The San Jose Sharks (20-12-7, 2nd Pacific) start a tidy little three-game New Year’s road trip tonight with a visit with the Edmonton Oilers (18-16-3, 6th Pacific). While the Oilers seemed to be revitalized by the firing of former Sharks head coach Todd McLellan and the subsequent hiring of the NHL’s third all time winningest coach and slowly melting popsicle of himself, Ken Hitchcock, they’ve fallen off of that hopeful wagon as of late, dropping five of their last six.
For a while, Hitch’s record with the Oilers promised to be more than the dreaded dead cat bounce, instilling a sense of defensive responsibility and structure that made the Oilers look respectable, and goaltender Mikko Koskinen look elite.