The Edmonton Oilers are set to take part in their first playoff series in 10 seasons this Wednesday.
The opponent? Well, it’s none other than the diabolical San Jose Sharks! Ok, it isn’t quite as extravagant and exciting as a potential Battle of Alberta would’ve been but, the Oilers faithful will find ways to despise their Pacific Division rivals even more over the coming weeks.
The last time these two teams met in the playoffs was all the way back in 2006, when the Oilers bounced the Sharks in the second round with a 4-2 series victory. The animosity from that series 10 years ago may have faded but, it is guaranteed to be a heavyweight battle between youth and experience.
Ok, enough of this background stuff! Let’s get right into the meat and potatoes of this series preview!
Season Series:
The Edmonton Oilers came out victorious in the regular season series against the Sharks this year. In 5 games played between the two, the Oilers won 3 in regulation and lost 1 one in OT.
Here’s a refresher of each game in case you forgot:
Game One:
December 23rd, 2016
SJS 3, EDM 2 (OT)
In what would become a regular occurrence for the Oilers and Sharks this season, their first meeting was one that would determine the division leader heading into the holiday break. The game started off with some heavy pressure from the San Jose Sharks and they would eventually take a 1-0 lead into the third period while outshooting Edmonton 23-9. It was San Jose’s game to lose until Connor McDavid banked a weird one of a San Jose defender to knot it at one. Sharks rookie Kevin Labanc would then give the Sharks the lead, Maroon would respond but, some poor coverage in OT would allow Labanc to bury his second of the game and give the Sharks the win.
Game Two:
January 10th, 2017
SJS 5, EDM 3
The Oilers hosted the Sharks for the first time at Rogers Place in this matchup. Unlike the first game in the season series, the Oilers would follow up a “meh” opening frame with 40 minutes of dominating hockey. In periods 2 and 3, the Oilers were able to outshoot the Sharks by a margin of 28-15. This, however, would not be enough, as Mikkel Boedker would prove to be the difference in this one, scoring his fourth career NHL hat trick. A better showing for the boys in blue, despite a worse outcome.
Game Three:
January 27th, 2017
EDM 4, SJS 1
The third meeting of the season saw the Oilers in the midst of a dominating stretch. They had won 6 of their last 7 games coming into this one. The game started off modestly, with each team potting one in the first to make it 1-1 after the initial frame. The catalyst for the Oilers was a timely PPG by Andrej Sekera late in the second and some pristine goaltending by Cam Talbot. Drake Caggiula and Connor McDavid would both add a goal and, despite being outshot 16-3 in the third period, the Oilers would get their first win over the Sharks.
Game Four:
March 30th, 2017
EDM 3, SJS 2
In a game that I had the fortune of seeing live, the Oilers and Sharks had a close one on this night. The Oilers looked sluggish to begin the game, allowing Jannik Hansen to score for San Jose less than a minute in, but things slowly started to go in favour of the home team. Patrick Maroon would bury a beautiful pass by McDavid to tie the game and then #97 himself would score an absolutely stunning SHG to give the Oilers the lead. It would stay this way until the final 20 when Maroon would add his second of the game and the Oilers stave off a Sharks comeback bid. A good late season showing that bumped them to the division lead to begin April.
Game Five:
April 6th, 2017
EDM 4, SJS 2
The final game in the season series once again held big playoff implications. The winner of this one would likely secure home-ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. While the Oilers had a good showing in the first two frames, having outshot the Sharks 21-10 in the first 40, it was Martin Jones who backstopped the Sharks to a 2-1 lead going into the 3rd. Then along came Milan Lucic. Looch scored himself a natural hatty in the third, getting his 23rd goal of the season, and the Oilers stun the Sharks 4-2. Oh ya, Oscar Klefbom also had 4(!) assists in this one.
Positional Breakdown
Forwards:
Edmonton Oilers:
Much has been said about the Oilers dynamic first line. The trio of Maroon-McDavid-Draisaitl has been among one of the most elite in the NHL this season. Combining for a whopping 219pts, they are a big reason why the team finds themselves in the position they are. Of course, not much more can be said about the ability of Connor McDavid. The kid was born to, not only play this game but, perfect every aspect of it. The fact that the Oilers found two skilled players to flank McDavid’s wings is insanely important to their playoff success because let’s be honest, this line can be flat out impossible to stop on some nights.
That isn’t to discredit the Oilers recently emerging second line. Milan Lucic, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and Jordan Eberle are seemingly starting to click at the perfect time for the club. In a span of three games both Lucic and Eberle have recorded hat tricks, while the Nuge is playing much better hockey as well. If they can bring this dominance into this first round series, it’ll be very difficult for the Sharks to match-up against. Not only will the Sharks have the unfortunate duty of shutting down McDavid, but a streaking Eberle and Lucic as well.
Alright, so that does it for the firepower of the Oilers offense, what do we have left? The third and fourth line of the Edmonton Oilers are stocked full of workhorse players. Guys like Zack Kassian, Matt Hendricks, and Iiro Pakarinen will be tasked with the role of grinding the living hell out of the Sharks, a job which they have been successful with all season long. It’ll then be up to the likes of Pouliot, Letestu, and Desharnais to add that secondary scoring touch to the game.
Also, a relevant point to bring up, the Oilers recalled Jujhar Khaira from Bakersfield, don’t be surprised to see him get a few looks in this series.
San Jose Sharks:
The Sharks have been hit with a brutal case of the injury bug coming into this series. In the past few weeks, they have been forced to play without key guys like Logan Couture and Joe Thornton. While they are both expected to play at some point in the first round, it isn’t completely known just how healthy they will be. Without them, most of the offensive workload will fall to the likes of, captain, Joe Pavelski, Tomas Hertl, Mikkel Boedker, and the newly acquired Jannik Hansen. Not saying that this is the end of the world for the Sharks, but it definitely isn’t an ideal situation lining up against the star-studded forward group that Edmonton possess.
