It seldom seems like the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-game-preview-take-bite-out-of-sharks">San Jose Sharks</a> and Edmonton Oilers have a window of contention at the same time. 

That&#8217;s the case right now. The Oilers are contending for the Stanley Cup after falling in Game 7 last spring while the Sharks are trying to land the first overall pick for a second consecutive year.
It wasn’t too long ago that the roles were flipped. During the early 1020s, the Oilers were a consistent lottery team, landing four first-overall picks in a six-year stretch. The Sharks, on the other hand, consistently made the post-season, reaching their first Stanley Cup Final in 2016. 
Despite residing in the same division for over a decade, Edmonton and San Jose have only met twice in the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the two times that happened.
<h2>The 2006 post-season</h2>
Everyone reading this knows the story of the 2005-06 Oilers. They barely snuck into the playoffs, knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings in six games to kickstart a never-done-before run to the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth-seed.
But first, they had to get past the Sharks, and it didn’t look good at the start. The series started in San Jose, with Jaroslav Špaček opening the scoring in Game 1.  However, Patrick Marleau tied the game in the first period, and defenceman Christian Ehrhoff scored the game-winning goal early in the second as <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-retrospective-the-dwayne-roloson-trade">Dwayne Roloson</a> saved 28 of 30 shots in a losing effort.
Game 2 was much of the same, with Shark’s Tom Preissing opening the scoring about four and a half minutes into the first period. Sergei Samsonov tied the game with just under five minutes left in the second period, but Joe Thornton scored his first of the post-season just over two minutes later which ended up being the game-winner.
The series shifted to Edmonton for Game 3. Marc-André Bergeron opened the scoring for the Oilers, but the Sharks took the lead thanks to goals from Marleau and Patrick Rissmiller for the 2-1 lead. Unlike the two previous games, the Oilers had an answer as Raffi Torres scored with just under seven minutes left in the third to send it to not one, not two, but three overtimes. It’s safe to say the Oilers needed to find a way to score a goal, and they got it from Shawn Horcoff early in the sixth period of the game.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Shawn Horcoff 3OT Goal 2006" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kJ2UzdGgjOM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
Edmonton never looked back. Although the Sharks opened took a 2-0 lead in Game 4 and even had a 3-1 lead, the Oilers scored five unanswered in the second half of the game to win 6-3, even up the series at two. 
Game 5 finished with the same score, but it was the Oilers that opened the scoring. After Horcoff scored early in the third, the Oilers had a 3-1 lead, but it didn’t last long as the Sharks crawled (swam?) back into the game. Playoff hero Fernando Pisani scored the game-winning goal less than two minutes later, followed by goals from Jarret Stoll and Ryan Smyth to give the Oilers a 6-3 win and a 3-2 series lead.
The game-winning goal in Game 6 was scored 8:21 into the first period, as Michael Peca scored to open the scoring. Shawn Horcoff added an insurance goal midway through the third, as the Oilers clinched the series on home ice to send them to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1992.
Sadly, the Oilers fell short in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes after Dwayne Roloson was injured in Game 1. That kick-started the decade of the darkness.
<h2>The 2017 post-season</h2>
Fast forward 11 seasons, the Oilers had landed generational talent Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft, and they were looking to make the post-season for the first time since the Game 7 against the Hurricanes. On March 28, 2017, the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-clinch-playoff-berth">Oilers</a> booked their spot in the post-season thanks to a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings.
Admittedly, this was the first time I got to experience the post-season as an Oiler fan. When I was young, my favourite player was Joe Thornton, so the Boston Bruins were originally my team, and when he was traded to the Sharks, I liked them for a time (it helped since I have an early 90s Sharks jersey). It wasn’t until some point in 2008 that I started to cheer for the Oilers and still do to this day.
The 2017 season was a big one for me because my entire Oilers fandom was disappointing season after disappointing season. Their first round matchup that season was against the Sharks.
Game 1 came on April 12, 2017, the first time the Oilers stepped on the ice during playoff hockey since Jun. 19, 2006. It was bittersweet, as the Oilers took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Oscar Klefbom and Milan Lucic. However, the Sharks saw Joel Ward cut the lead in half in the second period, followed by Paul Martin’s game-tying goal early in the third. In the overtime period, Melker Karlsson found the back of the net 3:22 into the period to give the Sharks a 1-0 series lead.
The most memorable moment of the 2017 post-season for me (except for Ryan Kesler holding Cam Talbot’s pad, no, I’m still not over it) was Game 2 of the first round. A few months before, I purchased a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/zack-kassian-recalls-his-experience-in-the-2017-playoffs-with-the-oilers">Zack Kassian</a> jersey, and oh boy was he ever a menace in Game 2. In the first period, Kassian nailed Brendon Dillon for what should have been a penalty.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Kassian with a thunderous hit on Dillon" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lXwK9KOB5As?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
That’s not all, though, as he opened the scoring and scored the game-winning goal early in the second period while the Oilers were on the penalty kill.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Kassian scores a shorthanded beauty to open scoring for Oilers" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U85a4G6L1fU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
Kassian’s beautiful game continued, as he rocked Logan Couture along the boards midway through the second period in what also should’ve been a penalty. Anyway, Connor McDavid scored his first career playoff goal midway through the third period as the Oilers defeated the Sharks 2-0.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Kassian destroys Couture along the boards" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j8PXcT8gfYk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
In Game 3, Kassian scored again as he scored the game&#8217;s only goal midway through the third period. However, the Sharks answered with an emphatic 7-0 victory that saw Leon Draisaitl get a game misconduct for spearing Chris Tierney in a sensitive area.
That led to an important Game 5 back in Alberta. Patrick Maroon opened the scoring, but Mikkel Boedker tied the game up midway through the first. Before the end of the period, Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Thanks to a goal from David Schlemko, that lead expanded to 3-1 in the middle of the second period, but Mark Letestu got the Oilers to within one late in the second. Down one with less than three minutes left, Oscar Klefbom let a ripper go from the point to tie it up at 3 and send us to overtime.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Klefbom’s howitzer helps Oilers draw even late in the third" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7nKfthKLSNo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
Like Game 1, Game 5 went into overtime. Late in the first overtime period, Leon Draisaitl received the puck from David Desharnais in the corner, waited until Desharnais lost his defender in the slot, and passed it to the former Montréal Canadien. He made no mistake in shooting it over the Sharks&#8217; netminder’s glove to give the Oilers a 3-2 series lead.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Jack Michaels call of Desharnais OT goal" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sBYvf6b9Xac?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
The series returned to San Jose for Game 6, with Leon Draisaitl scoring early in the second period to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, Anton Slepyshev scored the game-winning goal. That doesn’t mean the Sharks didn’t show some fight, as Marleau scored with just under eight minutes left in the period, but McDavid iced the game and series with an empty net goal.
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Edmonton Oilers vs San Jose Sharks - April 22, 2017 | Game Highlights | NHL 2016/17" width="1424" height="801" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M1d-zH1k2DA?start=348&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
&nbsp;
As you know, the Oilers were three minutes away from a 3-2 series lead against the Anaheim Ducks in round two, but they blew that lead and eventually lost a heartbreaker in Game 7. They didn’t win another playoff series until 2022.
<hr />
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

