Sharks know Game 5 against Oilers won't be easy

SAN JOSE --The San Jose Sharks know better than to expect an instant replay when they face the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference First Round at Rogers Place on Thursday (10:30 p.m. ET; NBCSN, SN, TVA Sports, NBCSCA).
The Sharks defeated the Oilers 7-0 at SAP Center in Game 4 on Tuesday to even the best-of-7 series 2-2. Coach Peter DeBoer said he expects a big push from the Oilers in Game 5.

"It's down to a two out of three and obviously I know we've been on the other end of those type of games before, or versions of that," DeBoer said Wednesday. "You're not one of these 16 Stanley Cup Playoff] teams unless you have the ability to respond to that.
***[RELATED: [Complete Sharks vs. Oilers series coverage]*
"I think all the teams that are left here take pride in their ability to respond to games like that, and I'm sure we're going to see their best game and our game has to get even better than it was [Tuesday]."
That would be no small feat. The Sharks tied their record for goals in a playoff game and set their record for power-play goals in a postseason game, going 4-for-8. They rebounded after being shut out in back-to-back games, and it was their top players who led the way. Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture each scored their first two goals of the series, Patrick Marleau scored his first goal, and Brent Burns had three assists, his first points of the series. Joe Thornton, playing his second game after missing the first two because of a knee injury, had an assist for his first point of the series.
"It's nice but it's only one game," Couture said. "We can't carry those goals over into Game 5. We know that. Same as winning 1-0. It's winning one game. We're going to go there and try to win a game in a tough building."
Sharks defenseman Justin Braun said defeating the Oilers for a second straight game won't be easy.
"We can't falsely think it's going to be another 7-0 game," he said. "We have to go out and play harder, and I think that's the biggest thing going forward. We can't have a letdown because they're going to come out hard and we can't get pushed out of the game or start slow."

The Sharks won 3-2 in overtime in Game 1 at Rogers Place but lost 2-0 there in Game 2.
"We learned our lesson, I'd hope, in Game 2," DeBoer said. "We didn't play well and we saw their ability to respond. So I know that's going to be there [Thursday] and it's on us to make sure we're ready."
They didn't have Thornton in Game 2, and Couture still was wearing the full protective cage he had worn since returning from being hit in the mouth by a puck against the Nashville Predators on March 25. Couture went back to his regular visor for Game 3, and he and Thornton have looked better since then.
"They drive the bus, no question about that," Sharks forward Jannik Hansen said. "When you're missing your No. 1 and No. 2 centers, you have some very big holes in your lineup."