Edmonton, AB (Sports Network) - Ryan Smyth scored his fifth-career hat trick
in a span of 2:01 to lead the Edmonton Oilers over the San Jose Sharks, 6-4,
at Rexall Place.
Patrick Thoresen, Joffrey Lupul and Ales Hemsky also scored for the Oilers,
who have won two of three. Steve Staios and Petr Sykora each added a pair of
assists. Dwayne Roloson blocked 19-of-23 shots.
Jonathan Cheechoo got his sixth-career hat trick for the Sharks, who won the
first three games of the season for the first time since the 1999-2000
campaign and fell one short of getting their first 4-0 start in team history.
Joe Thornton added three assists and Milan Michalek scored the other goal
before the Sharks fell apart in the third period. Evgeni Nabokov blocked 26-
of-32 shots.
Trailing 4-2, Smyth reeled off three straight goals in the third period to
give Edmonton a 5-4 lead.
With the Oilers on a two-man advantage, Smyth deflected the puck stick side
into the net 4:05 into the third period. He then floated a slap shot from the
point over Nabokov's shoulder 14 seconds later for his 500th NHL point. Smyth
next wristed the go-ahead goal from the bottom of the face-off circle to the
right side 6:06 into the final period.
Edmonton then padded its lead on a break-away wrister scored by Hemsky with
just under five minutes to play.
Thoresen scored a wrister 3:20 into the first, but Cheechoo followed with a
snap shot 6:45 into the period and a slap shot on the power play 1:36 later
for a 2-1 Sharks lead. The Sharks took a 3-1 lead 6:52 into the second
as Cheechoo scored a wrister on the power play for his third goal.
The Sharks scored again on the power play when Michalek scored with just a
tick under nine minutes into the period.
Edmonton got going again at the 12-minute mark, however, as Lupul scored on a
wrister for a 4-2 deficit, and lit the spark for the go-ahead four-goal Oilers
third period.
