The San Jose Sharks had a chance to snatch a 3-2 lead in the first-round series against the Edmonton Oilers, but took a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 5 at Rogers Place Thursday.
Following a lopsided 7-0 win over the Oilers Tuesday, the Sharks started Thursday’s contest with a strong start as Martin Jones blocked a wrist shot from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins less than three minutes into the opening period.
The Oilers got on the board first when Patrick Maroon picked up a loose puck from Matt Benning and put it into the net to beat Jones for his first goal of the playoffs at 14:32.
The Oilers’ defense came alive after a muted performance in Game 4. Cam Talbot denied Patrick Marleau’s snap shot midway through the period.
However, the Sharks responded with some good momentum to grab a 2-1 lead. Chris Tierney set up Mikkel Boedker who dished a nice pass past Talbot to tie the contest 1-1 with 9:48 left in the period. Patrick Marleau collected a wrist shot from Joe Thornton, beating Jones for his second goal of the playoffs with 4:08 left.
The Sharks outshot the Oilers 16-13 and held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes.
The Sharks made the Oilers pay for their penalty at 13:24 of the second period. Just two seconds after Maroon’s interference penalty expired, San Jose made it a 3-1 game. David Schlemko received a pass from Boedker and stuffed the puck through traffic for his second goal of the playoffs.
Two last-minute penalties cost the Sharks late in the period. Timo Meier went to the box for hooking with 4:51 left. Brent Burns went to the box for delay of game with a puck over the glass about two minutes later. Leon Draisaitl sent a pass to Mark Letestu, who caught Jones off guard and fired a shot into an empty net.
The Oilers pulled within one, outshooting their opponent 26-21, but the Sharks took a 3-2 lead to the locker room after 40 minutes.
The Sharks’ vanishing defense affected them in the third period. Oilers tied the contest 3-3 with 2:46 left in regulation. Oscar Klefbom defended Paul Martin and skated past Joe Pavelski before shooting the puck into the net for his second goal of the playoffs.
The contest went into overtime after both teams were tied at three apiece after 60 minutes.
The Sharks were on their heels during the first eight minutes of overtime. Jones blocked a Nugent-Hopkins wrist shot that went wide of the net at 13:43. Connor McDavid had a chance to score the game-winning goal less than a minute later, but it was stopped by Jones. He also made a notable save using his left glove to deny Drake Caggiula of a potential goal.
The Sharks’ defense heated up at the right time, but a young, fresh Oilers team edged their opponents with a 4-3 overtime victory. David Descharnais beat Jones stick-side for the game-winning goal with 1:45 left in the extra period. Talbot finished with 27 saves for Edmonton.
Jones made 44 saves for the Sharks. Jones’ team cannot rely on his goaltending alone if they want to tie the best-of-seven series 3-3 in San Jose Saturday.
Notes
Scratched: Dylan DeMelo, Michael Haley, Joonas Donskoi
Injured: None
Up Next
The Sharks return to SAP Center to host the Oilers Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PST on NBCSN, SN, TVAS and NBCSCA.
