|
 Go figure.
In a shocker at Rexall Place, David Perron scored at 10:26 of the
third period to give the Oilers a 2-1 upset victory.
"It's a great step, it's fun to be winning," said the Oilers left
winger, whose shot was going wide until it banked in off a San Jose
defenseman.
"I just spun and was shooting far side in my head. It was a few feet
wide, but it hit their guy and went in. I'll certainly take it with
some of the bounces we've had this year."
It's been a month of bad luck and bad hockey for an Oilers team that
hadn't won since Nov. 9. So finally being able to leave an arena
without having to explain a loss felt really good.
"That was by far our best game of the season," said right winger
Nail Yakupov. "We played simple, we played strong, we fought for the
puck. It was really good.
"I think we were hungrier for the two points than San Jose was." This was a matchup of teams headed in opposite directions, with
significantly different levels of gas in the tank.
The Sharks came to Edmonton on a four-game winning streak, their
longest of the season, but were playing on weary legs after a
hard-fought win over the Calgary Flames in the late game Saturday
night. They also gave the start to backup goalie Alex Stalock, who
hadn't played a game since Nov. 8.
"If you go there, it begins to sound like we're using excuses," said
Sharks coach Todd McLellan, when asked if his team was tired after
three games in four nights. "Teams play that in the league all the
time. They (Oilers) happened to be sitting since Wednesday and they
were fresh, they took advantage of it.
"I still think that good teams can find ways -- and we almost did,
we stuck with it for a while -- to win those games."
The Oilers were also playing their first game since general manager
Craig MacTavish had to hold a media conference to explain why their
playoff hopes were dead before mid-December for the second year in a
row.
The Oilers, properly embarrassed by their situation, wanted to show
a little more intensity, and did.
Shots were 11-2 after 20 minutes as Edmonton came out hard and fast.
It didn't result in any goals, though, as the 27th ranked offense in
the NHL had to settle for a scoreless tie at the first intermission.
"We knew they were going to come hard, there's been a lot of talk
around the city here and they've been under some pressure," said
Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon. "They came out hard, but we can't
use that as an excuse, we have to expect their best and we have to
give our best."
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Edmonton finally got on the scoreboard 7:45 into the second period
when Yakupov broke a lengthy drought of his own. His fourth of the
season and first in 10 games gave Edmonton the 1-0 lead.
But it was short lived.
It took the Sharks just 2:06 to get it back as left winger Tye
McGinn was left all alone in the slot for his first of the season at
9:51 to make it 1-1 after 40.
After Perron scored in the third, the Oilers were just 9:36 away
from a rare and long-awaited victory.
It was a looong 9:36, but they got it.
"Overall I thought we played a really smart, mature game with a lot
of gamesmanship, overall just a really solid effort," said head
coach Dallas Eakins, who doesn't want to get too excited over one
win in 12 games.
"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves. We won by a goal. It
allows you to enjoy your night and part of the day tomorrow but
we're not going to have a parade over this."
NOTES: During their 11-game winless skid, the Oilers were held to
two or fewer goals eight times. They rank 27th in the NHL in goals
per game. ... Edmonton C Boyd Gordon, who left the Winnipeg game
last Wednesday after blocking a shot, and didn't practice Friday or
Saturday, played hurt Sunday against the Sharks. ... San Jose RW
Tyler Kennedy had to leave Saturday's game in Calgary after only two
shifts. His left arm is in a sling and isn't expected back anytime
soon. ... Sharks LW Matt Nieto is day-to-day with a lower body
injury suffered Thursday against Boston. ... San Jose has six
players with 20 points or more -- Couture, Marleau, Pavelski,
Thornton, Burns, Wingels. The Oilers don't have one. ... Edmonton D
Nikita Nikitin is back on the shelf with his recurring back trouble.
... Oilers D Justin Schultz has seven hits in 25 games. ... The
Oilers have only led after 20 minutes three times in 27 games this
season.
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