GAME RECAP: Oilers 5, Sharks 2

EDMONTON, AB - Bring on Game 83.
The Oilers took care of business at Rogers Place on Thursday night, taking down the San Jose Sharks by a 5-2 score to win their ninth in a row.
Edmonton was led by a pair of goals by Mattias Janmark, along with tallies by Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard and Evander Kane to finish the year with an NHL leading 325 goals. Despite the league-leading attack, the Oilers defence has been ramping up at the right time, allowing two or fewer goals in each of their last seven games.
"We can win different ways. I think we've showed that, especially over the last little bit," captain Connor McDavid said. "If you want to play a tight-checking, solid 2-1 game, we can play that way and that's the way we want to play. But ultimately, we can also score goals, too. We've got skill up and down the lineup, and we're a good mix of guys as well. If you want to play physical, we got the guys to do that as well."
Stuart Skinner carried his run of incredible play into the final game of the season, turning away 27 shots on the night to set the new Oilers record for wins by a rookie goaltender with his 29th victory of the season. The Edmonton, AB product has been sizzling during the Oilers playoff drive with a 14-1-1 record since March 1.
Sharks forward Noah Gregor scored his 10th for San Jose, while Steven Lorentz also added his 10th of the year to cap off the visitors scoring.
The victory improves the Oilers record to 50-23-9 heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where they'll renew their rivalry from last year's first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings.

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FIRST BLOOD

The Oilers jumped on the Sharks early and it was the hard work of Mattias Janmark that got it done.
The man affectionately dubbed 'The Janitor' cut around the Sharks net and drove hard towards James Reimer. Janmark got the puck to the high-traffic area, but the play was cleaned up by the Sharks defenders, who batted the puck into their own net.
Janmark's ninth of the season came 4:16 into the opening frame and was the sixth time in the last seven games the Oilers have opened the scoring.
The Swede wasn't done in the evening. Late in the second period, with the Oilers shorthanded, Janmark was sprung all alone on the breakaway and finished with the cheeky backhander to give Edmonton a 4-1 lead. The goal was the Oilers NHL leading 18th shorthanded goal of the season and Janmark's 10th of the year. The tally gave every Oilers forward in the game at least double-digits on the season.
"I think it's huge. Not only did he get two goals today, but he became another one of those double-digit scorers on our team," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said about his scoring depth. "I think where we're about to get to, we need contributions from everybody and sometimes the best players on both teams saw each other off and you're looking for a little bit of production elsewhere. We have a lot of guys that can score given the opportunity."

PP HISTORY

The goal Oilers fans have seen so many times before helped seal this team's place in NHL history.
Edmonton found themselves on the power play after Kevin Leblanc took a dangerous boarding call on Vincent Desharnais deep in the Oilers zone. It was Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who dished the sauce over to Leon Draisaitl at his trademark spot at the right circle, which the sniper quickly smacked home his 52nd goal of the season.
The goal was Draisaitl's 32nd on the power play, tying him with Dave Andreychuk for the second most all-time in a single season, two goals behind the record long held by Flyers legend Tim Kerr.
This year's Oilers squad just needed to go better than 0-for-5 on the power play to break the NHL's all-time record for power play efficiency, set by the dominant Montreal Canadiens back in 1977-78. The Blue & Orange's prolific PP finished the night 1-for-3 to topple the 45-year-old record. The Canadiens -- led by legends like Guy Lafleur, Jacques Lemaire, Larry Robinson, and Steve Shutt -- set the record at 31.9 per cent, but was finally toppled by the Oilers 32.3 per cent mark this season.
"I think the power play set a league record, which is pretty impressive given some of the teams that have played in the history of the game," Woodcroft said after the game.
Draisaitl's marker was Edmonton's 89th on the man advantage this season, the most by any Oilers team in NHL history. The previous record was held by the loaded 1987-88 Stanley Cup Champion team, who notched the feat in 402 power-play opportunities. The 2022-23 NHL record setting Oilers squad broke the record in an incredible 129 fewer chances, needing just their 273rd power play to get goal 89.

SHARK BITES

Although they were long out of postseason contention, the Sharks battled throughout the evening to keep the game from getting out of hand.
After the Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead, Beaumont, AB native Noah Gregor was able to drive hard to the Oilers net and bury his own rebound for his 10th goal of the season. The 24-year-old took some time to get going this season but has been solid down the stretch for the Sharks with 10 points (6G, 4A) in his last 11 games.
The Sharks were able to creep back into the game once again late in the second period. The Oilers had built up a 4-1 advantage, but a Klim Kostin tripping penalty allowed the California club to slightly open the door. Steven Lorentz notched his 10th of the year, with an expert tip in front of Skinner to narrow the Oilers lead to two.

