San Jose and Edmonton will play in the postseason for the first time since the last time the Oilers took part in the playoffs … sort of. Edmonton last took on the Sharks in the 2006 playoffs, beating San Jose in six games en route to a Stanley Cup Final appearance. The Oilers fell to the Carolina Hurricanes, giving current San Jose broadcaster Bret Hedican a ring.
Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton are the only Sharks left from that 2006 team, while there are no holdovers from a really, really likable Edmonton team. That bit of ancient history is of no concern to either of these groups of players; what’s more pressing to the Sharks is how the team played in their most recent meeting.
All told: Not great! San Jose played poorly against the Oilers with the exception of the Tomas Hertl line against the Connor McDavid line. That’s one of the few bright spots for the Sharks entering this series as the status of Joe Thornton and Logan Couture remains relatively unclear. Mix in the poor play of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Justin Braun and … well, it’s not great!
There’s a lot we don’t know entering tonight’s game (and we might not know until game time)! So why don’t you stroll over to our series previews right over here:
Defense | Offense | Special Teams | Goaltending | Picks
Game time is set for 7 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Bay Area and USA Network if you’re out of the Bay Area. Go Sharks!
As many of you know, Fear the Fin is an independent site run by Sharks fans for Sharks fans. Help keep Fear the Fin independent by contributing to our