San Jose @ Edmonton preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 19, 2019 ) Edmonton 5, San Jose 2

Edmonton Oilers coach Dave Tippett was wary of a flat effort as his team came out of the All-Star break with three games in four days, including a pair of matchups against provincial rival Calgary. Tippett's fears were realized in Tuesday's lackluster loss at Arizona and the Oilers will look to rebound against the visiting San Jose Sharks on Thursday night.

Edmonton had earned points in 10 of 11 games (8-1-2) and scored at least four goals in each of the wins before absorbing a 3-0 defeat to the Coyotes, the team's first shutout loss since Oct. 22. “We just finished three really emotional games, really hard games, and you could tell we didn’t have much in the tank," said Tippett, whose team is three points behind first-place Vancouver in the tightly bunched Pacific Division. The Sharks had lost five of six before posting a 3-1 victory at Calgary in the opener of a two-game trek that left them 12 points out of the second wild card. "It's a step in the right direction," forward Evander Kane said after San Jose ended a two-game slide. "I think we're just going to try to continue to give ourselves chances to win games here."

TIME: 9:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBC Sports Network, Sportsnet West

ABOUT THE SHARKS (23-27-4): Joe Thornton, in his 22nd season, set up a pair of goals against the Flames to etch his name into the record books by becoming the 14th player to reach 1,500 career points. "I think once you're done you'll kind of look back at it," said Thornton, who also had 800 assists with San Jose. "Right now I just continue to stay in the moment. I know how cliché that is but keep it day to day. That's how I'll keep it until I'm done." Kane scored in the victory to reach 20 goals for the fifth consecutive season.

ABOUT THE OILERS (28-19-6): Leon Draisaitl, the league leader with 83 points, had his 11-game point streak halted in Tuesday's loss -- a span in which he amassed seven goals and 15 assists. Draisaitl, who holds a four-point edge over captain Connor McDavid, has seven goals and 14 assists in 23 games against San Jose after collecting one and two, respectively, in two matchups this season. McDavid, who needs one goal to reach 30 for the fourth straight season, has nine tallies and 24 points in 18 games against the Sharks.

OVERTIME

1. The Oilers snapped a five-game losing streak in the series with a 5-2 victory in San Jose on Nov. 19.

2. Sharks G Aaron Dell, who will make his third straight start, has won all four career starts versus Edmonton.

3. Edmonton's top-ranked power play is converting on 28.9 percent of its chances.

PREDICTION: Oilers 4, Sharks 2