Pavelski lifts Sharks over Oilers with 4-point game
San Jose finds way to win after blowing 3-0 lead
Joakim Ryan's breakout game couldn't have come at a better time for the San Jose Sharks.
The 24-year-old rookie scored his first two NHL goals, including the tiebreaker with 2:27 left, and the San Jose Sharks rallied after giving up a three-goal lead to beat the Edmonton Oilers 6-4 Saturday night.
Joe Pavelski also scored twice, and Tomas Hertl and Barclay Goodrow had the other goals for the Sharks, who snapped a two-game skid. Aaron Dell had 27 saves.
"Forty-five games in you start to think about it a little — is it ever going to happen?" Ryan said. "It's definitely nice to get that first one, and getting that second was even better.
"It was kind of crazy. My dad got sick before the game so he wasn't able to make it to the game. But he's going to meet us in Anaheim tomorrow if he feels better. But maybe he should stay home more often."
'I was really happy for him'
Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said the soft-spoken Ryan has shown maturity.
"I was really happy for him, he shows up every day and doesn't say much, just works hard," DeBoer said. "We've been asking our defenceman all year - all of them - to get up and play and create offence. Playing with [All-Star defenceman Brett Burns] it's easy to just sit there and watch him go, it's nice to see Yoke take advantage of that."
Zack Kassian had two goals, and Leon Draisaitl and Brandon Davidson also scored as Edmonton scored four consecutive goals to take a 4-3 lead early in the third period. Al Montoya finished with 24 saves.
Ryan got his first career goal on a slap shot from the blue line past Montoya at 1:15 of the first period. Pavelski scored at 7:21 and Goodrow made it 3-0 at 2:30 of the second.
Oilers rally back
The Oilers then scored four times in about 12 1/2 minutes to move ahead.
Kassian got the Oilers started at 8:49, rebounding his own missed breakaway shot before slipping the puck past Dell. He scored again five-and-a-half minutes later on a breakaway. Draisaitl tied it with his 15th goal with just under two minutes remaining in the middle period as he recovered a loose puck in front of the goal after Dell blocked Oscar Klefbom's slap shot, and put it past the goalie.
Davidson put the Oilers ahead at 1:21 of the third.
The lead lasted less than two-and-a-half minutes as Hertl tied it with his 15th at 3:41.
After Ryan put the Sharks back ahead, Pavelski added an empty-netter, his 14th goal of the season, with 1:12 left.
'Story of the year'
"This game has been the story of the year," Kassian said. "We can't sustain any momentum once we get it for any length of time. We're not going to give up, but at the same time I'm not happy about clawing back and then watching the team fall back.
"We were expecting to win this game. This is frustrating, it wears on you. Everyone is frustrated. We need to close games out and get those two points."