Sharks takeaways: What we learned in outstanding 6-3 win over Oilers

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For the second time in two games, the Sharks failed to score first against a Western Canadian opponent. For the second time in two games, San Jose came from behind to earn an impressive road win.

The Sharks fell behind just over four minutes into their game against the Edmonton Oilers at Rogers Place on Thursday night, and unlike their 3-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, they didn't score the second goal of the contest, either. But just when it looked like the team was headed for a blowout loss, San Jose flipped the script and dominated from that point on, finishing with a 6-3 win.

The Sharks would go on to score five unanswered goals after Edmonton had taken a 2-0 lead, and kept the Oilers off the scoresheet for the vast majority of the contest. San Jose got contributions from all four lines, and goaltender Aaron Dell was very solid in net after some shaky moments early on.

Here are three takeaways as the Sharks completed the Albertan sweep:

One they'll always remember

Maxim Letunov and Alexander True made their NHL debuts in Tuesday's win in Calgary. On Thursday night in Edmonton, both rookies earned their first career NHL points.

Letunov was the first to get off the schneid. He showed great strength and patience in fighting off an Oilers defender in front of the Edmonton net midway through the second period, allowing him to slide the puck in past an out-of-position Mikko Koskinen.

Just over five minutes later, Stefan Noesen gave San Jose a 4-2 lead with his fifth goal of the season, but it was a far more memorable goal for a different member of the fourth line. True got the secondary assist for his first career point.

With Tomas Hertl done for the season and Logan Couture expected to miss several more weeks, the Sharks are making a conscious effort to give opportunities to some of the younger players in their system. Through their first two career NHL games, both Letunov and True have taken advantage.

Welcome to the NHL

Letunov and True had the happy 'welcome to the NHL' moments. Their fellow rookie, defenseman Mario Ferraro, had one on the opposite end of the spectrum.

Early in the first period, Edmonton superstar Connor McDavid received the puck in the neutral zone and immediately kicked it into high gear as he drove towards San Jose's net. Ferraro took one wrong step in trying to obstruct McDavid's path, and in the blink of an eye, McDavid was past him and scoring a highlight-reel goal.

McDavid makes a lot of defenders look silly, so Ferraro shouldn't necessarily be feeling any shame. He has had a tremendous rookie season, and it's totally reasonable that he would experience some growing pains from time to time.

Right on time

The Sharks desperately need their best players to pick it up offensively, perhaps none more so than forward Timo Meier. The 23-year-old has had a fairly disappointing fourth season in the NHL after notching 30 goals and 66 points last year, entering Thursday's game with 16 and 33, respectively.

Meier might be the most talented forward on San Jose's roster, and all that talent was on display against Edmonton, as he came this close to tallying his second hat trick of the season.

He scored the Sharks' first and fifth goals of the night, and nearly had their final one as well. Meier had a great tip-in of a point shot to get San Jose on the board, and in the third period, he roofed a shot past Koskinen after the puck bounced back to him off the end boards to give his team a 5-2 lead.

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It looked like he completed his hat trick later in the third, but Kevin Labanc managed to get his stick on Meier's deflection, as the puck trickled into the back of the net for an insurance goal.

The hat trick would have been nice, but if Thursday is a sign that Meier is finding a groove, both he and the Sharks will take the two goals.

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