Connor McDavid scored his 15th career hat trick and finished with five points, leading the Edmonton Oilers to a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks that moved them into sole possession of first place in the Pacific Division.

The Western Conference loaded up ahead of the NHL trade deadline, with two Stanley Cup contenders adding significant players and an upstart team looking to make the playoffs making a splash.

Kiefer Sherwood set an NHL record three weeks ago by accumulating the most hits in a season.

Nino Niederreiter scored his debut goal for the Nashville Predators, who beat the San Jose Sharks 4-1 in Prague in the NHL regular-season opener.