SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Another day, another big game for San Jose defenseman Erik Karlsson.
Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi each scored two goals, Karlsson had three assists again and the Sharks defeated the Edmonton Oilers 7-2 on Tuesday night.
Karlsson has at least one assist in 14 consecutive appearances. He has 25 points (one goal, 24 assists) during that span, and three assists in each of his last two games.
“To be honest, he’s not really shocking many of us,” Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon said. “We’re lucky enough to see him every day at the practice rink. Just a special, special player.”
Marcus Sorensen, Brent Burns and Joe Thornton also scored for San Jose, which has won four straight and six of seven - totaling 36 goals during that stretch. The Sharks are 11-2-2 over their last 15 games.
“This is the type of team that we know we can be, and it’s up to us to do it on a consistent basis,” Kane said.
Karlsson has played in 14 of San Jose’s last 16 games. The two-time Norris Trophy winner was issued a two-game suspension for hitting Los Angeles Kings forward Austin Wagner in the head on Dec. 22.
Acquired from Ottawa in an offseason trade, Karlsson is the fifth defenseman in NHL history with at least one assist in 14 consecutive appearances.
“He’s just a world-class player,” Sharks assistant Steve Spott said after head coach Peter DeBoer missed the game because he was ill.
“He’s as good on our end as he is in the offensive zone. What a lot of people don’t see is how vocal he is on the bench and in our locker room, too. You could tell why he’s been a captain in Ottawa, and he’s brought that leadership here. You can see his game going to the next level offensively and defensively.”
Alex Chiasson and Milan Lucic scored for Edmonton, which has lost eight of 10 after a 5-0-1 surge.
Kane has five goals in his last four games, and fortuitous bounces figured in his 15th and 16th of the season.
He scored the first goal of the night at 6:37 of the first period when his shot bounced off the back of defenseman Caleb Jones’ skate and past goalie Cam Talbot. Later, a pass by Burns ricocheted off Kane’s skate and into the net, giving San Jose a 4-1 lead at 6:32 of the second.
“You don’t want to rely on bounces,” Oilers defenseman Adam Larsson said. “They were all over us. They made it hard for us. We have to be a lot better in certain areas.”
Sorensen scored his eighth goal on a penalty shot. Aaron Dell made 20 saves for San Jose.
Mikko Koskinen gave up three goals on 19 shots after replacing Talbot midway through the second period. Talbot allowed four goals and turned back 17 shots.
“There were some strange goals, maybe three or four deflections. But still, when your best players are minus, it’s tough to win,” Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock said.
“That’s two games in a row they’ve owned us in front of the net, in the slot, and they knocked us out of the box. That’s a damn good team. They owned us in what I call critical ice; the areas you score in. We had our chances and they got sticks on the puck or got deflections. They played better than we did in those critical zones.”
NOTES: San Jose leads the season series 2-1. The Sharks have outscored Edmonton 14-6 in the last two meetings. … Donskoi has scored seven of his 13 goals in his last six games. … Oilers C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins played his 500th career game. … With an assist on Chiasson’s goal, Connor McDavid has 14 points (five goals, nine assists) over his last eight games. … The Sharks are one win shy of 1,000 in franchise history.
UP NEXT
Oilers: Host the Florida Panthers on Thursday.
Sharks: At the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday.
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