Oilers Rally From Three Down to Stun Sharks in Overtime Thriller
EDMONTON - For two periods, it looked like the Oilers were about to let a golden opportunity slip away. Down 3-0 on home ice to a Sharks team that came out flying, Edmonton needed something - anything - to spark a comeback. What they delivered instead was a full-blown third-period surge that flipped the script and ended with Zach Hyman playing hero in overtime.
Hyman’s game-winner came just 1:06 into the extra frame, capping off a furious rally that saw the Oilers erase a three-goal deficit and steal a 4-3 win at Rogers Place. It’s their third straight victory - the first time all season they’ve strung together three in a row - and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“I think nobody really wanted to talk about it, and it's good that we got that third one out of the way,” said Kasperi Kapanen, acknowledging the quiet pressure that had been building around their inability to stack wins. “Hopefully, from now on, we can just keep playing well and then extend this win streak.”
It didn’t start well. The Sharks came out with serious jump, scoring twice in the opening 1:35 with goals from Collin Graf and Adam Gaudette. Michael Misa added a third before the first period was over, and just like that, Edmonton was staring down a 3-0 hole against a team desperate to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Oilers.
But if the first 40 minutes belonged to San Jose, the final 20 - and then some - were all Edmonton.
Leon Draisaitl got the comeback rolling with his 26th of the season just 1:34 into the third. That early tally gave the Oilers life, and when Head Coach Kris Knoblauch pulled the goalie with more than four minutes left, the gamble paid off. Connor McDavid made it 3-2, and Evan Bouchard followed up with the equalizer, sending the game to overtime with Rogers Place rocking.
Then came the dagger.
Just over a minute into OT, McDavid found Hyman with a slick pass, and the veteran winger ripped home the one-timer - his 24th of the season - to complete the comeback. The play wasn’t without controversy, as Dmitry Orlov collided with Sharks goalie Yaroslav Askarov in the crease, but the goal stood.
“It’s nice having three in a row,” Knoblauch said postgame, “but more importantly, we beat a team that we need to keep behind us. They’ve got games in hand on us, and we want to finish as high as we can in the standings.”
That’s the bigger picture here. With the playoff race heating up, every point matters - especially against divisional opponents. And in a game that could’ve easily gone sideways, the Oilers found a way to not just claw back, but take control.
Draisaitl and Bouchard both finished with a goal and two assists, while McDavid added a goal and an assist of his own - a reminder that when Edmonton’s stars are rolling, this team can be downright dangerous.
They’ll try to keep the momentum going Saturday night when the Minnesota Wild come to town. But for now, the Oilers can enjoy a win that felt like more than just two points. It felt like a turning point.