Quick Bite: Jones leads Sharks past Oilers in McLellan’s San Jose return

Martin Jones made 24 saves, and two in the shootout, as the Sharks spoiled Todd McLellan’s return to the SAP Center with a 2-1 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Nail Yakupov scored the only goals in regulation, as the Sharks won their fourth in a row.

The Sharks controlled much of the game’s opening minutes, but didn’t have anything to show for it, as they failed to convert on an early power play. That changed when Marc-Edouard Vlasic opened the scoring 11:29 into the game, converting a 2-on-1 feed from Melker Karlsson.

Bar down. pic.twitter.com/bxb3vRMpP2

— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) January 15, 2016

Edmonton surged and sustained substantial pressure after Vlasic’s goal, holding an edge in scoring chances and shot attempts. But, Martin Jones stood tall in San Jose’s crease, and the scoreline remained 1-0 entering the first intermission.

Vlasic nearly had another goal when Talbot kicked a rebound to him in the slot, but Talbot made the second save. The Oilers corralled the rebound, and would score on an ensuing 2-on-1. Lauri Korpikoski slid a pass to Nail Yakupov, who fired it under Jones’ right arm to tie the game at one just over eight minutes into the middle frame.San Jose controlled play for long stretches of the second period, but could not convert that territorial edge into another goal.

Both teams traded chances in the third period, as the Sharks were once again unable to capitalize on the power play, including one opportunity in the last three minutes. For the second straight matchup, Edmonton and San Jose headed to overtime.

Vlasic had yet another chance off of a 2-on-1 early in overtime, but Talbot slid across to make the easy save. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins nearly won the game a minute later, but Jones bailed out Logan Couture and denied the former #1 overall pick from in close.

With under 40 seconds to go in overtime, Jones made his biggest save of the game, stopping Andrej Sekera on a mini-breakaway with the shaft of his stick. The Sharks nearly took advantage, but Brent Burns scored two seconds after the buzzer hit zero.

Joe Pavelski opened the ensuing shootout with a five-hole finish, but Joonas Donskoi had the prettiest goal of the night, beating Talbot with a nifty inside-out deke. Jones made the required two saves, and the Sharks escaped with a vital two points.

This is the first time all season San Jose has won two straight games at home. The Sharks can make it three in a row Saturday, when they host the Western Conference-leading Dallas Stars.

Sharks goals (assists): Vlasic (Karlsson, Thornton)

[Fancy Stats] – [Oilers Reaction] – [TOI Log] – [Faceoff Report] – [Event Summary] – [PBP Log]

Fear the Fin’s Three Stars

1. Cam Talbot

2. Martin Jones

3. Marc-Edouard Vlasic