It looks like the Edmonton Oilers are going to need a bigger boat.

Any notion that their first round Shark hunt would be quick and decisive was put to rest Wednesday night in a 3-2 overtime loss that was about as convincing and one-sided as any overtime loss can possibly be.

Overwhelmed and outshot 34-9 over the final 43:22 of Game 1, the Oilers learned their first painful lesson in playoff hockey: the regular season means nothing now.

“They were just in the Stanley Cup final a year ago and they played like a team that knows how to get back there,” said Oilers centre Mark Letestu, after the Oilers spent Thursday’s brief practice patching some newly-discovered holes in their hull. “They stuck to their system, they played a strong game, they didn’t get rattled when they got down two goals. It’s something we can take from them.

“They played like the more experienced team. But we’ll get there. It’s a lesson learned. We’ll get there.”

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