San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 21st 2024

Preview and Prediction

The Edmonton Oilers may have an opportunity to take a breather as they face off against the struggling San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon, but they have no intention of slowing down their momentum.

In their past seven games, the Oilers have emerged victorious in six of them, and have won nine out of their last eleven games, defeating some of the top teams in the NHL along the way.

Their most recent victory came in a thrilling overtime win against the Boston Bruins, where they made a late rally to tie the game and then ultimately secure the win with a score of 3-2.

The Oilers have also managed to defeat other strong teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Minnesota Wild, and Vegas Golden Knights, proving that they can compete with any team in the league.

"We are on par with those elite teams," stated Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime against the Bruins. "That is the main takeaway from this. We have the ability to challenge any team in the league."

Although they initially fell behind by two goals against Boston, the Oilers managed to bounce back with a goal from Zach Hyman in the second period and a tying goal from Connor McDavid with just over two minutes left in regulation.

"Sometimes, you have to grind it out and maybe get one goal per period, or even go into overtime," Ekholm remarked.

In this game, Leon Draisaitl, 29, assisted on all three goals, bringing his total NHL career points to 900 in just 751 games. This achievement puts him in a league with only three other active players who have reached this milestone in a shorter amount of time.

"It is truly remarkable for someone his age to have reached 900 points," said Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. "It is an incredibly difficult feat to accomplish."

On the other hand, the Sharks have been struggling to close out games in recent weeks. Despite holding leads in the third period of their last three games, they were unable to secure a win and were swept in a three-game homestand.

San Jose gave up a 3-2 lead in a 4-3 loss to the Utah Hockey Club last Saturday, a 3-2 lead in a 4-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday, and a 2-1 lead against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday before ultimately losing 4-2.

"It is definitely frustrating," stated first-year coach Ryan Warsofsky. "We should be earning points and winning some of these games, but we are still learning how to win. I know I sound like a broken record, but I truly believe we will start winning these games."

Opposing coaches continue to be impressed by Sharks rookie forward Macklin Celebrini, who entered the game against Colorado on a four-game point streak (three goals, four assists), but was unable to add to his tally in this game.

San Jose also received a boost from their secondary scoring against the Avalanche, with William Eklund ending a six-game goal drought and Carl Grundstrom scoring his first goal of the season while playing on the fourth line.

"We are playing with a solid structure," Warsofsky said. "Our effort is strong, and we are competitive. I know it is frustrating for the fans, and trust me, we are equally frustrated, but our players are working hard to make this organization, the fans, and the community proud. We will get there one day."

PREDICTION

San Jose Sharks

2

5

Edmonton Oilers

San Jose Sharks vs. Edmonton Oilers Recap MAR 20TH 2023