SAN JOSE, Calif. – Patrick Maroon scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on another in Edmonton’s four-goal second period that carried the Oilers to a 6-3 victory over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.
Lauri Korpokoski, Taylor Hall and Adam Clendening also scored in the big second that made sure Oilers coach Todd McLellan wouldn’t have to watch his old team clinch a playoff berth.
Jordan Eberle added an insurance goal in the third and Hall added an empty-netter as Edmonton earned its first regulation win in San Jose since Jan. 13, 2011. Cam Talbot made 22 saves.
Tommy Wingels, Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau scored for the Sharks, who failed to hold a two-goal lead after the first period and missed a chance to clinch the playoffs for a second straight game. More importantly, San Jose again failed to take advantage of losses by Anaheim and Los Angeles and remains one point behind the Ducks and five behind the Kings in the Pacific Division.
James Reimer made 16 saves.
After a dominant first period by the Sharks, the Oilers took the game over in the first 10 minutes of the second, scoring three goals and holding San Jose to just one shot.
The barrage started when Korpokoski deflected a point shot past Reimer early in the period. The Oilers then scored twice in 45 seconds midway through the period to take a 3-2 lead. A turnover by Marleau set up Hall’s wrister from the faceoff circle that tied it and Clendening scored through a screen from the point to put Edmonton ahead.
But Marleau tied the game when he put in his own rebound on the power play later in the second and San Jose held Edmonton to just one shot in the final 10 minutes. Fortunately for the Oilers, that shot went in when Connor McDavid set up Maroon on a 2-on-1 to make it 4-3 after two.
McDavid helped set up Eberle’s goal midway through the third when he burst past the Sharks defence in the neutral zone to create the scoring chance.
There was a brief fight early in the first period as the Sharks sought retribution for a game earlier this month when Darnell Nurse jumped Roman Polak late in the game and started throwing punches before Polak even got his gloves off. Polak broke his nose and had a bruised left eye socket in the fight that earned Nurse a three-game suspension.
San Jose dressed bruiser Michael Haley in place of Dainius Zubrus and Haley fought Nurse just over three minutes into the game. Just 36 seconds later, Polak’s point shot deflected off Wingels and went past Talbot for an even better form of revenge.
The Sharks then capitalized on an undisciplined penalty by the Oilers when Zack Kassian was sent to the box for pushing Brenden Dillon from behind after an icing call. Thornton got the puck behind the net and fed Pavelski for a one-timer that made it 2-0.
NOTES: Clendening had gone 46 games without a goal. … Sharks F Joonas Donskoi left with an undisclosed injury in the second period and didn’t return. … Oilers F Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (concussion) sat out after getting hurt Tuesday in Arizona.
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