It seldom seems like the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-game-preview-take-bite-out-of-sharks">San Jose Sharks</a> and Edmonton Oilers have a window of contention at the same time. 



That's the case right now. The Oilers are contending for the Stanley Cup after falling in Game 7 last spring while the Sharks are trying to land the first overall pick for a second consecutive year.

It wasn’t too long ago that the roles were flipped. During the early 1020s, the Oilers were a consistent lottery team, landing four first-overall picks in a six-year stretch. The Sharks, on the other hand, consistently made the post-season, reaching their first Stanley Cup Final in 2016. 

Despite residing in the same division for over a decade, Edmonton and San Jose have only met twice in the playoffs. Let’s take a look at the two times that happened.
<h2>The 2006 post-season</h2>
Everyone reading this knows the story of the 2005-06 Oilers. They barely snuck into the playoffs, knocked off the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings in six games to kickstart a never-done-before run to the Stanley Cup Finals as the eighth-seed.

But first, they had to get past the Sharks, and it didn’t look good at the start. The series started in San Jose, with Jaroslav Špaček opening the scoring in Game 1.  However, Patrick Marleau tied the game in the first period, and defenceman Christian Ehrhoff scored the game-winning goal early in the second as <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/edmonton-oilers-retrospective-the-dwayne-roloson-trade">Dwayne Roloson</a> saved 28 of 30 shots in a losing effort.

Game 2 was much of the same, with Shark’s Tom Preissing opening the scoring about four and a half minutes into the first period. Sergei Samsonov tied the game with just under five minutes left in the second period, but Joe Thornton scored his first of the post-season just over two minutes later which ended up being the game-winner.

The series shifted to Edmonton for Game 3. Marc-André Bergeron opened the scoring for the Oilers, but the Sharks took the lead thanks to goals from Marleau and Patrick Rissmiller for the 2-1 lead. Unlike the two previous games, the Oilers had an answer as Raffi Torres scored with just under seven minutes left in the third to send it to not one, not two, but three overtimes. It’s safe to say the Oilers needed to find a way to score a goal, and they got it from Shawn Horcoff early in the sixth period of the game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ2UzdGgjOM&amp;ab_channel=Honza_31

&nbsp;

Edmonton never looked back. Although the Sharks opened took a 2-0 lead in Game 4 and even had a 3-1 lead, the Oilers scored five unanswered in the second half of the game to win 6-3, even up the series at two. 

