Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid delivered a spectacular five-point performance Wednesday evening, netting three goals and dishing out two assists as the Oilers defeated the San Jose Sharks 5-2 on the road.
The victory boosted Edmonton’s record to 40-29-10 for 90 points, extending their hot streak to 6-1-1 over their last eight contests. The win also pushed the Oilers two points clear of the idle Vegas Golden Knights for first place in the Pacific Division.
Jack Roslovic and Vasily Podkolzin each contributed one goal and one assist for Edmonton, while defenseman Evan Bouchard recorded two assists in the winning effort.
Between the pipes for Edmonton, Connor Ingram faced 10 shots and allowed two goals before being pulled for the final period. Tristan Jarry took over in the third and turned away all four shots he encountered.
San Jose got goals from Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood in the losing effort. The Sharks fell to 37-33-7 with 81 points, suffering just their second defeat in seven games. Goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic made 21 saves in the loss.
Sabres 5, Rangers 3
Zach Benson found the net twice as Buffalo rallied for a victory against New York at Madison Square Garden.
Ryan McLeod and Jason Zucker each recorded one goal and one assist for the Sabres, who claimed sole possession of the Atlantic Division’s top spot. Goalie Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen turned aside 17 shots for the win.
New York got two goals from Alexis Lafreniere, while Adam Fox contributed one goal and one assist. Igor Shesterkin made 22 saves for the Rangers, who had been riding a two-game winning streak and had won five of their previous six matchups.
Capitals 4, Maple Leafs 0
Logan Thompson recorded 21 saves for his third shutout of the season as Washington kept their playoff hopes alive with a road victory over Toronto.
Thompson has now blanked the Maple Leafs twice this season. Dylan Strome and Martin Fehervary each tallied one goal and one assist for the Capitals, while Ryan Leonard and Cole Hutson added single goals. Washington now sits three points behind Ottawa for the second Eastern Conference wild card spot and three points back of Philadelphia for third in the Metropolitan Division.
Joseph Woll allowed three goals on 17 shots for Toronto, which has now dropped three consecutive games (0-2-1) and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
