Shakir Mukhamadullin's third-period goal gives Sharks 5-4 victory vs. Oilers

Curtis Pashelka, Bay Area News Group on Feb 28, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — Shakir Mukhamadullin scored the go-ahead goal at the 9:27 mark of the third period to help lift the San Jose Sharks to a badly needed and entertaining 5-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday before a sold-out crowd of 17,435 at SAP Center.

Trailing a rush up the ice, Mukhamadullin took a pass from William Eklund and fired a wrist shot past Oilers goalie Connor Ingram for his fourth goal of the season.

The Sharks held from there, killing a late hooking penalty to defenseman Vincent Desharnais to snap a five-game losing streak.

Michael Misa, Macklin Celebrini, Alex Wennberg and Barclay Goodrow all scored, and goalie Yaroslav Askarov finished with 20 saves as the Sharks improved to 1-1-0 on their crucial six-game homestand.

The Sharks led by two before allowing an Evan Bouchard goal with 4:11 left in the second period. With the Oilers pressing, the Sharks lost sight of Bouchard — the top-scoring defenseman in the NHL — as he took a return pass from Connor McDavid and scored on a nearly wide-open net for his 17th goal of the season.

The Sharks led 3-1 after a fast-paced — and loosely played — first period.

Celebrini and Misa scored goals 3:33 apart, with Misa’s goal, his third of the season, giving the Sharks a 2-0 lead at the 11:07 mark of the first period.

The Oilers got one goal back with 5:09 left in the first period, as Leon Draisaitl, set up in the slot, one-timed a pass from Connor McDavid past Askarov.

The Sharks, though, responded with 2:55 to go. After a Sharks forecheck, defenseman John Klingberg took a pass from Goodrow and put a shot on goal that was blocked in front. But Goodrow picked up the loose puck and scored into a partially open net for a 3-1 Sharks lead.

Losers of five straight, the reeling Sharks made some lineup changes for Saturday’s game, inserting Mukhamadullin for Timothy Liljegren on defense and Pavol Regenda for Ryan Reaves on the fourth line.

Mukhamadullin was a healthy scratch in the Sharks’ 4-1 loss to the Calgary Flames on Thursday and, through a mix of injuries and scratches, has played in just 26 of 56 games so far this season.

Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said he wanted Mukhamadullin to be on his toes defensively as they play one of the NHL’s most offensively prolific teams in the Oilers. Edmonton’s captain, Connor McDavid, leads the NHL with 100 points in 60 games, and the Oilers are third in the NHL with an average of 3.52 goals per game after they smacked the Los Angeles Kings, 8-1, on Thursday.

“Just play solid hockey, defend with some urgency and some jam,” Warsofsky said of what he wants to see from Mukhamadullin. “Puck play is critical. (Be) a guy that can help us keep pucks out of the back of our net. Keep taking another step.”

Earlier this week, Mukhamadullin expressed his frustration with how this season has unfolded and pondered where he is in his career. Mukhamadullin’s ice time has been notably down from 2024-25, as he’s averaging 16:15 per game, well below the 18:04 he posted in 30 NHL games last season.

Liljegren made a costly error in the third period of Thursday’s loss to Calgary. With the Sharks trailing by one, Liljegren’s attempted outlet pass went off a Flames forward instead and right to Nazem Kadri, who scored to give Calgary a 3-1 lead.

Regenda also did not play in Thursday’s loss but is coming off an impressive performance at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where he had three goals and two assists in six games for Slovakia, which finished fourth.

The Sharks (27-25-4) entered Saturday five points back of the Seattle Kraken for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference.

Askarov started Saturday’s game after he made 25 saves in Thursday’s loss. Askarov had been 0-0-2 in two career starts against the Oilers, stopping 67 of 74 shots for a .905 save percentage.

In San Jose’s game in Edmonton on Jan. 29, Askarov and the Sharks had a three-goal lead in the third period before the Oilers charged back to tie the game and send it into overtime, where Zach Hyman scored to give Edmonton a 4-3 win.

Saturday’s game marked the first meeting between McDavid and Celebrini since they were linemates for Canada at the Olympic Games. McDavid led the tournament with 13 points in six games, and Celebrini had 10 points, with his five goals leading all skaters.

Celebrini is the NHL’s fifth-leading scorer with 81 points in 56 games, although he’s been held off the scoresheet in three of his last four games.

Saturday’s game was the first of back-to-back matinees for the Sharks at SAP Center, as they host the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Sharks finish their homestand with games against Montreal on Tuesday, St. Louis on Friday, and the New York Islanders next Saturday.