Even the first line of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon struggled at times to get pucks on net. Additionally, they managed a goal against the Sharks, and it can do more damage.
The Oilers are all fine with the exception of Tyler Pitlick, who's out for the season due to injuries.
They lost 3-2 in overtime to the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Western Conference quarter-final. Additionally, Edmonton needs to improve with maintaining puck possession. That's baffling for two reasons: 1) Edmonton has every advantage by being the home team (granted that only matters when there's been a whistle) and 2) Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer has been at best ambivalent about line matching in his San Jose tenure.
"(But) they're going to be a lot better. The first call came on an offensive-zone trip behind the Sharks' net. The fact is, though, Lucic, who has a Stanley Cup and more than 100 playoff games on his resume, should know better than to retaliate at that time in the game, especially against a team that has been so excellent at drawing penalties. They were even worse in the neutral zone, where the Sharks controlled almost 62% of loose pucks, an area that is usually close to equal. At even strength it wasn't much better, with the Oilers coming in at 47.3%. Edmonton wasn't too bad themselves at plus-21, but San Jose was the only team to come close, let alone surpass, a 40-penalty swing.
Arkansas judge blocks state from using lethal drug
Ward's attorneys have argued he is a diagnosed schizophrenic with no rational understanding of his impending execution. He's been on death row since 1990 for strangling an 18-year-old in the bathroom of a convenience store in Little rock.
But he said Wednesday's win makes it easier to not rush him back into the lineup prematurely.
If Thornton plays on Friday, that should be a huge lift for the Sharks. A similar undisciplined performance from the Oilers at another point in this series could give "Jumbo" the chance to do so.
The Sharks are 8-2 all-time when leading a series 2-0, and 9-5 all-time when a series is tied 1-1. The Sharks got away with some high-profile mistakes; there's no guarantee they'll dodge those bullets again tonight.
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