Game Thread: Sharks vs Oilers - The Dirty Dozen

I keep saying it, and I really do believe it to be true, this Oilers team is better than their record. It would be very nice if they'd win a couple games, if for no other reason than it would make me look like a little bit less of an idiot. And those wins would also put the brakes on a ridiculously long losing streak, one that now stands at 11 games. With two games against both the Sharks - including tonight's game - and the Ducks this week, I don't know for sure that I'll be looking smarter anytime soon.

How To Tune In

Sportsnet West starting at 7:00PM. Of 630 CHED if you'd like to avoid actually seeing this team play.

What To Watch For From The Oilers

Who even knows any more. Over the last 11 games the Oilers have scored just 20 goals, that's quite obviously not good. They've scored two or fewer goals in eight of those 11 games. Also, not good. This team has more than a few flaws in it's construction, but less than two goals a game isn't the kind of thing that even the most pessimistic Oilers observer would have expected. The shots on goal and shot attempts have still, for the most part, been about where you'd want them to be but the results are nowhere to be found. This can't last forever, maybe tonight will be the night that things take a turn for the better.

What To Watch For From The Sharks

San Jose Sharks

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Courtesy of Fear The Fin, three story lines for the game tonight:

• Tyler Kennedy is very unlikely to play after being seen leaving Scotiabank Saddledome with his arm in a sling last night. Matt Nieto is day-to-day.
• Alex Stalock will get the start for the Sharks and is expected to face Viktor Fasth between the pipes for Edmonton.
• If the Sharks win tonight in regulation, it'll be their first five-game regulation winning streak since they won six in a row in regulation to start the 2013-14 regular season.

Winning streak? That doesn't even sound like a real thing.

Projected Line Combinations

Edmonton Oilers

Taylor Hall - Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - Tyler Pitlick

Nail Yakupov - Leon Draisaitl - Jordan Eberle
David Perron - Boyd Gordon - Teddy Purcell
Luke Gazdic - Mark Arcobello - Steve Pinizzotto

Andrew Ference - Justin Schultz
Oscar Klefbom - Jeff Petry
Nikita Nikitin - Mark Fayne

Viktor Fasth

San Jose Sharks

Tomas Hertl - Joe Thornton - Joe Pavelski
Patrick Marleau - Logan Couture - Tommy Wingels
Tye McGinn - James Sheppard - Barclay Goodrow
John Scott - Andrew Desjardins - Mike Brown

Marc-Edouard Vlasic - Justin Braun
Brenden Dillon - Brent Burns
Matt Irwin - Scott Hannan

Alex Stalock

Final Thought

What's better, OIL or sjose?

This Tommy Wingels is heckuva underrated player for sjose.

— Jim Matheson (@NHLbyMatty) December 7, 2014