EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers are constructing their sense of perception.
They’d quite not do it, nonetheless, on a sequence of gradual begins.
After trailing the San Jose Sharks 3-0 heading into the third interval on Thursday, the Oilers scored 4 unanswered targets en path to a 4-3 extra time win.
“By no means doubtful,” Kasperi Kapanen mentioned of the consequence.
“That’s hockey typically — you begin late. However as the sport went on … we knew we needed to make a push on the third and this staff is at all times in it. That’s an excellent instance, proper there.”
First interval lapses have troubled Edmonton (28-19-8) in current video games.
The staff gave up three fast first-period targets in a 6-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins final week and conceded an early strike in a 7-4 win over the Anaheim Geese on Monday.
Followers at Rogers Place had been nonetheless filtering to their seats when the Sharks (27-21-4) took a 2-0 lead on Thursday.
Collin Graf scored simply 26 seconds into the sport, gathering a no-look move throughout the slot from Will Smith and blasting it in from the underside of the faceoff circle.
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San Jose took a two-goal lead 1:35 into the primary interval when Adam Gaudette wrapped a backhanded shot across the outstretched skate of Oilers goalie Connor Ingram.
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“Our begins have been not excellent,” head coach Kris Knoblauch mentioned after the sport. “The depth has been there however not the main target and execution.”
Leon Draisaitl sparked Edmonton’s comeback together with his twenty sixth objective of the season on the 1:34 mark of the third.
Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard scored at 6-on-5 to stage the rating at 3-3, and Zach Hyman put away the sport winner one minute and 6 seconds into extra time.
“The positives are that you just’re going to be down by two targets within the playoffs, or 3-1 late within the season, and if you (come again) you construct that sense that you are able to do it and you’ve got accomplished it,” Hyman mentioned.
“I believe this group is fairly assured that, irrespective of how we’re taking part in, we are able to climb out of a gap.”
That was Ingram’s thought within the Edmonton web.
“Once you’ve obtained among the greatest gamers on the earth, they’re going to do their job too,” mentioned the goalie, who made 17 saves on the night time. “So, even if you get behind within the begin of the sport, you’re simply considering, ‘Shut it down, we’ve nonetheless obtained an opportunity at this.’
“We are able to rating targets. We are able to come again on anyone. So, it’s enjoyable to look at from down there. It’s extra enjoyable to be on this aspect.”
GONE STREAKING
Edmonton has now gained three video games in a row for the primary time this season.
The dearth of an prolonged successful streak hasn’t been a subject of dialogue within the locker room, Kapanen mentioned.
“No person actually needs to speak about it, and it’s good that we did it,” he mentioned. “We obtained that third one out of the best way.”
STAR PLAYERS SCORING
Draisaitl had a objective and two assists on Thursday, extending his level streak to 3 video games with 10 factors (one objective, 9 assists) throughout the stretch.
McDavid additionally has factors (4 targets, 5 assists) in his final three video games after scoring and contributing a helper towards the Sharks.
Oilers defenceman Bouchard and Mattias Ekholm have additionally been sizzling, with every discovering the scoreboard in 4 straight outings. Bouchard has 4 targets and 7 assists, whereas Ekholm has three of every.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Jan. 30, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
