Oilers Gameday – @ Sharks

Coming off of a win, the Oilers will check into hotel California for a two night stay that will see them battle both the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. Tonight, the brief trip starts in San Jose, as the Oilers and Sharks will complete a home and home set in the second of five meetings between sides.

Edmonton enters tonight with Nikita Nikitin and Boyd Gordon both battling injuries and out tonight, while Matt Hendricks will be playing hurt. The Sharks enter this game relatively healthy, with no massive injuries.

Ben Scrivens, who was really good on Sunday night, is expected to start for Edmonton, while Antti Niemi is likely to get the go for the Sharks. Niemi did not play in the game Sunday night, and last played Saturday in Calgary, a 3-2 win for him.

Last Games And Last Meeting:

Ohhh what a twist!! Considering these two teams last played each other on Sunday night, we’re combining these two topics. Anyway, Edmonton and San Jose met Sunday at Rexall Place in one of the best efforts Edmonton has had all season long. The Oilers dominated the first period in terms of play and on the shot clock, but just could not solve Alex Stalock, who kept the tilt tied at zero after twenty.

Edmonton finally found the back of the net in the middle frame on the power-play as Nail Yakupov was left alone in front of the net and deposited the puck into an open net, as Stalock had gotten caught up outside of the crease. Moments later, Justin Schultz and Leon Draisaitl would fail to pick up the man coming in high, and would pay for it, as Tye McGinn beat Ben Scrivens to tie things up.

Edmonton kept pushing however, and played a really solid third period, firing tons of rubber on Stalock. Edmonton finally got rewarded and caught a break as a David Perron shot hit off of Brenden Dillon and went into the net to give the Oilers a lead. Ben Scrivens would stand tall the rest of the way, cementing the Oilers 2-1 victory, their first since November the 9th.

Keys To The Game:

Edmonton: The Oilers gave the Sharks some problems on Sunday with their pressure and with their attack. If Edmonton can come out from the start again tonight and push the pace, then the Oilers have a really good chance to win this hockey game. The Oilers have the offensive guns to create some problems against a Sharks team that has been known to sleep on lesser opponents all year long.

San Jose: Get back to what makes you successful! The Sharks were trying to do too much on Sunday night and were trying to be too pretty against a team they know they are better than. Tonight, San Jose needs to just stick to the game plan and do what has made them successful for years. If they do that, they could blow out this Oiler team.

Players To Watch:

Edmonton: Oilers defender Justin Schultz was benched late in the third period on Sunday night, and has seen his ice time go down by the game recently. Schultz is a defender still trying to find his way, and badly needs a good game to get his confidence back. After a few trips to the bench, I’m thinking Schultz has a bit of a bounce back game tonight while we least expect it.

San Jose: Sharks forward Patrick Marleau has seemingly owned the Oilers over the years. He set up the San Jose goal on Sunday, and had a glorious chance to tie things up late. Tonight, I suspect Marleau, one of the Sharks best players, will have an impact on the scoresheet. These guys that dominate Edmonton usually don’t let up. Keep an eye on him in this game.

Quick Hits:

Edmonton snapped an eleven game losing streak Sunday, and got their first win against a team from the west. The Sharks won each meeting in San Jose last season. Oilers goalie Ben Scrivens won his first game since late October on Sunday night against the Sharks. This is the first game of a back to back set for Edmonton, who will be in Anaheim tomorrow night.

The Lines:

Edmonton Oilers Lines:

Taylor Hall – Ryan Nugent-Hopkins – Tyler Pitlick

Nail Yakupov – Leon Draisaitl – Jordan Eberle

David Perron – Mark Arcobello – Teddy Purcell

Luke Gazdic – Matt Hendricks – Steve Pinizzotto

Keith Aulie – Mark Fayne

Andrew Ference – Justin Schultz

Oscar Klefbom – Jeff Petry

Ben Scrivens

San Jose Sharks Lines:

Tomas Hertl – Joe Thornton – Joe Pavelski

Patrick Marleau – Logan Couture – Tommy Wingles

Tye McGinn – James Sheppard – Tyler Kennedy

John Scott – Andrew Desjardins – Mike Brown

Justin Braun – Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Brent Burns – Brenden Dillon

Scott Hannan – Matt Irwin

Antti Niemi