San Jose Sharks keys to victory against Edmonton Oilers
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
Tonight the San Jose Sharks will take on the Edmonton Oilers for the fourth game in their five-contest long road trip. The Sharks are coming off of what amounts to a stolen victory last night against the Vancouver Canucks. After trailing through the first 58 minutes or so, San Jose managed to tie the game late off of a Tomas Hertl goal.
Dan Boyle found the net with a power-play marker, and San Jose managed to come out on top despite not playing particularly well. That’s two consecutive victories in a row for the Sharks now though, and they’ll look to keep the ball rolling against the Oilers here in a few hours.
Edmonton recently became the final team in the NHL to reach double digits in points and has struggled mightily this season. They still have the guns to make the Sharks pay for mistakes though, if they go to sleep like they have during long stretches of play in November.
San Jose’s struggles have already showed up in the Pacific Division standings. While they’re sitting in second place at the moment, they’re tied with the Phoenix Coyotes with 29 points, and the Los Angeles Kings are only four points behind and are in a tie with Vancouver with 25 points.
Needless to say, every victory matters more than usual at this stage of the season. Here’s what the Sharks need to do to to down the Oilers tonight.
Shoot a ton, screen even more
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Devan Dubnyk hasn’t exactly been a rock for the Oilers in net this season. Edmonton was hoping that he’d emerge from his “goalie of the future” shell and steal some wins for them in 2013-14, but thus far he’s just been bad. He’s given up 46 goals this season, which is good for second in the NHL.
His .881 save percentage is laughable for a starter and ranks 39th. Dubnyk’s GAA is the 41st best (worst?) and stands at 3.69. For a high-powered Sharks offense, the math on this one should be simple.
Everyone should be shooting at every chance that they get. Players should be crashing the crease and making life uncomfortable for Dubnyk. The defense in front of him can’t do much, so if the goalie gets rattled then things could get ugly for the Oilers.
Dump and chase (make the defense turn around)
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The Sharks are faster than people give them credit for, and they have the ability to hem slower, less talented lines into their own zone when things are going according to plan. We saw San Jose on a relentless forecheck early in the season, and their support down low was remarkable.
They need to get back to that, and tonight’s contest against the Oilers is a good chance to reestablish this particular part of their game. Edmonton’s defense is in shambles at the moment, and the Sharks need to take advantage of that fact by dumping the puck in, making the defense turn around and put pressure on them.
They’ll turn pucks over. It’s just a matter of pressure and time.
Hold onto the lead (seriously)
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The numbers speak for themselves. San Jose hasn’t been able to hold onto a lead in November, and it’s beginning to look like a bit of a problem. So there’s a pretty simple solution. Quit taking the third period off. Score first, and keep the pedal to the metal. There’s no reason to sit back and let Edmonton gain and sort of momentum.
This is a chance for the Sharks to put some goals up on the board and to regain some confidence.
Get at us on Twitter for the contest tonight. We’d love to talk hockey with you!