Everyone is talking about how bad the Edmonton Oilers were crushed by the Sharks in game four Tuesday night in San Jose.  As a diehard fan, I have heard nothing but negative things about their performance.  Was it really that bad? Before I make that assessment, I've decided to focus on five things the Oilers did wrong as well as five they did right. 

Lets start with the negatives.  

  1. Cam Talbot:  I know its not fair to jump on the goalies back, especially one coming off of a 2 game consecutive shutout streak, but five goals on 24 shots is not a playoff-worthy performance.  The Sharks hit the board early, taking only 15 seconds to score a goal.  Maybe pulling Talbot earlier into the night would have prevented the Sharks from running away with it?
  2. Leon Draisaitl:  Whether he is actually playing injured like the rumours suggest, or whether he is just frustrated from his lack of performance,  the stunt he pulled last night spearing Chris Tierney where the sun don't shine was just unnecessary.  Plays like that have no place in the game, and he is lucky to only be receiving a fine.
  3. Connor McDavid - The frustration factor seems to be setting in for McDavid.  He was held scoreless in game four as well as the game previous.  The young captain should be finding a way to settle down his team and get them back on track, not taking penalties that lead to powerplay goals.  Everyone should be expecting more from him in game five, and I don't doubt we will see it.
  4. Team Frustrations and Penalty Kills - Connor and Leon were not the only frustrated Oilers on the ice in game four.  The team was very undiciplined as a whole, giving up eight powerplay attempts to the Sharks, who were able to capitalize on four of those opportunities.  Discipline needs to be a focus in game five.
  5. Lack of Secondary Scoring - Other than game one, Scoring has basically been limited to Connor McDavid and Zack Kassian.  With players like Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, Maroon and Lucic spread out through the top three lines, the team should not be winning games by one or two goals.  If the Oilers want any chance at taking a lead in the series in game five, the team has to show up and play as a whole.

Now, onto the positives.

  1. Kassian has continued to play hard, and its very easy to see that he is playing with something to prove. If Zack can inspire his team to play half as hard as he has been, the offense will come naturally.
  2. Brossoit did pretty well in relief of Talbot, considering the dumpster fire he was thrown into.
  3. Well, at least they showed up to play at the right building, although it didn't seem like it.
  4. ???
  5. ...

Ok, so maybe I can't think of five positives after their dismal performance.  But, the good news is, last night was only game four.  The series is tied at two going back to Edmonton, and home ice advantage is still a huge factor in the remaining games.  Besides, the last time the Sharks scored seven goals in a playoff game was Game two vs. the L.A. Kings in 2014, and the Sharks went on to be reverse-swept and lose the series.  Either way, the series is far from over.

 

Game five is in Edmonton Thursday night at 8, and I know I'll be watching.