Game 5 finished with the same score, but it was the Oilers that opened the scoring. After Horcoff scored early in the third, the Oilers had a 3-1 lead, but it didn’t last long as the Sharks crawled (swam?) back into the game. Playoff hero Fernando Pisani scored the game-winning goal less than two minutes later, followed by goals from Jarret Stoll and Ryan Smyth to give the Oilers a 6-3 win and a 3-2 series lead.

The game-winning goal in Game 6 was scored 8:21 into the first period, as Michael Peca scored to open the scoring. Shawn Horcoff added an insurance goal midway through the third, as the Oilers clinched the series on home ice to send them to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1992.

Sadly, the Oilers fell short in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes after Dwayne Roloson was injured in Game 1. That kick-started the decade of the darkness.
<h2>The 2017 post-season</h2>
Fast forward 11 seasons, the Oilers had landed generational talent Connor McDavid in the 2015 draft, and they were looking to make the post-season for the first time since the Game 7 against the Hurricanes. On March 28, 2017, the <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/oilers-clinch-playoff-berth">Oilers</a> booked their spot in the post-season thanks to a 2-1 win against the Los Angeles Kings.

Admittedly, this was the first time I got to experience the post-season as an Oiler fan. When I was young, my favourite player was Joe Thornton, so the Boston Bruins were originally my team, and when he was traded to the Sharks, I liked them for a time (it helped since I have an early 90s Sharks jersey). It wasn’t until some point in 2008 that I started to cheer for the Oilers and still do to this day.

The 2017 season was a big one for me because my entire Oilers fandom was disappointing season after disappointing season. Their first round matchup that season was against the Sharks.

Game 1 came on April 12, 2017, the first time the Oilers stepped on the ice during playoff hockey since Jun. 19, 2006. It was bittersweet, as the Oilers took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Oscar Klefbom and Milan Lucic. However, the Sharks saw Joel Ward cut the lead in half in the second period, followed by Paul Martin’s game-tying goal early in the third. In the overtime period, Melker Karlsson found the back of the net 3:22 into the period to give the Sharks a 1-0 series lead.

The most memorable moment of the 2017 post-season for me (except for Ryan Kesler holding Cam Talbot’s pad, no, I’m still not over it) was Game 2 of the first round. A few months before, I purchased a <a href="https://oilersnation.com/news/zack-kassian-recalls-his-experience-in-the-2017-playoffs-with-the-oilers">Zack Kassian</a> jersey, and oh boy was he ever a menace in Game 2. In the first period, Kassian nailed Brendon Dillon for what should have been a penalty.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXwK9KOB5As&amp;ab_channel=SPORTSNET

That’s not all, though, as he opened the scoring and scored the game-winning goal early in the second period while the Oilers were on the penalty kill.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U85a4G6L1fU&amp;ab_channel=SPORTSNET

&nbsp;

Kassian’s beautiful game continued, as he rocked Logan Couture along the boards midway through the second period in what also should’ve been a penalty. Anyway, Connor McDavid scored his first career playoff goal midway through the third period as the Oilers defeated the Sharks 2-0.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8PXcT8gfYk&amp;ab_channel=SPORTSNET

&nbsp;

In Game 3, Kassian scored again as he scored the game's only goal midway through the third period. However, the Sharks answered with an emphatic 7-0 victory that saw Leon Draisaitl get a game misconduct for spearing Chris Tierney in a sensitive area.

That led to an important Game 5 back in Alberta. Patrick Maroon opened the scoring, but Mikkel Boedker tied the game up midway through the first. Before the end of the period, Patrick Marleau gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Thanks to a goal from David Schlemko, that lead expanded to 3-1 in the middle of the second period, but Mark Letestu got the Oilers to within one late in the second. Down one with less than three minutes left, Oscar Klefbom let a ripper go from the point to tie it up at 3 and send us to overtime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nKfthKLSNo&amp;ab_channel=SPORTSNET

&nbsp;

Like Game 1, Game 5 went into overtime. Late in the first overtime period, Leon Draisaitl received the puck from David Desharnais in the corner, waited until Desharnais lost his defender in the slot, and passed it to the former Montréal Canadien. He made no mistake in shooting it over the Sharks' netminder’s glove to give the Oilers a 3-2 series lead.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBYvf6b9Xac&amp;ab_channel=RMurphy

&nbsp;

The series returned to San Jose for Game 6, with Leon Draisaitl scoring early in the second period to give the Oilers a 1-0 lead. Less than a minute later, Anton Slepyshev scored the game-winning goal. That doesn’t mean the Sharks didn’t show some fight, as Marleau scored with just under eight minutes left in the period, but McDavid iced the game and series with an empty net goal.

https://youtu.be/M1d-zH1k2DA?si=tblLirodVQGzHTQ_&amp;t=348

&nbsp;

As you know, the Oilers were three minutes away from a 3-2 series lead against the Anaheim Ducks in round two, but they blew that lead and eventually lost a heartbreaker in Game 7. They didn’t win another playoff series until 2022.

<hr />

Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Oilersnation, FlamesNation, and Blue Jays Nation. They can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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