Oilers Keep 1st Place Hopes Alive & Set Records With Win Over Sharks

Edmonton took a 4-0 lead into the first intermission and went ahead 9-1 with a few minutes left in the second period before cruising to victory. The Oilers outshot San Jose 39-21.

With the win, the Oilers improve their record to 49-25-6 for 104 points, second most in the Pacific. Edmonton has two games remaining to close out their regular season schedule, both on the road, against the Arizona Coyotes on Wednesday (April 17) and against the Colorado Avalanche on Thursday (April 18).

Oilers Have a Shot at Finishing First

While the odds are long, Edmonton can still find itself atop the Pacific Division standings once the 2023-24 NHL season wraps up Thursday.

The Oilers’ formula for a first-place finish is simple: Edmonton must win its final two games, and the Vancouver Canucks must go 0-2-0 in their last two games. Vancouver’s magic number for clinching first is one, as in a point lost by the Oilers or a point gained by the Canucks in each team’s remaining games.

Vancouver, which has 107 points from a record of 49-22-9, can lock up the division tonight (April 16) with a win or overtime loss against the Calgary Flames at Rogers Arena. The Canucks play their final game on Thursday when they visit the Winnipeg Jets.

Oilers Have Trio of Possible Opponents

With three days remaining in the season, there are still three teams that Edmonton could end up facing in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

If the Oilers manage to overtake Vancouver, they will face the top-seeded Western Conference Wild Card team, which would be the Nashville Predators. If Edmonton fails to catch the Canucks, it will finish second in the division and play the third-place team, either the Los Angeles Kings or Vegas Golden Knights.

The Oilers have a winning record against all three of their potential opponents: 3-1 against Los Angeles, 2-1 against Nashville, and 2-1-0 against Vegas. Edmonton is assured of home ice advantage in Round 1 of the playoffs.

Momentous Night for Oilers Players

History was made at 15:35 of the second period, when McDavid made a nice feed to Hyman, who made no mistake putting the puck past Sharks netminder Georgi Romano. The assist was number 100 of 2023-24 for McDavid , who becomes just the fourth player in NHL history to record triple-figure assists in a single season, joining the legendary trio of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Bobby Orr. The goal was No. 54 of the season for Hyman, who is now tied with hall-of-famers Glenn Andeson and Jari Kurri for 11 ^th most goals in a season in franchise history.

Meanwhile, Bouchard became the second defenceman in franchise history and just the 24^th blueliner ever in the NHL to reach 80 points in a season when he assisted on Perry’s goal midway through the second period. Current Edmonton assistant coach Paul Coffey is the only other rearguard to record at least 80 points in a season for the Oilers, doing so five straight times from 1981-82 to 1985-86. Bouchard added another point minutes later, when he scored his 18^th goal of the season.

Back between the pipes, Skinner was credited with his 36^th win of the season, tying Tommy Salo for third most victories in a single season by an Oilers goalie.

Oilers Score Most Goals Since 2011-12

There was some history being made Monday on a team basis, too, as the Oilers scored their most goals in a single game since November 19, 2011, when they defeated the Chicago Blackhawks 9-2 at Rexall Place. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is the only player who was in Edmonton’s lineup both on Monday and against Chicago nearly 13 years ago.

The nine goals are also the most the Oilers have ever scored in a game when they did not have a power-play opportunity. There was only one penalty called in the entire game on Monday, a high-sticking minor to Hyman in the first period, which the Oilers killed off.

Edmonton has a chance for another milestone when it tangles with the Coyotes on Wednesday, as the Oilers can reach 50 wins in a season for the first time since 1986-87. But it remains to be seen whether the Oilers’ first-place hopes will still be alive by the time the puck drops at Mullet Arena in Tempe tomorrow night.