3 Keys To Victory Against The San Jose Sharks

The Edmonton Oilers are finishing up their 3-game California tour today versus the San Jose Sharks. Taking a quick look at these teams in the standings it looks like this should be an easy win for the Edmonton Oilers.

The thing with the NHL is that any team can win on any given night. For example, the Boston Bruins, who are having the best season have lost to teams well below them in the standings. If the Oilers take it easy on the Sharks they can lose this game.

There are many aspects of the game that could cause the Edmonton Oilers to either win or lose. I have put together the top three that I think are the most important.

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1. No Big Break Downs Defensively

The Edmonton Oilers have been known to gift the other teams goals. This could come from a bad giveaway from a defenseman or a soft goal let in by the goalie. Here I am more focused on the bad giveaways.

The Oilers need to play a simple game tonight. There is no need to try and go out and do something special. If they are patient and do not force any plays they will win this game. The San Jose Sharks will not out-skill them.

The way I can see the Sharks winning this game though is if they are given goals. The players on the Sharks are still NHL players, if they get an A+ scoring opportunity they will score, so the Edmonton Oilers have to not allow them any.

2. Stay Out Of The Penalty Box

The number one way that weaker teams defeat stronger teams is on special teams. When a team has an extra player they have a huge advantage. Although the San Jose Sharks are near the bottom of the league with an 18.84% powerplay this season doesn’t mean they can’t hurt the Oilers.

If the Edmonton Oilers are short-handed too many times eventually the Sharks will score a goal. With the few skilled players, they have they will eventually score on the Edmonton Oilers. Not to mention the Oilers penalty kill is on average.

The penalty kills are one of the few areas I would like to see the Edmonton Oilers improve on before the playoffs start.

3. Edmonton Oilers Depth Players

Over the last couple of games, the Oilers bottom six has been a real difference-maker. In Anaheim, on Wednesday the bottom six won the game for the Oilers. Kostin and Bjugstad scored the two goals before Hyman added the empty netter.

This is an area in which the oilers have a huge advantage today. Depth is what separates the weaker teams from the strong teams. Each team has at least one or two high-end skilled players, but it is further down the lineup where you can find the differences.

If the Oilers bottom six can keep producing at this rate there is a good chance the Edmonton Oilers will go far in the postseason this year.