Sharks sink Oilers 4-2

Edmonton's Marc Pouliot tries to control the puck while San Jose's Jonathan Cheechoo, Evgeni Nabokov and Dan Boyle attempt to defend the net February 17, 2009 at HP Pavilion at San Jose in San Jose, California. (Photo by Don Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

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GAME CENTRE

Pre-Game Info Preview Game Notes Head-to-Head Stats Comparison Video interviews Audio Interviews Photo Gallery Click here for the photo gallery Post-Game Video Watch the highlights Post-game comments from Shawn Horcoff, Zack Stortini, Steve Staios & Craig MacTavish. Post-Game Podcast Shawn Horcoff Zack Stortini Steve Staios Craig MacTavish Three Stars Patrick Marleau, SJS - Two goals Joe Pavelski, SJS - Opening goal Zack Stortini, EDM - One goal Update With the loss, the Oilers fall to 29-24-4 and share seventh spot in the Western Conference with the Columbus Blue Jackets. What's Next Edmonton concludes their four-game road trip Thursday, February 19 in Dallas. Game time is 6:30pm.

by Jen Sharpe | edmontonoilers.com

Although the Oilers carried a 2-1 lead into the second period, the club surrendered three unanswered goals in the second period to fall 4-2 to the Sharks in San Jose Tuesday night. Zack Stortini and Erik Cole scored for Edmonton, while Dwayne Roloson stopped 27 shots.

FIRST PERIOD

The Sharks fired the game's first four shots on Roloson while, at the opposite end of the ice, Evgeni Nabokov had yet to face the puck by the eight-minute mark. 10 minutes in, the Oilers got the puck on net but a Sharks save was soon followed by a Sharks goal. With help from Milan Michalek, Joe Pavelski went top shelf on Roloson to give the home team a 1-0 lead.

But 2:10 later, Edmonton's grinding fourth line erased it. With a crowd of players in front of him and the puck bouncing between sticks and skates, Nabokov was unable to stop Zack Stortini's tip in and the Oilers soon tied the game at one.

The visitors benefited from a late powerplay when Dan Boyle was called for tripping, and the man-advantage -- as well as a lucky bounce -- helped them take the lead. Nabokov circled around his net to play the puck on the PK, but it bounced oddly off the glass and landed in the slot. Erik Cole swiped and scored on the scrambling goalie, giving the Oilers a 2-1 lead.

A second Sharks penalty, this time to Jonathan Cheechoo, put the Oilers back on the powerplay heading into the second period.

SECOND PERIOD

Edmonton couldn't make it 2-for-2 on the powerplay and San Jose responded with a game-tying goal. 1:48 into the second, Patrick Marleau descended on Roloson and snapped the puck past the goalie to put the home team back on even terms.

Shortly after the goal, a tripping penalty to Marc Pouliot gave the Sharks their first powerplay of the game. But only a minute later, back-to-back Sharks infractions offered the Oilers plenty of room to work with during an extended man-advantage.

But the Oilers managed only one shot on the five-on-three, and after Marleau concluded his penalty, he made his presence felt. As part of a shorthanded two-on-one, Mike Grier carried the puck up the ice, drew Roloson over to his side, and then fed the short pass to Marleau, who tapped it into the open net for a 3-2 Sharks lead.

Tempers flared following the goal when Jason Strudwick and Alexei Semenov participated in a shoving match that triggered a fight between Theo Peckham and Claude Lemieux. Youth beat experience (literally) in the battle, as 21-year-old Peckham pummelled 43-year-old Lemieux.

In the latter half of the period, a flurry of penalties gave the Sharks 1:18 of five-on-three, but the Oilers resisted the attack to stay within one. A pair of attacks of a different kind netted five roughing minors and two fighting majors as the period continued.

With less than one minute left on the clock, Joe Thornton postponed the aggression with a dose of offense. Though Roloson stopped Lukas Kaspar's initial shot, Thornton redirected the rebound into the net to give the Sharks a 4-2 lead heading into the final 20 minutes.

THIRD PERIOD

The Sharks toed the 30-shot mark midway through the third before benefiting from their third powerplay thanks to a high-sticking penalty to Shawn Horcoff. But the Oilers killed the late infraction to stay within striking distance.

A pair of Sharks infractions helped the Oilers gain some ground on the shot clock, but Nabokov turned away each attempt to backstop his club to a 4-2 win Tuesday night.