Edmonton @ San Jose preview
SAP Center at San Jose
Last Meeting ( Nov 12, 2019 ) Edmonton 3, San Jose 6
The San Jose Sharks are one of the hottest teams in hockey but are still stuck near the bottom of the Pacific Division as they try to overcome a dreadful start to the season. The Sharks vie for their seventh consecutive victory and look to beat the division-leading Edmonton Oilers for the second time in a week Tuesday night in San Jose.
The Sharks have scored at least four goals four times during their six-game run and matched their season-high output in a 6-3 blowout of visiting Edmonton a week ago. "It feels awesome, but it doesn't stop there," forward Kevin Labanc said after capping a big night with the only goal in the shootout in Saturday's 4-3 win over Detroit. "We've just got to make sure we keep this momentum going." Despite scoring four times for the fourth time in five games, the Oilers came out on the short end of a 5-4 overtime loss to Dallas on Saturday after squandering a two-goal cushion. "It's a good lesson," defenseman Darnell Nurse said. "We move on to the next one, but those are ones you want to pick up when you're in the driver's seat going into the third. You have to find a way to win them."
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet West (Edmonton)
ABOUT THE OILERS (13-6-1): Captain Connor McDavid was limited to an assist in last week's loss in San Jose before erupting for a six-point night, including a hat trick, versus Colorado, and setting up three more goals against Dallas. McDavid earned NHL First Star of the Week honors after pushing his season total to 40 points -- second in the league to teammate Leon Draisaitl -- and has eight goals and 13 assists in 17 games versus the Sharks. He has 13 points in 11 road games as opposed to 27 in 11 at home.
ABOUT THE SHARKS (10-10-1): Labanc was mired in an eight-game goal drought and had been held off the scoresheet in five straight contests before tallying once and collecting two assists. He also had a season-high six shots on goal before converting in the shootout. “I’ve talked to him a little bit about that, about getting more pucks to the net," coach Peter DeBoer said of Labanc. “He wasn’t waiting for a bounce or cheating for it. He was making it happen. That was one of his best games in a long time.”
OVERTIME
1. Draisaitl has 10 goals and 17 assists during a 12-game point streak and had four and three, respectively, in five games versus San Jose in 2018-19.
2. Sharks captain Logan Couture has two goals and nine assists (two versus Edmonton) in his last five games.
3. The Oilers are 9-for-21 on the power play over the past six games but were 0-for-2 versus San Jose.
PREDICTION: Sharks 4, Oilers 3