Connor McDavid scored 31 seconds into overtime to extend his points streak to 14 games and the Edmonton Oilers rallied to beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tied it with a short-handed goal with 8:04 remaining in regulation before McDavid won it.
The victory gave the Oilers a five-point lead over Vegas in the race for third place in the Pacific Division.
Smith made 31 saves for the Oilers.
Now THAT is how you end a game! 😱<br><br>Mike Smith makes an incredible play to find Connor McDavid (<a href=”https://twitter.com/cmcdavid97?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@cmcdavid97</a>) for the <a href=”https://twitter.com/BevyLongDrink?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@BevyLongDrink</a> overtime winner! <a href=”https://t.co/Np584dTuDm”>pic.twitter.com/Np584dTuDm</a>
—@NHL
Tomas Hertl scored a power-play goal in the first period but the Sharks were unable to hold onto the lead and lost their fourth straight. Reimer made 22 saves.
San Jose capitalized on a power play in the first period when Brent Burns set up Hertl for a one-timer from the circle. Hertl beat Smith for his 27th goal of the season.
The Oilers played without 50-goal scorer Leon Draisaitl, who sat out a day after he missed practice for what was called a “maintenance day.” Draisaitl took part in an optional skate Tuesday morning but wasn’t able to play in the game.
Draisaitl reached the 50-goal mark for the second time in his career on Sunday in Anaheim. He has a 12-game points streak with 12 goals and 10 assists in that span. His absence ends his streak of 354 consecutive outings that started on Oct. 24, 2017.