In the afterglow of the Canucks' 4-3 win over San Jose on Saturday, Kevin Bieksa said, "I knew we were going to play a good game. We always get up for the good teams."

Now, this will hardly come as a blinding revelation to the faithful. For the Canucks, the San Joses and Bostons of the world are never the problem. In the regular season, at least.

But it's the flip side of Bieksa's statement — call it the Bieksa Corollary — which is the concern for Canucks' followers. Tuesday night, the Canucks weren't playing one of the NHL's good teams. They were, in fact, playing one of the NHL's lousier teams, the Edmonton Oilers, who sat 14th in the Western Conference, a mere 22 points behind the Canucks going into the final game before the all-star break.

Unfortunately, most everyone who took in the affair knew what that meant.

"I know we're ahead of them in the standings, but it's never an easy game against Edmonton," said Alex Edler, the newly minted shootout specialist, following the Canucks' 3-2 shootout win. "They've got a lot of young, skilled guys you have to watch out for. We knew it was going to be a tough game and we're happy with the two points."

Which, one supposes, is the bottom line to this night. But there's still something confounding about the Canucks' ability to look so good against a team like the Sharks and so average against the Oilers.

As Edler suggests, it wasn't that his colleagues were flat-out awful in this one. But neither were they fully engaged for the entire 60 minutes and it would cost them. They got the start they wanted with Daniel Sedin scoring a beauty and looked poised to break it open on a couple of occasions.

But the young Oil also had something to say about this. Yes, they received some breaks in the form of four goalposts hit by the Canucks — it sounded like the climax of Tubular Bells behind Oilers goalie Devan Dubnyk — but they also worked like fiends over the game's entirety and were the better team over the first two periods.

The Canucks would up the ante over the final 20 minutes and took a lead on David Booth's third goal in as many games. They were also close to blowing it open a couple of times, but the Oilers would tie it on the mandatory third-period power play for whoever's trailing and that set the stage for extra fun.

Overtime featured 11 shots on goal, eight by the Canucks, and was highlighted by one sequence in which Bieksa fell down in his own end, forcing Roberto Luongo to make his best save of the night, off Taylor Hall, before a Henrik Sedin-led counterattack ended with Daniel, Henrik and Sami Salo trying to shoot the puck through a dog-pile of four Oilers who'd crammed themselves into the crease around Dubnyk.

It kind of looked like a fraternity prank. How many Oilers can you fit into a net? But it was also indicative of a night when the Oil were doing anything and everything to hang with the Presidents' Trophy winners.

"I think you give them credit," said Bieksa. "We liked our game tonight. We played pretty consistent and we didn't give them a whole lot. To win those close games is huge for us.

"We weren't getting frustrated even when they tied the game. We felt we were still in control and still confident."

OK, that's not exactly what the video showed, but the Canucks persevered in shootout with Luongo stopping four of five and Edler and Cody Hodgson scoring for the Canucks.

Edler was the surprise leadoff hitter in the shootout.

"I knew when Kevin got a shot, it must be my turn," Edler said, referring to Bieksa's ill-fated attempt against Tampa Bay two weeks ago.

Edler was asked about his history in shootouts.

"I started off good, but it was downhill from there. This was my last chance."

OK, in the end it was the kind of night where they could tell jokes, and the Canucks now head into the break leading their division comfortably and sitting second in the West.

Following the all-star break, they also open with games against Chicago and Detroit. No worries there. But you should know they have the Oilers two more times and Columbus once more.

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

RATE THE CANUCKS: Rate the players in Tuesday night's game