SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks have created some pleasure in latest weeks, sufficient to consider that they will make a run at their first playoff look since 2019.
The Sharks hung across the Stars on Thursday, however an egregious puck-handling error by goalie Alex Nedeljkovic that led to a Dallas aim proved to be the distinction in a 5-3 loss earlier than an introduced crowd of 15,808 at SAP Middle.
The Sharks trailed by two when Macklin Celebrini received a faceoff within the Stars’ zone and later despatched a shot to the entrance of the web, the place Collin Graf scored his seventh of the season on a second effort on the 16:44 mark.
However in a second eerily just like the Sharks’ season-opening loss, Nedeljkovic, taking part in the puck behind his internet, tried to move to in entrance to Alexander Wennberg, who couldn’t react in time. The move, as a substitute, went proper to Stars winger Justin Hryckowian, who scored his fourth of the season on the 19:17 mark for a 4-2 Dallas lead.
Nedeljkovic additionally had two notable puck-handling gaffes in San Jose’s first recreation of the season on Oct. 9 in opposition to the Vegas Golden Knights. Nedeljkovic was unable to deal with a seemingly harmless dump-in by Jack Eichel that went into the Sharks’ internet, tying the sport 3-3 with 1:34 to play.
In time beyond regulation, Nedeljkovic got here far out of his internet to play a unfastened puck, however his move deflected proper to Golden Knights ahead Reilly Smith, who scored the game-winner on an empty-net.
Graf scored twice for the Sharks, each off assists from middle Celebrini, and Nedeljkovic completed with 25 saves because the Sharks had their three-game profitable streak snapped.
Igor Chernyshov assisted on Graf’s second aim on the 4:32 mark of the third interval for his second helper in two profession NHL video games.
Defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin additionally scored for the Sharks, who misplaced 4-1 to the Stars in Dallas on Dec. 5. San Jose had received 4 of 5 video games going into Thursday as they held the second wild card spot within the Western Convention.
Wyatt Johnston scored twice for the Stars (23-7-5), whose 51 factors are the second-most within the NHL, 4 factors behind the Colorado Avalanche (24-2-7).
