GAME PREVIEW: Edmonton Oilers vs. San Jose Sharks

Edmonton Oilers (35-24-5, 3rd, Pacific)

San Jose Sharks (28-27-8, 7th, Pacific)

24 March 2022

Rogers Place

7 PM MT

TV: Sportsnet West

Radio: 630 CHED

SB Nation Opponent: Fear The Fin

The Oilers were ahead 3-2 with just five minutes to go in Tuesday’s visit with Dallas. Twenty-four seconds was all it would take to yield two goals to the Stars; one to Roope Hintz, another to Denis Gurionov. Dallas secured a 4-3 lead, adding an extra one at the end to make it 5-3. It left a sour taste in Edmonton’s mouth, one they’d love to forget about with a visit from the Sharks tonight.

Currently on a two game winless streak, the Oilers will look to get back into the win column tonight. They’ll have two new faces in the lineup, and perhaps an old friend we all remember. Can the Oilers get back on track tonight?

Let’s go to the tape.

THE OILERS ARE SAYING

“We’re disappointed we didn’t walk out of here with points, but these are the types of games that we should expect as we head down the stretch here. Nobody is giving points away, especially the teams that are fighting for playoff spots. They’re punching back when they’re down.”

Source

That’s Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft after his club’s 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars on Tuesday.

The Oilers were on the second game of a back-to-back, but it’s disappointing to leave Dallas without at least one point after being up with five minutes in regulation. The Oilers will need to have a forgetful memory after this one and line it up against San Jose tonight, as Vegas remains just three points away from them in the standings.

THE SHARKS ARE SAYING

“We’re going to battle here and see what happens these last 19 games, but it’s a good feeling in the locker room right now...We want to build off of it.”

Source

That’s Sharks forward Logan Couture after San Jose’s 4-3 win over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday night.

It’s always a good day when the Oilers (or anyone else, for that matter) beats the Flames. Though Logan Couture remains upbeat, the Sharks would need a to come close to running the table for a serious shot at the playoffs. One game at a time, as they say.

HAVE SOME OF THIS

• Today is the day that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins makes his return. The Oilers power play hasn’t been quite the same since his absence from the lineup (they are 7/40 in his absence.)
• The Oilers will debut their trade deadline acquisitions tonight. Brett Kulak and Derick Brassard are both likely to be in tonight’s lineup against the Sharks as the Oilers look to make a run for the playoffs.
• The Oilers have waived Brad Malone in order to activate Josh Archibald from the suspended list. Archibald’s last game was twelve days ago versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, a game he played just over six and a half minutes.
• The Oilers are 0-1-1 in their last two games, but the Vegas Golden Knights can’t seem to put it together long enough to gain any ground on Edmonton. With two games in hand, the Oilers are three points above the fourth place Vegas club. The Oilers can really amp up the heat with two points tonight.
• Swiss forward Timo Meier (27-33-60) leads the Sharks in points, and you’ll see plenty of him tonight just about everywhere. He’s teamed up with Tomas Hertl (25-25-50) on the top line, both players are on the top Sharks power play unit as well.
• Former Wild goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen will make his Sharks debut in net tonight after being dealt on Monday’s trade deadline. Kähkönen (12-8-3, .910 SV% / 2.87 GAA) will face either Mikko Koskinen (23-10-3, .904 SV% / 3.07 GAA / 1 SO) or Mike Smith (6-8-2, .896 SV% / 3.37 GAA).

Oilers could really use two points tonight to help put some more space between themselves and the Golden Knights. Let’s see what they’ve got.