Sharks fuel McDavid, Oilers with penalties as playoff hopes take a big hit

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News on Apr 9, 2026

Published in Hockey

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SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks didn’t have much margin for error against Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night.

Now the Sharks have almost no room for error this season if they want to make the playoffs.

The Sharks fueled McDavid with too many penalties and mistakes and saw the NHL’s leading scorer put up five points, including a hat trick, in the first two periods, as Edmonton blasted San Jose 5-2 before an announced crowd of 15,683 at SAP Center.

The Sharks (37-33-7) took three penalties in the first two periods and allowed power play goals on all three, with McDavid scoring once and assisting on goals by Vasily Podkolzin and Jack Roslovic.

McDavid added two even-strength goals — his first on a dazzling individual effort at the 5:53 mark after he skated around Sharks defenseman Nick Leddy and eluded a poke check from goalie Alex Nedeljkovic. His second came after a Sharks turnover, as his pass intended for Roslovic went off the stick and past Nedeljkovic.

Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood both scored, and Nedeljkovic finished with 21 saves as the Sharks finished their six-game homestand with a 4-2-0 record.

The Sharks were a brutal 8-for-16 on the penalty kill during the six-game homestand. They also managed just 10 shots on net in the first two periods, and finished with 14.

San Jose now has five games remaining, starting with Thursday’s road game in Anaheim, and might need to win all five to make the postseason.

With 81 points, the Sharks are three points behind the Nashville Predators for the second and final wild card spot in the Western Conference with one game in hand. San Jose is also one point back of the ninth-place Los Angeles Kings, with the same number of games left.

The Sharks trailed 2-1 after the first period, as both penalties they took resulted in Oilers power-play goals.

With the Sharks leading by one on Celebrini’s own power play goal 4:27 into the first period, Michael Misa was called for holding at the 5:15 mark, and Connor McDavid scored his 45th goal of the season 63 seconds later on a shot from beside the net to tie the game.

With Vincent Desharnais serving a delay of game penalty for putting the puck over the glass from inside his own zone, Vasily Podkolzin then gave the Oilers a 2-1 lead, getting his stick free in front of the Sharks’ net and slipping a shot under Alex Nedeljkovic for his 19th of the season.

At that point, with the two goals allowed, the Sharks were a dismal 8-for-16 on their penalty kill through the first five-plus periods of the homestand.

The Sharks got themselves back into the playoff picture by winning four of the five games to start the homestand. They beat St. Louis, Anaheim, and Toronto to start, earning comeback wins over the Blues and Ducks, losing to the Nashville Predators on Saturday, and beating the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday.