CENOVUS GAME STORY

Under the Scope: Oilers vs. Sharks

An in-depth look at Edmonton's 3-2 loss to San Jose on Monday night.

Monday, 12.03.2012 / 9:33 PM / Cenovus Game Story
By Travis Knee  - edmontonoilers.com


San Jose came in needing two points tonight and that's exactly what they got. With the Sharks right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race, San Jose was able to stop their own personal slide with a 3-2 win.

For the Oilers it was another case of not playing a full 60 minutes. At times Edmonton took the play to the Sharks with their speed and forecheck. However, with the game tied after two periods, the Oilers' last frame was not near good enough and they dropped another one on home-ice.


All you need to know and more as we go Under the Scope:

With the game tied 2-2 early in the third period and San Jose on the powerplay, Logan Couture would snap a personal slump by deflecting home his 28th of the season. Couture's redirect came off a blast from the point by Dan Boyle, putting the Sharks ahead to stay, 3-2.
39 The faceoff winning percentage for the Oilers overall in tonight's game. They won 22 of 56 draws.
9 The win tonight moved San Jose into 9th in the Western Conference with 77 points. They are one point back of Colorado for 8th.
1 With the loss tonight, the Oilers have only one win in their last 9 home games.
 


Joe Thornton
G A P +/- Shots
1 1 2 +1 2


Ryan Whitney
G A P +/- Shots
1 0 1 +1 1



Dan Boyle
G A P +/- Shots
0 1 1 +1 1



 
SHARKS
Antti Niemi
SA SV GA TOI SV%
22 20 2 60:00 .909
OILERS
Devan Dubnyk
SA SV GA TOI SV%
33 30 3 59:10 .909



 
 SHARKS
  Marc-Edouard Vlasic- D

24:26 - 1 PTS, E rating
OILERS
  Ryan Whitney- D

22:22 - 1 PTS, +1 rating

With Edmonton trailing 2-1 late in the second period, Taylor Hall would block a shot in his own end and break away down the wing. Hall would find a hole just over Niemi's pad and snap home his 26th goal of the season.

WATCH THE GOAL

In a game that would be considered a "must win" for the San Jose Sharks, they got a big effort from their captain when they needed it most. Joe Thornton would come through with two points(1G, 1A) in a huge 3-2 win for a Sharks team battling for a playoff spot.

Oilers defenceman Ryan Whitney had a really solid game for Edmonton in a losing cause. Whitney would lead all Oilers in ice-time and was effective moving the puck up ice to his speedy forwards. Whitney would also score his 3rd goal of the season on an absolute blast past Niemi.

Oilers' forward Ryan Smyth has had a great career which has seen him score his share of goals. The last time Smyth had a hat-trick though, was against the San Jose Sharks. It happened in Smyth's first stint with the Oilers back in 2006, a 6-4 Edmonton win.


"We got a few people that need to look in the mirror here. You're millionaires. You're Edmonton Oilers. Suck it up and play hockey."

-- Tom Renney on tonight's effort level against San Jose.


Wednesday, March 14  vs. Columbus
  8:00pm MDT (SNET-EDM / 630 CHED)

The Oilers will be back at Rexall Place Wednesday night for a meeting with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It will mark the third meeting of the season between these two clubs with each team having one win. The game can be seen live on Sportsnet Edmonton.