On the one hand, the fact that the San Jose Sharks could not hold onto a late lead for the fourth game in a row is a problem. On the other hand, the Sharks did much better against the Edmonton Oilers than it had against the previous three teams it faced. The Sharks lost to the Oilers 3-2 in overtime after taking a 2-1 lead into the third period. For the first time in these four games, the Sharks managed to scrape out a point.
The final goal of the day was a look at what happens when you get Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid on the ice together. It was a clinic made especially painful because it came after Macklin Celebrini tried to do some creative puck movement of his own, lost the handle on the puck and then had to deal with some slick moves by McDavid.
Leon called game 😤 #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/IRvnqTfn2o
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) December 21, 2024
Things like that will happen to an 18-year-old playing against veteran players like McDavid, but it’s fun to see Celebrini have the confidence to even try moves like that to win the game. You can bet he’s going to take a lot away from this game.
Celebrini got a healthy dose of McDavid and Draisaitl during yesterday’s game. He had 7:28 of total ice time at even strength against Draisaitl and 6:10 of total ice time at even strength against McDavid.
Steps in the right direction
Yes, the Sharks blew the lead in this game and have blown the lead in the team’s last four games, but there are some positives to take away from this latest loss. For one thing, San Jose managed to get a point out of the experience. For another, this game had a different feel than the last few.
Previously, the Sharks seemed to sit back on their heels and defend while in the lead. This one, the team kept firing even as the Oilers turned things on late.
Looking at Natural Stat Trick’s Corsi differential at 5v5, you can see that while Edmonton eventually pushed things in the team’s favor, it was not handed over easily. The Sharks weathered a strong push at the start of the third period, bent and then came back with a push of their own.
While the ultimate result was the same, there was a distinct feeling that the Sharks have learned something from the last few losses that will help the team moving forward. Hopefully, the Sharks will continue to push the pace of the game offensively, even when the team has a lead. It would bode well for next season if this is a lesson the young players learn now.
Yaroslav Askarov is NHL ready
The Sharks have a plan for Yaroslav Askarov. That’s what General Manager Mike Grier said when the team traded for him in the offseason. It was a plan that the netminder agreed with and likely included the idea that he would not get a chance full-time with the big club until after the trade deadline. That said, the injury to Vitek Vanecek, combined with his performance against the high-octane offense of the Oilers, may speed things along.
Askarov stopped 39 of the 42 shots he faced yesterday and finished with a .929 save percentage. His 2.99 goals against average was much better than the 3.97 expected goals against calculated by Natural Stat Trick.
Looking at Natural Stat Trick’s heat map in all situations you can see that the shots were coming from everywhere, but especially in close.
Admittedly, Askarov was a bit lucky. There was a missed net by Draisaitl late in the game, and a few other wide-open chances that didn’t make it on the net, but Askarov also came up with some big saves, including this one on McDavid.
Asky denies McDavid 😤
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) December 21, 2024
pic.twitter.com/Gb0z63E68O
And then there was this one on Adam Henrique.
This Askarov robbery was so sexy, even the official had to throw him a compliment. 😂#TheFutureIsTeal pic.twitter.com/HckXaqqVbJ
— SnipeCity420  (@SnipeCity420) December 21, 2024
Askarov did some heavy lifting to keep the Sharks in the game and may have forced the Sharks into making some moves earlier than expected.
Scoring summary San Jose Sharks at Edmonton Oilers Dec. 21, 2024
First Period
3:23 SJS Luke Kunin from Alex Wennberg and Timothy Liljegren
7:07 EDM Zach Hyman from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard
8:21 SJS Jan Rutta from Jake Walman and Macklin Celebrini
Second Period
No Scoring
Third Period
19:42 EDM Mattias Ekholm from Corey Perry and Connor McDavid with an empty net
Overtime
0:18 EDM Leon Draisaitl from Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard
