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TSN Edmonton Bureau Reporter

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Some thoughts from Game 1 of the Western Conference quarter-final between the San Jose Sharks and Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday night:

- Leon Draisaitl really struggled in this game. He looked like the Draisaitl of his early NHL days: attempting risky passes, turning pucks over and forcing plays. He was one of the best players in the league down the stretch, but this was a step back for him.

- It was also a tough night for Eric Gryba, who can be fingered with errors on two of the Sharks’ three goals.  He lost his man at the side of the net on the 2-1 goal and was way out of position tracking Patrick Marleau in overtime. Marleau was already covered, leaving Melker Karlsson all kinds of time and space to beat Cam Talbot with the winner.  There was plenty of speculation as to whether Gryba or Matt Benning would play in Game 1 and there will be even more heading into Game 2 after that performance.  McLellan has given players a chance to bounce back after tough games, but that was during the regular season.

- Connor McDavid created several high value chances for himself by using his speed to get to the net, but overall, his line didn't work well together. They were forcing pucks to one another and seemed disjointed off the rush. Justin Braun played the most 5-on-5 minutes against McDavid (10:37) and - along with partner Marc-Edouard Vlasic - had a strong night shutting down the Oilers’ top unit.

Rishaug: Oilers taken to school by veteran Sharks squad

TSN's Ryan Rishaug joined NIelson & Fraser to help breakdown last night's Game 1 between the Oilers and Sharks.

- Many of the questions heading into Game 1 revolved around the difference in experience between these two teams and how much it would matter in this series. It certainly did on Wednesday night, in particularly in the opening minutes. While the Sharks were sure-handed and managed the puck well, the Oilers were a mess.  During one stretch of the first period, they blatantly turned the puck over six times (Leon Draisaitl, Patrick Maroon twice, Milan Lucic, Darnell Nurse and Connor McDavid). Todd McLellan double-shifted the McDavid line in this time frame, hoping to get them going. And the results were rough. It took a physical shift from Drake Caggiula and Zack Kassian to jar the group out of its funk, which led to their strongest stretch of the night and a 2-0 lead.

- Cam Talbot was the best Oiler by a mile and was one of the only players in orange who didn't seem jarred by the magnitude of the moment.  A sensational toe save in the opening 15 seconds got him into a groove he didn't fall out of until the last shot of the game.  

This was a schooling by the Sharks, plain and simple. They were more calm, they were smarter and more dogged in their determination most of the night. The Oilers managed just nine shots on goal through the final two periods and overtime – something to address when the teams meet again on Saturday.