EDMONTON – The Edmonton Oilers knew the challenge was coming 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 for a big 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks.
“We talked that nobody will be able to replace (Draisaitl),” Henrique said. “It’s something that collectively we’re going to have to do from here until the end of the season and see where that takes us.”
“I thought tonight we did a good job of responding at times throughout the game and getting on offense is huge.”
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 point 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 took a rebound and lofted a shot back into the net from his knees for his 29th goal in just 50 games this season.
Similar videos
Hyman has an NHL-best 27 goals since Dec. 11.
Get the latest national news
Get the latest Canadian news in your inbox as it happens so you never miss a trending story.
“We’re not going to be able to score five every night, but it’s good when the guys feel a part of it,” Hyman said. “No one is going to be able to replace Leo, he is one of the best players in the world. Collectively, as a group, everyone has to step up their game and be a little bit better. We got contributions throughout the lineup.”
The Oilers were without Draisaitl, who is the fourth-leading scorer in the league, 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 time frame we’re using is the end of the regular season,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. “And once the playoffs start, we’ll reevaluate. That’s where we are.”
Jones scored the game-winning goal, leaving him elated to be able to contribute so soon after being called up from the farm after spending most of the season in Bakersfield of the AHL.
“It’s nice to be able to reach out and help the team win. Very special,” he said before being asked about his good fortune. “Yeah, good luck and maybe good karma. I was waiting for good karma, I kept losing card games and stuff.”
Murphy recorded his first goal since joining the Oilers in a trade deadline deal with Chicago.
“Whenever a star player goes out, there are minutes that are distributed to other players,” he said. “So it’s everybody’s time to shine, really. To step up and get those minutes in a positive way.”
Henrique was pleased to be able to provide a pair of assists after a difficult season that has seen him fail to score since October 23.
“I’d love to fill Leo’s spot and just go out there and be Leo, but it doesn’t work like that,” he said. “I thought tonight was a good step for us and it’s something we have to continue to build on.”
Connor Ingram recorded 27 saves to earn the win in net for Edmonton.
The Sharks fell to 1-13-2 this season when Macklin Celebrini failed to collect a point as he saw his nine-game hitting streak end.
Dmitry Orlov, Pavol Regenda and Kiefer Sherwood scored for San Jose (32-28-6), which has lost two straight and five of its last seven.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on March 18, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
