Oilers vs. Sharks: San Jose must test stalwart Cam Talbot in Game 4

In a series with some real offensive firepower, it’s quite something that this series between the Sharks and Oilers has been the lowest-scoring of the first round.

The Oilers shut out the Sharks for the second straight game on Sunday, as Cam Talbot made 23 saves in the 1-0 victory. It hasn’t been the most entertaining of series, but Tuesday has the chance to turn this into a must-watch for NHL fans.

San Jose is looking at an essential must-win game or they’ll return to Edmonton facing elimination and winless at home.

The Sharks can’t keep up with the Oilers. We knew this already coming into the series, but Game 3 put it into perspective. San Jose has some great talent in Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, but seeing them skate next to Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl really hammers it home. It’s why the Sharks have had such trouble scoring, outside of Cam Talbot.

Cam Talbot. The Oilers goaltender has continued his streak of excellence over from the regular season to the playoffs. Over the last two games, Talbot has saved 39 shots. Though not a workhorse effort, he has yet to cave to the exertion of playing 73 regular season games. The Sharks will need to pepper him with shots in Game 4 to get him to work more than they have in the past two games.

San Jose’s shot totals. The Sharks have averaged 27.7 shots per game over their first three games of the series, fourth-lowest in the playoffs. With Talbot on a shutout streak of two games, San Jose will likely play fast and loose with pucks on the net.

The Oilers. Panic sets into the San Jose area as Talbot comes up with another dandy of a game to send the series to Edmonton with the Sharks facing elimination.