After one period Wednesday night, it appeared as though the San Jose Sharks' slump to close out the regular season had carried over into the playoffs.

The Edmonton Oilers, in front of a raucous home crowd, stormed out to a 2-0 lead, but the Sharks stayed calm, and their experience heavily factored into a 3-2 comeback victory in Game 1.

"I think there wasn't much that needed to be said. There wasn't much panic," captain Joe Pavelski said of the early deficit, according to Kevin Kurz of CSN Bay Area.

The Sharks, of course, are the reigning Western Conference champions, but they entered the postseason in a swoon. After holding a commanding nine-point lead atop the Pacific Division as late as March 14, San Jose lost six in a row in regulation, dropping the club below the Oilers and Ducks in the standings.

Entering the postseason, however, the Sharks' roster had a combined 1,169 playoff games under their belts, and it paid off in a huge road win.

"It doesn't matter what we did in March. We're here now and we're playing and that's all that matters," head coach Peter DeBoer said.

After each team recorded 10 shots in the first period, San Jose took over, winning the final shot count in dominating fashion by a total of 44-19. More importantly, the Sharks stole home-ice advantage from the Oilers, and may have reminded themselves how good they can be in the process.

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