MILESTONE NIGHT

In a season full of milestones, the Oilers were able to check a few more off the list before heading into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
In addition to the Oilers breaking the NHL record for power-play efficiency at 32.3 per cent and setting a new franchise best for total PPGs with 89, the victory was Edmonton's 50th of the season. The win marks only the fourth time in franchise history the Oilers have eclipsed 50 victories in a single season, and the first time since 1986-87.
Stuart Skinner was in between the pipes for the 'dub,' giving the rookie his 29th win on the season, surpassing NHL hall-of-famer Grant Fuhr's rookie record of 28 set back in 1981-92.
"I mean, it means a lot being recognized in the same sentences as Grant Fuhr," Skinner said. "Growing up in Edmonton, all you heard about is how fantastic of a goalie he is, and a competitor. He's a Hall of Fame goalie, one of the best goalies to ever play the game. So it's really cool moment."
Edmonton also had a pair of forwards play their 500th NHL game on Thursday night, with Zach Hyman and Derek Ryan both hitting the milestone. The moment was especially sweet for Ryan, who began his career as a 29-year-old and had his father Tim and his kids on the bench for warmup prior to the game.
The 36-year-old finished the game playing13:43 and assisting Janmark's second period shorthanded goal.

PARTING WORDS

Head Coach Jay Woodcroft on what he liked from his team tonight:
"I thought the task was to get the win and our players went out and did that. One of the things I liked the best was that we locked it down in the third period. I think the second period was our best period by any stretch, but I like the way we played in that third period to lock them down and kind of put the game out of reach."
Woodcroft on the elements that carry over from the regular season to the playoffs:
"I think a lot resets. The regular season is finished for us right now, so once we find out who our playoff opponent is, we'll spend a lot of time preparing for that team. But in terms of carryover, I've been saying this for the last couple of months, is that since Christmas time, I've liked a lot of the parts of our team game and we've had moments here and there. I believe that carries over. That's something we've been working at. It didn't just happen. There's been a lot of hard work put into that. But in the end, when you get into a playoff series versus one team, there's a lot of things that go into trying to find success. In the end, you have to find a way to beat one team four different times.
Woodcroft on the results of the Golden Knights and Kraken:
"I'm watching the game with the interest of being able to finally put my thumb on who we're going to play and direct all of my attention to that team. It looks like a pretty good hockey game from at the end of our game to right now. I was watching it. I think, you get to this time of year, everyone presents problems. Everyone's a good hockey team. Everyone got to this position because a lot of things went right in their regular season. I think whoever we get is going to be a tough out and we better be ready. But I've used the term dress rehearsal here over the last while. That's what that 82-game regular season is all about."
Connor McDavid on the Oilers going 14-01 heading into the playoffs:
"Yeah, it's been good. Obviously, we feel good about our game heading into the most important time of year -- we're excited."

Stuart Skinner on preparing for the NHL playoffs:
"Yeah, in my experience of playing in the playoffs, there are a lot of nerves into it, there's a lot of excitement, a lot of jump, and that goes for both teams. All four rounds is just a bloodbath normally, so it's going to be a lot of fun and I'm really excited for it. We know how to play the game. These guys in the room know how to make it all the way to the third round and hopefully we can do a little bit better than that this year."
Skinner on the playoff atmosphere in Oil Country:
"I've been around it for quite a while here. It's so much fun. Everyone in every store that you go to is wearing Oilers jerseys. I was here. I had the privilege to be here during the playoff run and especially in the third round there, I thought the building was going to just crumble how loud the fans were and I'm really excited that I'm actually able to be in the room for that and be on the ice for that. I can't wait. It's going to be a lot of fun and use the energy that the fans give us."
McDavid on playing tonight's game without a ton on the line:
"Well, even if there wasn't stuff on the line, we'd want to finish strong. We've been saying all along we believe that momentum is a thing, and you can carry it into the playoffs. I thought our game tonight was solid, and we continue our strong run into the playoffs."
McDavid on the Oilers depth playing well heading into Game 83:
"Everybody's been playing well. Everybody, especially those guys. They've been really good. Bjugstad since he's been here has been awesome and I think everybody up and down the lineup has been solid."
McDavid on how the Oilers feel heading into the playoffs:
"I think if you talk to all 16 teams heading to the playoffs, they're going to feel pretty good about themselves. Everybody's done good things to get themselves into the playoffs, so we're no different. Like I said, we feel strong about our game. We're confident. That being said, there are 16 other teams that are real good and feel the same way."
McDavid on his record setting season:
"You know what, it's a regular season. Now is the time to really play. It was a good regular season individually and for the team, but now is a fun time."