Goalie Kaapo Kahkonen had his debut in a Sharks uniform spoiled on Thursday as Leon Draisaitl scored twice and Kailer Yamamoto, Derick Brassard, and Evander Kane each added one to give the host Edmonton Oilers a 5-2 win at Rogers Place.
Brassard’s goal proved to be the winner as he flung a puck toward the net, looking for forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but it instead went off Erik Karlsson’s skate and past Kahkonen for a 3-1 Oilers lead at the 6:49 mark of the third period.
The goals by Yamamoto in the second period and Draisaitl in the third – his second of the game – both came on the power play as the Sharks have now allowed four goals on the penalty kill in the last three games.
Tomas Hertl had a goal and an assist and Karlsson scored as the Sharks split their two-game road trip through Alberta after they beat the Calgary Flames 4-3 on Tuesday.
Kahkonen finished with 37 saves.
The game was marred by an injury to Sharks captain Logan Couture, who was struck in the upper body by a puck shot by defenseman Brent Burns.
Couture was standing near the crease next to Oilers goalie Mike Smith when he was hit by a Burns shot from just inside the blue line at the 9:47 mark of the second period. Couture went down on the ice for a few moments before he skated off under his own power and walked to the Sharks’ dressing room.
Couture, the Sharks’ top defensive centerman, was largely matched up against Oilers superstar Connor McDavid for the first half of Thursday’s game. After Couture left, those duties were split among remaining Sharks centers Hertl, Nick Bonino, and Scott Reedy.
Couture is the Sharks’ third-leading scorer with 47 points in 59 games.
The Sharks trailed 2-1 after two periods Thursday.
Kahkonen, along with a fifth-round draft choice this year, was acquired on Monday from the Minnesota Wild for defenseman Jake Middleton.
Kahkonen entered Thursday with a 12-8-3 record and a .910 save percentage but had struggled of late with a 0-5-1 record and a .873 save percentage in his last six games. His last win came on Feb. 20 in Edmonton, stopping 30 of 33 shots in a 7-3 Wild victory.
Kahkonen was James Reimer’s backup in the Sharks’ win over the Flames on Thursday. Sharks coach Bob Boughner was tempted to go back to Reimer after he made 28 saves, including several of the spectacular variety, but stuck with his original plan to go to Kahkonen.
The Sharks entered Thursday nine points back of the Dallas Stars for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference, but don’t want to overwork Reimer over the final month of the season.
“I think he’s excited to play,” Boughner said. “He’s a guy that’s easy to talk to. perfect English. He’s happy about the situation that he’s in. He knows he’s going to get a great opportunity here, so he’s excited about it and hopefully, we can play hard for him tonight.”
Kahkonen made 12 saves in the first period as the Sharks weren’t able to establish must zone time in the opening 20 minutes. Oilers goalie Mike Smith had seven saves.
