EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers knew the challenge was to come together as one after learning their star forward Leon Draisaitl would be out for the remainder of the regular season.
They did just that on Tuesday.
Adam Henrique had a pair of assists and 12 other players each got a point as the Oilers were able to rally for a big 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
“We talked about no one can replace (Draisaitl),” Henrique said. “This is something we collectively have to do from here until the end of the season and see where it takes us.
“I thought tonight we did a good job of responding throughout the game and having an attack like that was a big thing.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy, Vasily Podkolzin, Max Jones and Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers (34-26-9), who won two straight to improve to 5-2-1 in March. Edmonton is level on points with Anaheim at the top of the Pacific Division standings.
The Oilers took a 5-3 lead with 11:48 left in the third quarter when Hyman grabbed a rebound in front and drilled a backhand shot from his knee into the net for his 29th goal in just 50 games this season.
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Hyman has an NHL-best 27 goals since Dec. 11.
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“We’re not going to be able to score five goals every night, but it’s nice for the players to feel like they’re a part of it,” Hyman said. “No one can replace Leon, he’s one of the best players in the world. Collectively, as a group, everyone has to step up their game and be a little better. We’ve got contributions all over the line-up.”
The Oilers were without Draisaitl, who is fourth in league scoring, after announcing earlier in the day that he was expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
“Right now the timeline we’re using is the end of the regular season,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “And once the playoffs start, we’ll reevaluate it. That’s where we’re at right now.”
Jones scored the game-winning goal, making him excited to be able to contribute immediately after being called up from the farm after spending most of the season in Bakersfield of the AHL.
“It’s really nice to be able to appear and help the team win. It’s quite special,” he said before being asked about his good fortune. “Yeah, good luck and maybe good karma. I was waiting for good karma, I kept losing at card games and so on.”
Murphy recorded his first goal since coming to the Oilers in a trade deadline deal with Chicago.
“Every time a star player goes out, there are playing minutes that can be shared with other players,” he said. “So this is everyone’s time to shine. To step forward and take advantage of those moments in a positive way.”
Henrique was delighted to provide a pair of assists after a difficult season which saw him fail to score a goal since October 23.
“I would love to fill Leo’s shoes and go out and be Leo, but that’s not how it works,” he said. “I think tonight was a good step for us and it’s something we have to continue to improve on.”
Connor Ingram recorded 27 saves to earn the win in goal for Edmonton.
The Sharks fell to 1-13-2 on the season when Macklin Celebrini failed to collect a single point, as his nine-game point streak came to an end.
Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda and Kiefer Sherwood scored for San Jose (32-28-6), which has lost two straight and five of its last seven games.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.
© 2026 Canadian Press
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