Oilers vs. Sharks: Lessons must be learned for Edmonton to win Game 2

The Edmonton Oilers returned to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in a decade on Wednesday. And they had a great time.

For about 30 minutes.

Then the whole “grizzled veterans vs. youthful team” narrative reared its ugly head, and the San Jose Sharks rattled off a comeback win in overtime.

Edmonton gets a chance to try again in Game 2 on Friday, but they have mistakes to correct first.

Holding leads in the playoffs is hard. Edmonton put up two early goals on their San Jose elders and seemed well on their way to a breezy Game 1 win.

Then the Sharks rallied, tied the game and ended it with a win in overtime.

Holding leads at all is a rough lesson to learn for most young teams. Learning how to do it in the playoffs is another lesson entirely. Edmonton got a crash course.

Joe Thornton. The veteran and future Hall of Famer missed Game 1 with a nagging injury. But he skated in practice on Thursday and could join the lineup for Game 2 on Friday. Just another weapon with tons of playoff experience for the Sharks.

Penalties. Edmonton shot out like a cannon, but that reckless energy came with a cost. San Jose had six power plays and 11:58 in power play minutes, draining the Oilers’ momentum out of the building as the game dragged on. Not to mention that the Sharks own the best power play in the business. Edmonton can’t afford to keep doing that.

Edmonton is facing inexperience questions now, but they’re talented enough to learn quickly. We’ll bank on them stealing Game 2. Oilers take Game 2.