EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers knew the challenge was to come together as a unit after learning their star forward Leon Draisaitl will be out for the remainder of the regular season.
They did just that on Tuesday.
Adam Henrique picked up a pair of assists and 12 other players each had a point as the Oilers were able to rally to earn a huge 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
“We talked about that no one guy is going to be able to replace (Draisaitl),” Henrique said. “It’s something that collectively we’re going to have to do right from here to the end of the season and see where that takes us.
“I thought tonight we did a good job responding at times through the game and chipping in like that offensively is big.”
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Connor Murphy, Vasily Podkolzin, Max Jones and Zach Hyman scored for the Oilers (34-26-9), who have won two straight to improve to 5-2-1 in March. Edmonton moved into a points tie with Anaheim atop the Pacific Division standings.
The Oilers went up 5-3 with 11:48 to play in the third period as Hyman picked up a rebound in front and lifted a backhand shot into the net from his knees 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 every night, but it’s nice when guys are feeling a part of it,” Hyman said. “Nobody is going to be able to replace Leon, he’s one of the best players in the world. Collectively, as a group, everybody’s got to raise their game and be a little bit better. We got contributions all through the lineup.”
The Oilers were without the services of Draisaitl, who is fourth in league scoring, after it was announced earlier in the day that he is expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a lower-body injury.
“Right now the timeline we’re using is the end of the regular season,” said Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch. “And once the playoffs start, we will re-evaluate. That’s where we’re at.”
Jones scored the game winner, leaving him beaming to be able to contribute so soon after being called up from the farm after spending the majority of the season in Bakersfield of the AHL.
“It’s nice to be able to come up and help the team win. Pretty special,” he said before being asked about his good fortune. “Yeah, good fortune and maybe good karma. I was waiting for the good karma, I kept losing card games and stuff.”
Murphy recorded his first goal since coming over to the Oilers in a trade deadline deal with Chicago.
“Any time a star player goes out, there’s minutes to be had that get dispersed to other players,” he said. “So it’s everyone’s time to shine, really. To step up and take those minutes in a positive way.”
Henrique was pleased to be able to chip in a pair of assists after a tough season that has seen him fail to score since Oct. 23.
“I’d love to fill Leo’s spot and just go out there and be Leo, but that’s not how it works,” he said. “I thought tonight was a good step for us and that’s something we should continue to build on.”
Connor Ingram recorded 27 saves to earn the win in the Edmonton net.
The Sharks fell to 1-13-2 this season when Macklin Celebrini failed to collect a point, as he saw a nine-game point streak come to an end.
Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda and Kiefer Sherwood scored for the San Jose (32-28-6), which has lost two in a row and five of its last seven.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 18, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
