The San Jose Sharks have already got another level in three video games this season than they did by way of their first 11 video games of final 12 months.
Nevertheless it’s simple to inform the revamped Sharks do not need a lot use for ethical victories.
Expectations are larger this season with a deeper ahead group and protection corps, and the Sharks, with a bit extra success on the facility play, may simply have 5 factors as a substitute of the 2 they’ve going into their sport in opposition to Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.
The Sharks, at 5-on-5, performed their greatest third interval of the younger season Tuesday in opposition to the Stanley Cup-contending Dallas Stars, creating a number of high-danger probabilities. However the Sharks went 0-for-3 on the facility play, together with a dismal efficiency on a vital 5-on-3 early within the third interval.
That was expensive, as Mackenzie Blackwood made 36 saves by way of three intervals and extra time however didn’t have a solution for the Stars within the shootout, because the Sharks misplaced 3-2 at American Airways Middle.
Ty Dellandrea scored in his return to Dallas, and Tyler Toffoli added his second of the season for the Sharks, who’ve factors in two of three video games after beginning final season 0-10-1. However that was of little comfort to this 12 months’s Sharks crew after a 3rd straight loss – by a mixed 4 objectives — to start out the 12 months.
The Sharks misplaced 5-4 in extra time to the St. Louis Blues on Oct. 10 and 2-0 to the Anaheim Geese on Saturday.
“(Scoring was) something I really wanted to do, but it really doesn’t matter. We’ve got to get wins and find ways to close out games,” Dellandrea mentioned. “We had looks in the third. We had chances.
“We need to get on the gas in the third period a bit more instead of sitting back. I thought we did a better job of that tonight versus (the Ducks on Saturday), but it’s still something we’ve got to improve on.”
An influence-play objective in opposition to the Geese and one on Tuesday, and the Sharks are in all probability 2-0-1 proper now. They’re now 1-for-8 with the person benefit this 12 months.
“I mean, our power play sucks,” Toffoli advised reporters postgame. “That’s pretty straight-up there.”
“I think everyone’s a little frustrated, a little somber,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. ”However we’ve obtained to maneuver ahead.”
Takeaways from Tuesday’s loss:
GRANLUND LEADS THE WAY: Middle Mikael Granlund didn’t discover the scoresheet Tuesday evening however was in any other case everywhere in the ice, doing issues huge and small to attempt to assist the Sharks earn a victory.
Granlund led all Sharks forwards with 23:40 in ice time on Tuesday as he, Toffoli and William Eklund mixed for 11 of the Sharks’ 27 pictures on objective. He additionally led all Sharks forwards in mixed particular groups time and took 21 faceoffs, 9 greater than Alexander Wennberg, who had the second most.
Granlund additionally drew a penalty, the primary of two Dallas took early within the third interval. He has to take some possession of the Sharks’ energy play failures. Nonetheless, past that, he’s probably been every part Warsofsky had hoped for when he moved him into the top-line heart position after Macklin Celebrini (decrease physique) went on injured reserve.
The Granlund-Toffoli-Eklund line, per Pure Stat Trick, out-chanced its opposition at even power Tuesday 8-3.
Granlund must be a lock for Workforce Finland on the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. Full rosters must be finalized in December.
SPEAKING OF WHICH: Ought to Blackwood’s identify be talked about extra on the subject of being certainly one of Canada’s three goalies for the 4 Nations occasion, which additionally has the USA and Sweden?
Blackwood deserves kudos for his .899 save share final season, as he confronted extra pictures per sport (31.4) than another No. 1 goalie within the NHL. Now, after two video games wherein he’s been peppered much more (39 pictures per sport), he’s at a decent .910 save share.
It’s value noting that Blackwood’s efficiency Tuesday, which included a breakaway cease on Evgenii Dadonov with the sport tied within the third interval, got here in entrance of Stars common supervisor Jim Nill, who’s Workforce Canada’s assistant GM for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Different Canadian goalie potentialities embody Utah’s Connor Ingram, New Jersey’s Jake Allen, Montreal’s Sam Montembeault, Vegas’ Adin Hill, and St. Louis’ Jordan Binnington
“I thought, as a whole, we had a pretty good game tonight. Right in there right until the very end. Got a point,” Blackwood mentioned. “Obviously, we want to come away with a win, but we’re building the right way. A step in the right direction.”
A SMITH QUESTION: A part of it may be circumstantial, however Will Smith’s ice time went within the mistaken route Tuesday.
After averaging 13:23 in ice time and 17.5 shifts in his first two NHL video games, Smith had 10:10 in ice time in 15 shifts in opposition to the Stars. Smith didn’t have a shot on web and was listed as having one giveaway and shedding all six of his faceoffs.
Smith, usually on the second power-play unit, had simply 33 seconds of power-play time as the primary unit stayed on the ice for a lot of the 4:24 the Sharks had with the person benefit.
Some bumps within the highway had been to be anticipated for the 19-year-old Smith early in his NHL profession. The query is, what does Warsofsky do about it proper now?
Keep the course, and perhaps let Smith proceed to study from this as a second-line heart (a tall process for any younger participant). Or does he perhaps transfer Smith to the wing and let Wennberg take over second-line heart duties for a bit? Wennberg was the Seattle Kraken’s second-line heart for many of final season.
After Eklund struggled to supply as a middle halfway by way of final season, he was moved to the wing, the place he has far more success.
Maybe shifting Smith to the wing for now will assist unlock his offensive sport after he went with out a level, with 4 pictures, within the first three video games. However the Sharks additionally need to present religion within the 2023 fourth total choose who had 71 factors in 41 video games for Boston School final season. What do they do?
Initially Printed: October 15, 2024 at 11:15 p.m.
