Sharks Game Previews

Sharks vs. Oilers: Visiting the worst team in the West

Remember how those games against Buffalo and Winnipeg last week were supposed to gimmes? Well that didn't work out so well. San Jose hopes to learn from its mistakes and put away the Oilers tonight.

Despite picking up two points, Todd McLellan and the Sharks were less than pleased with their effort last night in Vancouver, a game in which they were outshot 31-22 at even-strength. They'll have a golden opportunity to get back to the style of play that fueled their dominant October tonight as they take on a downtrodden, division-worst Oilers team that has been outscored 20-2 over their past five home games. It's been a disappointing season in northern Alberta where many believed this would finally be the year Edmonton's accumulation of young talent would translate into contention for a playoff spot with new head coach Dallas Eakins and new general manager Craig MacTavish at the helm.

It hasn't quite worked out that way as the Oilers find themselves with the worst record in the Western Conference, just one point ahead of Buffalo for last place in the NHL. Edmonton actually has a worse goal differential than the Sabres which is, frankly, an impressive accomplishment. What has to be concerning for MacTavish and the Oilers faithful alike is that the team appears to have actually taken a step backward from what was a fairly dismal campaign in the shortened season. Edmonton is controlling just 43.8% of the unblocked shot attempts in score-close situations at evens this year compared to 44.9% a season ago. Unsurprisingly, MacTavish is considering trading what should be a high first-rounder in 2014 for immediate help. And it's certainly going to take a lot of help, especially on the blueline, to fix what ails the Oilers.

Unlike in their recent outings against similarly weak clubs in Buffalo and Winnipeg, the Sharks need to, well, actually win a winnable game this time. Easy points don't come around often in the NHL and you'd hope the team has learned its lesson after playing rope-a-dope with the Sabres and Jets only to come away with shootout losses. If the Sharks can contain Edmonton's dangerous top line, they should be able to improve to 3-0-1 on the road trip.

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12-2-5, 29 points		4-14-2, 10 points
2nd in Pacific		7th in Pacific

7PM PST | Rexall Place | Edmonton, Alberta
TV: CSNCA-HD, TSN | Radio: SJSharks.com, 98.5 KFOX
Know Your Enemy: The Copper & Blue, mc79hockey, Cult Of Hockey