OilersNation and Google News have reported:

The Edmonton Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 on Saturday afternoon, extending their winning streak to four games and improving their season record to 4-0-1. The victory put Edmonton atop the Pacific Division for the time being, as the team continued its strong start to the season.

Mattias Ekholm opened the scoring about seven and a half minutes into the first period. Isaac Howard and Josh Samanski won a battle along the boards, and Howard sent the puck across to Ekholm at the point. The veteran defenceman’s shot beat San Jose goaltender Yaroslav Askarov for a 1-0 lead.

Neither team scored again in the first or second period. Early in the third, Connor McDavid found Vasily Podkolzin trailing on a rush, and Podkolzin one-timed the puck past Askarov to double Edmonton’s lead. The goal proved to be the game-winner, giving Podkolzin five goals and seven points through five games.

Just over two minutes later, Alex Formenton scored his first goal as an Oiler. Mathieu Joseph sent him away on a breakaway with a pass, and Formenton finished the chance to make it 3-0. Formenton and Joseph, who were joined on the speedy third line by Owen Michaels, helped provide a goal from beyond Edmonton’s top line.

Formenton also turned the puck over in Edmonton’s defensive zone, leading to San Jose’s only goal. Macklin Celebrini beat Oilers goaltender Tristan Jarry to make the score 3-1. The three forwards were on the ice for that goal as well as Formenton’s tally.

Jarry had struggled in the season opener, which was Edmonton’s only loss so far, but had a better outing against the Sharks. He stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced, finishing with a .950 save percentage. The Oilers’ other goaltender, Devon Levi, has also played well; the account of Saturday’s game said continued performances at that level from both netminders could bring Edmonton’s search for a goaltender to an end.

The win brought contributions from across the lineup after Wednesday’s victory had been driven largely by the top line. Howard and Samanski each recorded an assist while playing fewer than 10 minutes. McDavid’s line also produced a goal through Podkolzin, while the de facto second line of Filip Hållander, Jason Dickinson and Kasperi Kapanen was the only line that did not score.

Hållander made his Oilers debut and played 14:11. He was described as matching expectations, forcing several turnovers on the forecheck. Ekholm scored his first goal of the season and played just under 23 minutes. Evan Bouchard finished plus-two and had an assist, while Connor Murphy also recorded an assist.

Bouchard, Murphy and Ryan Shea each played more than 24 minutes. The third pairing of Ty Emberson and Shakir Mukhamadullin played about 11 minutes. The Oilers have a couple of days off before their next game, when they travel back to the Los Angeles metropolitan area to play the Kings on Tuesday. The game is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. MT.

Cynthia Ryley Delaney, a Nation Network writer for DFOEdmonton, DFOCalgary and Blue Jays Nation, wrote the game account. She can be followed on X at @CynthiaRDelaney. Daily Faceoff Edmonton also invited readers to submit letters for its new weekly “Letters to the Editor” segment by emailing managing editor Zach Laing at zach.laing@bettercollective.com with the subject line “Letters to the Editor.” Submissions must be up to 200 words, include the writer’s name and place of residence, such as a city, town, province or state, and arrive by Sunday morning for consideration. Letters may be edited for length or clarity.