Connor McDavid scored a hat trick and added a pair of assists, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the host San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night.
Edmonton (40-29-10, 90 points) improved to 6-1-1 in its past eight games and moved two points ahead of the idle Vegas Golden Knights atop the Pacific Division.
Jack Roslovic and Vasily Podkolzin each had a goal and an assist for the Oilers, and Evan Bouchard added a pair of helpers.
Edmonton goaltender Connor Ingram made eight saves on 10 shots but was replaced by Tristan Jarry to start the third period. Jarry stopped all four shots he faced.
Macklin Celebrini and Kiefer Sherwood tallied for the Sharks (37-33-7, 81 points), who lost for just the second time in seven games. Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 21 shots.
San Jose remains three points back of Nashville for the second Western Conference wild-card spot, though the Sharks have a game in hand on the Predators.
The Oilers took a 3-1 lead on a power-play goal at 3:33 of the second period as McDavid sprung Roslovic for a breakaway, and Roslovic put his backhand shot past Nedeljkovic.
San Jose pulled within one just over a minute later, when Sherwood redirected Alexander Wennberg’s shot from the point past Ingram.
McDavid restored Edmonton’s two-goal lead at 5:53 of the second, skating around Nick Leddy and Sam Dickinson and beating Nedeljkovic.
The Oilers captain completed the hat trick as his cross-crease pass attempt went in off Sharks defenseman Dmitry Orlov and between the pads of Nedeljkovic at 14:13 of the middle period. It was McDavid’s 15th career hat trick and 14th career five-plus-point game.
The Sharks opened the scoring on their first shot on goal. Celebrini put a wrist shot past a screened Ingram on a power play at 4:27 of the first.
McDavid responded 1:51 later, putting home the rebound off his passing attempt for his 100th career power-play goal.
The Oilers took their first lead at 18:38 of the first, again on a power play. Podkolzin poked in the rebound off Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ shot.
Oilers center Jason Dickinson took a shot off his leg 1:16 into the third and did not return.
