead after Tomas Hertl scored on the power play in the first period.
The Oilers made the Sharks pay, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored a shorthanded goal at the 11:56 mark of the third period, taking a pass from Zach Hyman and poking it past Reimer to tie the game 1-1.
Hertl’s goal came at the 15:32 mark of the first period, as he one-timed a pass from Brent Burns past Smith for his 27th goal of the season and a 1-0 Sharks lead.
Reimer finished with 22 saves and Smith had 31,
The Sharks, with their 1-1-3 system, held the Oilers to 17 shots in the first two periods, and just one shot through the first 12 minutes of the third period.
Edmonton sorely missed injured center Leon Draisaitl, who came into Tuesday with 50 goals and 101 points. The Sharks went 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
Edmonton had scored a combined 32 goals in its last six games before Tuesday and had outscored the Sharks 8-2 in two prior meetings this season.
The Sharks came into Tuesday on a three-game losing streak, falling to Arizona and Colorado on the road last week before returning home and being beaten by the Dallas Stars 5-4 on Saturday.
After Thursday’s home game with the Calgary Flames, who entered Tuesday with a five-point lead in the Pacific Division, the Sharks have a five-game road trip against Vancouver, Nashville, Chicago, Dallas, and Minnesota.
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