GAME RECAP: Oilers 3, Sharks 0

SAN JOSE, CA - Goaltender Stuart Skinner earned his first NHL shutout with a 20-save performance behind goals from Warren Foegele, Darnell Nurse, and Connor McDavid on Monday night in a 3-0 victory for the Oilers over the San Jose Sharks.
The Oilers scored twice in 1:05 of the first period, with Foegele ending a 17-game streak without a goal and Nurse recording the 50th goal of his career. McDavid padded the lead in the third period with his 24th goal of the season as the Oilers earned their second-straight victory under Head Coach Jay Woodcroft to improve to 25-18-3 on the season.

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FIRST BLOOD

The Sharks had early momentum before the Oilers quickly flipped the script.
Down 6-0 in shots through the first six minutes of the first period, the puck took a wicked double deflection on Edmonton's opening attempt after Evan Bouchard's point shot struck the stick of Derek Ryan before bouncing off the leg of Warren Foegele and past Sharks netminder James Reimer for the game's opening goal.

PLAY OF THE GAME

Make it 24 goals on the season for your captain. McDavid burned Sharks defenceman Brett Burns wide before quickly firing it five-hole under James Reimer to pad Edmonton's lead to 3-0 in the opening two minutes of the third period Bouchard unlocked #97 with a perfect pass from the Oilers blueline. Bouchard registered his 16th assist of the season and now has nine goals and 25 points in 46 games.

SAVE OF THE GAME

SKINNNNERRRRR!
Stuart may not have had a high quantity of shots, but he delivered quality saves when called upon. The 23-year-old Edmonton, AB product made his biggest contribution of the night when he reached out with the glove to deny Jonathan Dahlen's clear-cut chance on an early Sharks powerplay.

TURNING POINT

After momentum fell to the Sharks early, the Oilers scored twice in 1:05 of the first period to move the needle well into their favour for the rest of the game after two fortunate deflections in quick succession off Foegele's leg and Nurse's point shot finding its way through off the stick of San Jose d-man Nicolas Meloche.
The Oilers overturned a 6-0 deficit in shots to outshoot the Sharks 41-14 over the next 54 minutes of play.

TOP PERFORMER

The first shutout of Skinner's NHL career earns the young netminder Player of the Game honours, with the victory marking his third-straight road win and fourth win in his last five games overall. The victory in his first start since a January 29 win over the Montreal Canadiens evens Skinner's record at 6-6-0 on the season.

NO LOVE LOST

The Shark Tank showed no affection on Valentine's Day to its former player on his return to San Jose.
The boos rained down on Evander Kane whenever he touched the puck during the course of play, while the cheers came any time he was hit or had the puck taken off him. The 30-year-old forward who spent parts of four seasons with the Sharks, registering three 20-goal campaigns, had four shots and a hit over 18:54 of ice time in his return to the SAP Center for the first time as a member of the Oilers.

PARTING WORDS

Skinner on earning his first career NHL shutout:
"It was pretty special. Whenever you're able to get any shutout in any league, it's obviously a special moment. For this to be my first one in the NHL, it definitely feels good."
Skinner on getting the shutout behind seven former Bakersfield Condors teammates:
"It's been fun. Being able to play with these guys for the last three-to-four years, and just the transition of all of us to playing in the big leagues, that's what it's all about and it's a lot of fun. I enjoy playing with those guys."
Skinner on the positive energy around the group:
"I think we're just having a really good time with each other keeping it light-hearted and just having fun while sticking to our structure and our game. It's been fun."

Nurse on earning Kane the victory in his return to San Jose:
"For sure we had his back. He's part of our team now, so anytime you come back to a place you just played can be awkward so to say. We definitely have his back in this room, and we're always here for him."
Nurse on Skinner's play in the crease during his first NHL shutout:
"He was unbelievable. He earned his first-ever shutout in the NHL, which is a huge accomplishment and something he's worked so hard for. There were some moments in that game where they had clean looks, and he came up huge for the team. He's a big reason why we won that game."
"He's just all-around a great person. He comes to the rink every day with a mindset to work. On top of that, he always has a smile on his face asking how you're doing, how's your kid, your fiance, everyone. He's a guy that just cares about the guys, and then he comes out and plays the way he did. It's fun to see."

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on Skinner's play, growth, and shutting the door during an early push from San Jose:
"I thought Stuart stood tall when we needed him right off the bat, and I think it's a habit of [the Sharks] in this building where they come out hard. Stuart was ready, and it's a big feather in his cap to get his first NHL shutout."
"He's certainly physically matured and his game has matured, but just as a young man, he's matured. He's married, just the way he carries himself, off the ice how he treats his body, his emphasis on recovery, and mentally being able to handle a big workload down in the American Hockey League finding ways to win games at that level. To see him transitioning to beginning his NHL career, I'm proud of him because I have that relationship going back four years with him."
Woodcroft on what he liked the most from his team's 3-0 performance:
"We asked our players that we felt we needed a full 60 minutes, and I thought we played a full 60 minutes. there were times when the other team had some chances, but we really liked the commitment to the defensive side of the puck, the commitment to working back to our end, and it was impressive to see those players put in the work that they put in. It's not easy to play like that, but they did a good job for us tonight."
Woodcroft on Nurse recording his 50th career goal and his importance to the Oilers:
"Darnell is money in the bank when it comes to playing big minutes on the backend against the best players in the world. I've also seen Darnell since he first came into the NHL. I haven't seen him in the last few years other than at Training Camp or on television, but he's somebody who's really grown his game.
"I would use the term 'he burns with purpose'. He comes to the rink every day with a purpose in mind to be the best player he can be. He's someone that is serious about his craft, and I really believe that he's only scratched the surface."