By Morris Phillips

SAN JOSE–The Sharks said retribution wouldn’t satisfy them as much as clinching a playoff berth on Thursday with a win against Edmonton. But their intentions and their play in the deciding second period said something else entirely.

San Jose blew a two-goal lead, as the Oilers tallied four times in the second period to take control in a 6-3 win over the Sharks. For the second consecutive home game the Sharks failed to clinch a playoff berth after missing the playoffs last season for the first time in 10 years.

The out-of-town scoreboard brought promising results as well with the Ducks and division-leading Kings losing, but the Sharks also failed to make up ground on either Pacific Division rival and remain a point behind Anaheim in the race for home-ice advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoff’s first round.

“Disappointing, considering our first period,” Coach Peter DeBoer said. “We came ready to play.”

First period goals from Tommy Wingels and Joe Pavelski had the Tank buzzing, as well as a fight between Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse and San Jose’s Michael Haley three minutes in. Both players received fighting major penalties as the Sharks sought to send a message in response to Nurse’s vicious attack on Roman Polak March 8 in which Polak’s nose was broken and his eye socket damaged by Nurse before he could even remove his gloves and mount a defense.

Nurse was suspended three games for the incident, but the Sharks maintained to the media that the only retribution they sought was a critical, late season win over the Oilers and their old coach, Todd McLellan. But that turned out to be a misleading statement as the Sharks activated bruiser Haley before the game, and sent him to the ice in search of Nurse just three minutes in.

The fight and the two Sharks’ goals had Edmonton reeling, but three goals in the first 10 minutes of the second period allowed the Oilers to take control. While Edmonton was surging, the Sharks managed to put just one shot on goal.

“There were times in the first where it was men against boys, but I thought we responded well,” McLellan said.

Edmonton came in with just 11 road victories on the season and without highly touted Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who was injured in the team’s previous game at Arizona. But second-period goals by Lauri Korpokoski, Taylor Hall, Patrick Maroon and Adam Clendening turned the tide. Clendening’s goal came just 45 seconds after Hall’s, giving Edmonton a 3-2 lead. But after Patrick Marleau’s power play goal got the Sharks even, Maroon responded with the go-ahead goal in the final two minutes of the period.

Maroon also picked up an assist in Edmonton’s outburst and Clendening’s goal was his first after 46 games without one. Jordan Erberle added an insurance goal for the Oilers, and Hall tallied again on an empty-netter in the third period.

James Reimer made 16 saves for San Jose, while Cam Talbot stopped 23 shots for Edmonton and picked up the win.

Five of San Jose’s remaining eight games are at home, beginning with a visit from the Dallas Stars on Saturday afternoon. The Sharks see the division-leading Kings for a final time on Monday. The Kings have a five-point lead on San Jose for the top spot in the Pacific.

“It’s that time of the year where you’re more concerned with the response,” DeBoer said when asked when he had last seen his club play so poorly.

Edmonton won in San Jose in regulation for the first time since January 2011, and gave McLellan his first win in San Jose as the visiting coach. While happy with the win, McLellan said it carried little extra significance.

“It wears off fairly quickly,” McLellan said when asked if there was additional satisfaction in defeating his old club. “I with my new family now.”