Through two games, the Sharks are 1 for 12 with the man advantage while allowing two short-handed goals in a Game 2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers Friday night.
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It was a pretty drastic turnaround for the Sharks, who had won just once in 25 games all season when trailing after two periods.
– It was a big night in San Jose Wednesday with a Game One victory for the Sharks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. McDavid said the Oilers were able to settle down after first-game jitters. Couture returned to the lineup for Game 1 of the series wearing a full cage and survived some first-hand experience with the physicality of playoff hockey in the two games in Edmonton. Score close situations can be very predictive of a team’s true ability, but those numbers are a likely product of score effects, as the Sharks trailed 2-0 entering the second period of Game 1 before halving the Oilers with a power play goal.
The Oilers, as well as Edmonton police, said fans were respectful and generally well-behaved during and after Game 1.
SPECIAL TEAMS: The Sharks rode a potent power play all the way to the finals last season, converting 24 percent of opportunities and scoring 18 goals overall in the four rounds.
“We didn’t tonight, and that’s got to get fixed going forward”.
This was a tougher, stronger and much more determined team than the one that let a 2-0 lead turn into a humbling and crushing defeat in Game 1.
“I think our power play mimicked our 5-on-5 game”, Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said.
However, looking at San Jose’s recent playoff history, entering the playoffs as underdogs might be a welcome sight for Sharks fans. That year, they beat San Jose four games to two in the Western Conference semifinal. Getting the more experienced playoff team and the plus money is where I see value in this matchup. The win was even more surprising as the Sharks finished the season 1-22-1 when trailing after 2 periods.
“We’ve got to just get back at it”, DeBoer said Saturday in a conference call. He knows the Sharks will need to recapture that form against the Oilers. “It was one of those things, the puck seemed to follow me tonight”. If you are still not convinced about Fubo TV then try out their 7-day trial free, so you can watch Sharks vs Oilers Game 2 Stream Online. The Oilers just have to keep the puck in the zone, make smart plays and get bodies in front. Joe Thornton and Logan Couture both missed the end of the regular season nursing injuries that have placed their status as day-to-day heading into Wednesday’s opening game. Players who struggled mightily down the stretch as the Sharks squandered the nine-point lead that they held atop the Pacific Division on March 15 suddenly came to life, as if resuscitated.
“I’m excited to see what he’s capable of in a playoff series”, said Oilers winger Milan Lucic after practice Tuesday at Rogers Place. That is magnified by the possibility of life without playoff heroes Couture and Thornton. “That’s the thing that we’re going to have to work on with this group is just letting that go”.
“I know what they’re feeling”, Lucic said.
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FAMILIAR FACES: Oilers coach Todd McLellan is quite familiar with numerous Sharks, having coached in San Jose seven seasons before being fired in 2015. Though the young center has played well as the regular season ended, he will need to carry the streak into the playoffs. “We’re going to have to continue that in the playoffs”.
