NHL Grind Down: Thursday, March 24th - Page Three
Edmonton Oilers at San Jose Sharks – 10:30 PM EDT
| Edmonton Oilers | San Jose Sharks | ||||||||
 | Roberto Luongo |  | |||||||
| Record | Record | ||||||||
| 29-40-7 | 41-26-6 | ||||||||
| Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% | Stats | GF/GP | GA/GP | PP% | PK% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team Stats | 2.36 | 2.91 | 17.70% | 80.60% | Team Stats | 2.89 | 2.51 | 22.20% | 80.00% |
Another year, another lottery pick for the Oilers. One would think that a good season would come together for once in Edmonton with the amount of talent they draft every year, but it never comes about. The one thing the Oilers can be excited about however is Connor McDavid who is averaging over a point per game this year. McDavid has points in five consecutive games, yet a road matchup against the Sharks leaves much to be desired. The Oilers have been road fodder all season long as they are an abysmal 11-22-5 away from Rexall Place. Furthermore, they will be without Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tonight as he is dealing with concussion symptoms.
The Sharks were blanked last time out against Elliott and the Blues, so they will look to come back strong tonight against the road-weary Oilers. San Jose has scored the fourth-most goals per game (2.89) in the league and should find success tonight, despite their average play at home, against a poor defensive team. The top line of Tomas Hertl, Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski is the one to target as this line has been producing all season long, especially Pavelski and Thornton. Nonetheless, In 35 home games, Tomas Hertl has 26 points (10 goals, 16 assists, +10) with 93 shots on goal (2.68 per game). He has really picked up his play after the All-Star break too. On defense, Brent Burns needs no introduction and should be targeted across all formats.
Elite Plays
EDM: None
SJ: Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton, Brent Burns, Martin Jones
Secondary Plays
EDM: Connor McDavid, Jordan Eberle
SJ: Tomas Hertl, Logan Couture, Paul Martin