Oilers Gameday – @ Sharks

Happy New Year folks! The Oilers play their first game of 2014 tonight in San Jose. The team is riding a four game point streak, but has lost it’s last two, both in extra time. Edmonton is also in the first half of a killer back-to-back set, which will see them battle the Ducks tomorrow night in Anaheim.

The Sharks continue a strong season, and have been dominate at home this year. The team is 14-1-3 at home, and has dominated the head-to-head with Edmonton recently, winning 15 of the last 20 meetings, and losing only two in regulation.

Sharks forward Joe Pavelski was named to the US Olympic team yesterday, the only Shark to receive the honor. Joe Thornton, Dan Boyle, Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture are all hopefuls for Team Canada.

Edmonton forwards Ryan Jones and Mark Arcobello are both ready to return from injury, but neither will play tonight, while forward Nail Yakupov will draw back into the lineup, and play on the second line. Forward Roman Horak was loaned back to the Oklahoma City Barons of the AHL yesterday.

Last Games:

Edmonton: It was a fitting end to a terrible year for the Oilers. The Oilers were absolutely dominated by the Phoenix Coyotes in the desert on Tuesday night, but were flattered by the scoreboard. The Yotes had some great chances, but couldn’t beat Ilya Bryzgalov until the mid-way point of the first period when Keith Yandle fired a shot home.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins would get lucky and tip home a Taylor Hall pass moments later, and the game would be tied after one. David Perron would score just 25 seconds into the second on a breakaway thanks to a beautiful Taylor Hall feed. Hall would have yet another tremendous feed, this one to Justin Schultz, to put Edmonton up 3-1 just 6:44 in.

The Yotes would get within one thanks to a soft goal allowed, as Tim Kennedy banked one off Bryzgalov’s leg and in. Bryz would keep Edmonton afloat in the third until the final minutes, where Mikkel Boedker would tie the game after being left alone in front.

Each team would get chances in OT, but a breakdown by Jordan Eberle, Jeff Petry and Anton Belov would lead to a Keith Yandle goal with six seconds left, and yet another Oiler defeat, this one by a 4-3 score.

San Jose: The Sharks last played Tuesday night against in-state rival Anaheim. The two sides played an even first period, but the Ducks would get the early advantage thanks to a Kyle Palmieri goal. Both goalies showed good stuff, which would be a far cry from the second period.

Dan Boyle tied the game just 35 seconds in on the PP with a point shot. The Ducks would retake the lead at the eleven minute mark with a Francois Beauchemin goal, but the Sharks would respond one minute later with a Logan Couture slump-buster goal. The Ducks would apply the pressure and add two more, as Nick Bonino and Matt Beleskey would find the back of the net.

The Ducks went into lock-down mode in the third, as Jonas Hiller would repel the Sharks comeback effort. Ryan Getzlaf and Andrew Cogliano would add insurance markers to make it 6-2, while Bracken Kearns would get a garbage time goal to make it a 6-3 final

Last Meeting:

The Oilers and Sharks met back on November 15th at Rexall Place in a tale of two games. The Sharks absolutely crushed Edmonton in the first 25 minutes of this game. Devan Dubnyk would keep things close for a while, but Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl would score goals within two minutes of each other to give the Sharks a two goal lead. Patrick Marleau would add one just over three minutes into the second, putting the Sharks up 3-0.

Edmonton would start to take over from here however, getting solid chances on Alex Stalock and nearly potting a few goals. Ryan Smyth missed a golden chance, and the Oilers had a few other scoring opportunities of note. Nail Yakupov would finally get Edmonton on the board with a PP blast to make it 3-1 late in the second.

The Oilers would push hard in the third, but couldn’t beat the young Stalock, who would seal the Sharks 3-1 victory.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers forward Nail Yakupov returns to the lineup tonight after missing Tuesday night’s battle in the desert. Yakupov will actually be with some skill tonight as well, and will be getting some power-play time. Yak scored the Oilers lone goal against San Jose earlier this year, and no doubt has a chip on his shoulder. I expect a good night from him tonight.

San Jose: Sharks defender Marc-Edouard Vlasic is exactly the kind of defender the Oilers are lacking. A solid option that can handle heavy minutes and play in all situations. Not the overly sexy name, but a very good player none-the-less. Vlasic will likely play a big role in limiting Taylor Hall tonight, and Oiler fans should watch this top defender do his job. It’s exactly what we all want in Edmonton.

The Lines:

San Jose Sharks Lines:

Joe Pavelski – Joe Thornton – Brent Burns

Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Matt Nieto

Tyler Kennedy – Bracken Kearns – James Sheppard

Freddie Hamilton – Andrew Desjardins – Mike Brown

Justin Braun – Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Matt Irwin – Dan Boyle

Jason Demers – Brad Stuart

Antti Niemi

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – David Perron

Nail Yakupov – Sam Gagner – Jordan Eberle

Ryan Smyth – Boyd Gordon – Ales Hemsky

Luke Gazdic – Anton Lander – Jesse Joensuu

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Anton Belov – Jeff Petry

Nick Schultz – Martin Marincin

Devan Dubnyk