The Sharks played exceptionally well, and they deserved to win game one. Past and present history favors the Oilers and their lovable super star Connor McDavid.
Could the Edmonton Oilers really reach the 2017 Stanley Cup Final? They were the better team, we were the better team the other night. And of course, you can't forget about Jumbo Joe Thornton or Patrick Marleau.
"We did it the same way we're going to do this", coach Peter DeBoer said. "They didn't look anything like the team that we've seen in the last two months tonight, but they looked like the team that went to the Stanley Cup Final past year".
As part of a pilot project for the game, the Oilers have sold between 200 and 250 $80 "concourse passes" to fans, who want to be in the playoff atmosphere, but will watch the game on screens inside the building. No player is more important to his team's success than McDavid.
"Teams change. They change rosters, they change players, they change lines". The remaining 43 minutes of the first game, however, didn't go their way.
Playing their first postseason game in 11 years, the Edmonton Oilers rolled out to a two-goal, first period lead.
The Sharks finished the game 0 for 6 with the man advantage and didn't generate much at even strength as they wasted a solid performance from goalie Martin Jones, who finished with 34 saves.
The more worrying problem for the Oilers in game one was how badly the Sharks dominated puck battles. Wednesday adds another chapter to this athletic epic as 16 teams set forth to win the honor of seeing their names engraved on one of the most famous trophies in the world. His seven shutouts put him right up there with the best in the National Hockey League, proving that he wasn't just making the saves he needed to, but also stealing the occasional game himself.
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United is taking steps too. "Bell said another passenger who was Mexican told him, "'Hey, that's a scorpion, they're unsafe , '. The airline also recently gave its agents the authority to offer a check for cash as an incentive for the seat.
"Now we know that once we get that lead we can lock it down, and we know what it takes to play that way", said Talbot.
Brandon Nielson worked at a bar near Whyte Avenue during the Oilers' last playoff run and witnessed the 2006 riots.
Couture is the team's top two-way center, who would be counted on to match up with National Hockey League scoring leader Connor McDavid in this series if healthy.
Heading into their series against the San Jose Sharks, the big question for the Edmonton Oilers was if they could hang with last year's Stanley Cup finalists defensively. Nick Bonino and Bryan Rust also scored, and Evgeni Malkin assisted on Rust and Kessel's goals in his first game back after missing the final three weeks of the regular season because of an upper-body injury.
The Oilers have an explosive top line, a solid goaltender in Cam Talbot, good power-play and penalty-kill units, and a sturdy back end. Now factor in that both Joe Thornton and Logan Couture and listed as game time decisions for game one and one has to curb any enthusiasm for both the playoffs and this series.
Milan Lucic and Oscar Klefbom scored for the Oilers. Cam Talbot made 41 saves for the Oilers, while Sharks goalie Martin Jones stopped 17 shots, a lot of them in the first period.
The Oilers continued to dictate the pace in the early going.
The Oilers came out storming in the first period, outhitting the Sharks 22-4 and outshooting them 9-6. "Guys just played comfortable (this time), played more of our style of game", he said. "I think when you talk about experience, I think that's where experience kind of comes in".
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