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Throwback Thursday: Four years ago today, Edmonton Oilers win a playoff series

Photo credit: (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Zach Laing
Apr 22, 2021, 17:15 EDTUpdated: Apr 22, 2021, 17:14 EDT
Welcome back to another edition of Throwback Thursday!
It was four years ago today that the Edmonton Oilers won their first playoff series in over a decade by toppling the San Jose Sharks.
Edmonton earned a berth into the playoffs in the 2016-17 season on the backs of a season that saw them earned 103 points in the regular season taking home second spot in the division.
In round one of the playoffs, Edmonton met the San Jose Sharks and made work of them in six games. While Edmonton fell in game one 3-2 in OT, they charged back with back-to-back shutouts in game two and three with 2-0 and 1-0 wins, respectively.
The Oilers got taken to the cleaners in game four being routed 7-0 by the Sharks, Edmonton came back to clinch the series in games five and six with 4-3 and 3-1 wins.
In that Game Six, however, the Oilers trusty steeds helped bring home the victory. Leon Draisaitl scored the games’ opening goal 54 seconds into the second period, before Anton Slepyshev got on the board less than a minute later to take a commanding 2-0 lead.
While Patrick Marleau made it close with a goal halfway through the third period, the Oilers held on tight and Connor McDavid iced the game with a empty net goal with one second left.
Edmonton went on to face the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, but that’s a story for another TBT.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@oilersnation.com.
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