SAN JOSE, CA - Happy birthday, Connor McDavid. Have a night, Jack Campbell.
McDavid celebrated his 26th birthday in style with two goals and an assist while Campbell stopped 25 of 26 shots to lead the Oilers to a dominant 7-1 victory over the Sharks.
"He's a serious pro that has had really good runs in his career and I think his game is going in the right direction," Head Coach Jay Woodcroft said about Friday's winning goaltender. "He's making the most of the opportunity that he had this week."
The captain's first-period goal saw him become the fastest player to 80 points in a season (44 games) since Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Ron Francis did so with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1995-96. He's also the third player in franchise history to record 80 points in 44 games or less, joining Wayne Gretzky and Paul Coffey.
The Oilers have now outscored their opposition by a 13-3 margin in the last two contests, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Leon Draisaitl also enjoying three-point games in San Jose. Edmonton had 12 players record at least one point in the lopsided triumph.
"It was 2-0 after the first period, both teams were competing hard. We had some things go our way tonight, but they're a well coached, proud team," Woodcroft said about the effort. "We were fortunate on some things tonight, but we executed the way we wanted to and came away with two points with multiple contributions up and down our lineup."
GAME RECAP: Oilers 7, Sharks 1
McDavid celebrates his birthday with a three-point night while Campbell makes 25 saves to lead Edmonton to a dominant win in San Jose
© Kavin Mistry/Getty Images
© Kavin Mistry/Getty Images