Looking down their lineup the one thing that pops out to me is the fact that this roster possesses a good mix of youth and experience. If the Sharks plan on competing with the Oilers offense they better hope young guys like Melker Karlsson, Kevin Labanc, and Joonas Donskoi show up to some extent. As for their secondary scoring options, I say they are in good hands. Mikkel Boedker and Jannik Hansen should provide San Jose with some balanced scoring outside of their big guns.
Down to the bottom of the lineup, we see some very high-quality veterans making their living. Patrick Marleau and Joel Ward are among two of the best bottom 6 forwards in the league and they will be relied upon heavily for their playoff experience.
The key for the Sharks is to be healthy if they wind up not having either Jumbo Joe or Logan Couture close to 100% it will be extremely difficult for them to compete with Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Advantage: Edmonton, Shark injuries, and Connor McDavid give the Oilers the edge
Defence:
Edmonton:
One of the biggest things that improved for the Edmonton Oilers this season was the ability of their defense to…you know…actually defend! The acquisition of Adam Larsson added a level of physicality that the Oilers haven’t seen since the days of (ahem) you know who and his chemistry with Oscar Klefbom has been extraordinary (No, I am not saying Larsson = Pronger). Klefbom has also taken an incredible leap forward in his development as a top pairing defenceman for the Edmonton Oilers. The sexy swede has managed to balance a sound defensive game with some great offensive numbers this season, scoring 38pts and holding a +7 rating. The Swedish first pair is looking riktigt bra for the Edmonton Oilers! (Use Google translate my friends)
We then move our way down to the second pairing of Andrej Sekera and Kris Russell. Sekera, perhaps, has been the Oilers unsung hero this season. The Slovak has put together a very good season for the club, putting up a career high of 35pts and a +14 rating. By his side, we see everyone’s favourite Edmonton Oiler, Kris Russell. He’s been the target of much debate over the season but in the end of all things we have to admit, he has been quite good for the Oilers. Although he doesn’t break the bank with his offensive numbers he is a great defender in his own end. Whether it be blocking shots or laying the big hit every once in awhile, he and Sekera have paired up fairly solidly for the team.
On the third pairing, we see some options. On one side we know for a fact that Darnell Nurse will be a regular throughout the series but, when it comes to his partner it is between Matt Benning and Eric Gryba. Benning has struggled as of late, and Gryba does have some issues relating to foot-speed so it’ll be interesting to see what Todd McLellan chooses to do with his extra defencemen.
San Jose:
You know what, it is too far into this post not to mention the greatness that has become of Brent Burns. The 32-year-old has put up his second consecutive 70pt season with the Sharks and you better believe he’ll be in the Norris Trophy conversation at playoff’s end. Alongside him we see the ever-steady Paul Martin come into play. Martin has 26pts and a +/- of 10 on the season. You can expect steady play from him beside Burns.
On the second pair, we see another Canadian Olympian draw in for the Sharks. Marc-Edouard Vlasic will be the minute-munching shutdown defender that the team has expected of him. Although he might not be as great as has been in the past, you can never shortchange a guy with the experience and ability that Vlasic has. Dylan DeMelo will play beside Vlasic. The 23-year-old has 14pts this season with a +2 rating. This will most likely be the pairing that sees the McDavid line, and it will definitely be a test for Edmonton’s offense.
Brendan Dillon and David Schlemko round out the bottom pairing for the Sharks. This is a reliable pair that will use its experience against the Oilers in any way they can.
Advantage: San Jose, Two Canadian Olympians and a plethora of experience gives the Sharks a slight edge over the Oil
Goaltending
Edmonton:
The single season win record now belongs to the guy that the Oilers will start in Game One on Wednesday. Cam Talbot finished the season with the most games played a goaltender with 73, and 42 of those were wins. It is nothing new to say that Edmonton definitely would not be where they are today without the fantastic effort of Talbot. The key for him will be to stay healthy and withstand the grind that he will once again be put through. Fatigue is something that will be on the mind of every Oiler fan when it comes to Talbot, and he’ll have to put those thoughts to bed.
Backup Laurent Brossoit once proved to a nervous option for the Edmonton Oilers at the trade deadline but, after a few solid showings, I think those doubts have subsided for the time being. He won’t see much playoff time this spring but if Talbot goes down, Brossoit could surprise some people.
San Jose:
As good as Talbot has been for the Oilers this season, it would be hard to say that Martin Jones isn’t at least right behind him in terms of skill this season. Jones has done an excellent job in the Sharks net. Starting in 65 games this season, winning 35 of those contests. He will be the de-facto starter for the Sharks this season and he’ll give the Oilers all that they can handle for the entirety of the series.
In the backup position, we see rookie Aaron Dell slot in. Dell has started 20 games this season, possessing an 11-6-1 record and a .931 SV% in those games. Dell seems to be a respectable backup for the Sharks. One that definitely has the ability to steal a game or two if need be.
Advantage: Edmonton, Jones has been really good but, Talbot has been better
Conclusion:
Alright, so there you have it! I didn’t get quite as much as I wanted to squeeze into this series preview, I’ll polish the edges in another post possibly tonight or tomorrow morning. Until that time I think this is a good starting point in really comparing the two teams heading into Wednesday’s Game One!
Thanks For Reading!
Follow me on Twitter @PrestonKixFM
Who do you got taking tomorrow’s game? I want scores and GWG scorers in the comments below!
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