OilersNation has reported:

The Edmonton Oilers scored twice in the third period to secure a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Saturday afternoon in Southern California, following a tightly defended first 40 minutes. Mattias Ekholm opened the scoring in the first period, and goals from Vasily Podkolzin and Alex Formenton extended Edmonton’s lead before San Jose replied through Macklin Celebrini.

The matchup featured star players including Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard for Edmonton, and Celebrini and Ivar Stenberg for San Jose. The Oilers sought to keep the contest from becoming a fast-paced exchange, limiting the Sharks’ offence as the teams recorded five shots apiece in the opening period. San Jose led 7-3 in shots in the second.

Edmonton coach Mike Babcock said the team followed its plan against a structured opponent. “I just thought that we stuck with the plan,” Babcock said after the game. “Their guys were organized and structured and played hard, and there wasn’t a lot of room out there.”

Babcock said the Oilers had to create offence through sustained pressure rather than relying on quick attacks. “You didn’t generate anything off the rush tonight, so I thought we had to do it the hard way. In the end we scored a rush goal, but it was after heavy O-zone play, and we got a counter.”

The Oilers broke through again 3:13 into the third period. McDavid entered the offensive zone and sent a pass into the slot, where Podkolzin scored with a one-timer to make it 2-0.

Edmonton’s third line added another goal just under six minutes into the period. Mathieu Joseph sent Alex Formenton away on a breakaway, and Formenton beat Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov with a forehand-to-backhand move, lifting the puck into the net for a 3-0 advantage.

The Oilers had taken the lead through contributions from their depth as well. Isaac Howard worked along the boards before setting up Ekholm for a strong shot and the first-period goal. Edmonton’s fourth line also played a significant role as the team used all four lines during the game.

Babcock said Edmonton deployed two lines against the group centred on Celebrini when San Jose kept that line away from McDavid’s unit. “Well, I liked their game, but I liked Dickey’s game too, so we kind of used two lines against them when they didn’t want to go against McDavid,” he said. “But let’s give our fourth line credit.”

He singled out several players from that group. “I thought Samanski had his best game. Frederic was crawling all over the goalie when we shot it in the net there. Howard made a nice play, so those guys were an important piece. We were able to play four lines tonight, and those guys were good.”

The Sharks got on the scoreboard after Owen Michaels could not clear the puck from Edmonton’s zone. Michael Misa recovered it and set up Celebrini, who fired a shot past Jarry. Michaels otherwise had a strong outing, winning 10 of 12 faceoffs and playing 14:15.

Jarry faced 20 shots and stopped 19, finishing with a .950 save percentage. Natural Stat Trick credited him with facing three high-danger scoring chances. The performance was described as a quality start, though the report raised the possibility of Devon Levi taking most of the starts in the games ahead.

Edmonton’s next game is scheduled for Tuesday, when the Oilers visit the Los Angeles Kings to finish a three-game road trip through Southern California. Zach Hyman could also return to the lineup for that game.