SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks took a step in the suitable course effort-wise Saturday evening after two disappointing performances earlier within the week.
It wasn’t sufficient to stop their eleventh loss of their final 13 video games.
William Eklund scored his ninth purpose of the season within the second interval, however the Sharks couldn’t generate some other offense in a 3-1 loss to goalie Marc-Andre Fleury and the Minnesota Wild at SAP Heart.
The Sharks allowed even-strength objectives to Marco Rossi within the first interval and Matt Boldy within the second interval and couldn’t get better. The Sharks additionally allowed an empty-net purpose to Mats Zuccarello with 1:17 left in regulation time, simply after goalie Yaroslav Askarov vacated the web, as they fell to 2-3-0 this month after ending December with a 2-10-1 document.
“I thought we competed hard, worked hard, did some really good things,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. “Did some good things and some things we’ve got to get better at.”
On Boldy’s purpose on the 4:34 mark of the second interval, Sharks rookie ahead Will Smith did not get the puck deep after taking a cross from Jake Walman. That prevented Henry Thrun from getting off the ice and left an enormous hole as after the turnover, Boldy streaked into the Sharks zone and fired a shot that beat goalie Yaroslav Askarov for his sixteenth purpose of the season.
Fleury, who was possible beginning his final sport at SAP Heart after a 21-year NHL profession, was sensational at instances, with 28 saves by the primary two durations. The 40-year-old Fleury is anticipated to retire on the finish of the season, and never too quickly for the Sharks, who’ve managed to beat the long run Corridor of Fame goalie simply 9 instances in 29 video games since 2003.
Fleury completed with 36 saves and Askarov had 18 as his document with the Sharks this season fell to 3-3-2.
“It was a lot of chances we could have scored today,” Eklund mentioned. “I think we had a lot of grade-A chances. We’ve got to find a way to score more goals here. We haven’t done that lately.”
The Sharks, who misplaced to the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Membership, will now start a five-game highway journey, beginning with a sport towards the Detroit Crimson Wings on Tuesday.
The Sharks had been notably sad with Friday’s effort in Salt Lake Metropolis, as they managed a season-low 19 pictures on purpose and allowed a late purpose after a defensive breakdown in a 2-1 loss on the Delta Heart.
“We didn’t have any energy last night,” Warsofsky mentioned Saturday morning, “so I hope we have a lot of energy tonight.”
The Sharks had their ft shifting within the first interval, a minimum of greater than they did Friday, and put 16 pictures on Fleury, however nonetheless trailed 1-0 after 20 minutes.
Lower than six minutes into the primary interval, the Wild had been in a position to cleanly break the puck out of their very own zone, as Boldy chipped it previous a pinching Jan Rutta. Mats Zuccarello managed the puck and carried it into the Sharks’ zone earlier than he feathered a cross to a streaking Rossi, who had crushed Eklund up the ice.
Rossi then went forehand to backhand to beat Askarov for his sixteenth purpose of the season on the 5:51 mark of the primary interval.
The re-formed line of Eklund, Tyler Toffoli, and Macklin Celebrini mixed for 3 pictures on internet and a few scoring probabilities within the first interval. Toffoli, specifically, had a few high quality seems however got here up empty-handed.
The Sharks entered Saturday with simply 25 objectives of their final 12 video games, a 2.08 purpose per sport common that was the bottom within the NHL since Dec. 13. Walman, who leads all Sharks defensemen with 26 factors in 32 video games, was out for eight of these video games, as he sustained a lower-body damage on Dec. 21 towards the Edmonton Oilers.
Initially Printed: January 11, 2025 at 9:33 PM PST
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