Edmonton Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk proved a point to his coach Tom Renney and also got two for his teammates on Monday night.

Trying to show people he's got the right stuff to be a starting goalie and not just somebody who plays when 39-year-old Nikolai Khabibulin needs a breather, Dubnyk made 44 saves over 65 minutes and three more in a four-man shootout as the Oilers got past the San Jose Sharks 2-1.

Taylor Hall, half a raccoon with his blackened left eye, squeezed a backhand over Sharks backup Thomas Greiss's pad for the winner in the skills contest, as the Oilers held San Jose off the board for all but a power-play score by Logan Couture 6-1/2 minutes into the third period after Ales Hemsky got his first major in 525 games, kneeing Brent Burns. Burns limped away with a right-knee injury - he had a brace on it after the game - while Hemsky had to hold his breath in the dressing room with the first game banishment of his career.

Couture deftly redirected Dan Boyle's feed under the crossbar 46 seconds into the five-minute advantage to tie it 1-1, but Dubnyk, who made as many saves in the third period (16) as the Oilers had shots on Greiss over the entire game, held the fort. And the penalty-killers did yeoman work to limit the collateral damage to just the one goal.

Jordan Eberle pounced on a loose puck in the high slot early in the second for the Oilers' score. Jeff Petry's shot glanced off the leg of hulking Douglas Murray, right into Eberle's wheelhouse.

Renney admitted Dubnyk is under the gun whenever he plays because he hasn't built up anywhere near the same resume of the older goalie. He has to play one solid game and build off it, forcing the coaches to play him more than 40 per cent of the time. But Dubnyk hasn't given Renney pause to make it even a 50-50 split with Khabibulin, not with a 3.05 goals-against average and .902 save percentage.

He was lights out against the Sharks, though, who outshot the Oilers 45-18.

"If you're going to be a starting goalie you have to put three, four, five, 10 games in a row together,' said Dubnyk. "As a goalie, you have to feed off games."

He knows Khabibulin, who is No. 2 to New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur in games played among current goalies (773), is still the go-to guy. He'll likely be in net against the Canucks in Vancouver Tuesday night in the last game before the all-star break.

But, Dubnyk would like to win over his coaches, save by save.

"I absolutely want to show the Oilers I'm a No. 1 goalie," he said.

"You have to seize the moment. Doobie was terrific, obviously," said Renney.

In the shootout, Sam Gagner made a sweet deke on Greiss on the Oilers' second shootout attempt, but Joe Pavelski tied it on the third San Jose shot with a ripper past Dubnyk's blocker, setting it up for Hall.

"He got a piece of it and my first thought was, 'Ahh, I missed it,' but it wound up going in," said Hall.

"Great for Doobs to stop the last one (a Couture backhand)."

"Aside from last year (when he struggled), I've always enjoyed shootouts," said Dubnyk, who got a shootout win against Pittsburgh in the season-opener, too.

"I like to work on breakaways a lot in practice too. As long as my gap (between the shooter and goalie) is right and my body is lined up to their stick, there shouldn't be much to shoot at," said the six-foot-five Dubnyk.

Until Hemsky's penalty, it looked like Dubnyk might pitch a shutout. "Never had a major before. No fights, not catching somebody with a stick," said Hemsky.

"I'm not that kind of player (looking to hurt people). It wasn't like a stuck my knee out. We're along the boards. I've had hits like that on me and I don't think anybody's been suspended. I don't want to hurt anybody," he said.

"Fifteen minutes (major, game misconduct). That really pushes up my penalty minutes."

Indeed, he only had four minors coming into the game.

Burns certainly wasn't holding anything against Hemsky.

"Things happen quickly. I've been on the other side. It's not his fault," said Burns.

Did he feel anything pop in his knee after the hit?

"No, pop, but I definitely didn't feel very good (down on the ice)," he said.

Hemsky could only watch the TSN feed of the Sharks power play in the dressing room.

"It's a weird feeling, being where I was. You don't want to lose the game."

Only Couture, who has 21 goals on the year, beat Dubnyk.

"I was laughing after that one went in. A great play. I don't know how many times I'll be getting in front of a goal like that," said Dubnyk.

"Boyle is a threat to shoot and he puts it over to Couture and he puts it in a perfect spot in the net, over my blocker."

jmatheson@edmontonjournal.com