There were nine goals scored in the Sharks' road win over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. Timo Meier was on the ice for more than half of them.
The game got much better for Meier as it went along, as he got off to a pretty terrible start, but managed to rebound for an impressive finish.
Just over four minutes into the game, Meier overskated a puck in the defensive zone. It made its way over to Edmonton's Sam Gagner, who promptly lifted a backhand into the back of the net to give the Oilers an early lead. 76 seconds later, San Jose found itself in a 2-0 hole after Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid lived up to his status with a highlight-reel goal. Meier was on the ice for that one, too.
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At that point, it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Sharks. Very long. But it ended up being one for the Oilers instead, and Meier was perhaps the main reason why. He scored two goals on the evening, each bookending San Jose's streak of five unanswered from midway through the first period all the way through the beginning of the third. He nearly finished off the 6-3 victory with a hat trick but had to live with a primary assist instead. When asked after the win what prompted the Sharks' response, Meier insisted it was more mental than anything strategic.
"We didn't change too much," Meier told NBC Sports' Jamie Baker from the bench after the win. "I was on the ice for both goals. McDavid, he's gonna make a play, he's gonna beat somebody with his speed. So, we stuck with it, we didn't get negative, we battled hard, and then, you never know what happens. And today, we came out on the good end because we kept going and we stayed positive."
It was San Jose's second straight come-from-behind road win over a divisional opponent, and frankly, completed what has been the Sharks' best two-game road stretch so far this season. Meier skated on a line with Joe Thornton and Kevin Labanc in each of the two impressive victories, over which the three players combined for four goals and seven assists. Four of those assists came from Thornton, who is now up to 1,502 points in his legendary career.
"Incredible what he's achieving," Meier said of Thornton. "The numbers say it all. Just being out there with him and learning from him, and today, he made some great passes ... so it just shows that he's still capable of changing the game. As a line, I think we started to work really well together. We've gotta continue like that."
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It has happened partly out of necessity, but it appears interim coach Bob Boughner might have found something with that second line. It's no coincidence that they've had ample success together while the Sharks have looked the best they have in months.