SAN JOSE – The San Jose Sharks roster appears to be getting youthful and fewer skilled with every passing week.
The Sharks shipped a handful of veterans to contending groups earlier than the NHL commerce deadline on March 7, and on Thursday, defenseman Luca Cagnoni made his NHL debut and goalie Georgi Romanov made his first NHL begin.
Predictably, the Sharks are going to take some lumps because of this, as a objective they allowed to Sebastian Aho on the 4:58 mark of the third interval proved to be the distinction in a 3-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes at SAP Heart.
On the profitable objective, Hurricanes ahead Jackson Blake shook off a test from Sharks rookie defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin and received the puck to Aho, who one-timed a shot previous Romanov to offer his staff a 2-1 lead.
Sean Walker added an insurance coverage objective on the 14:18 mark of the third interval for Carolina, which gained its eighth straight recreation.
William Eklund scored the lone objective for San Jose, which has now misplaced 5 of its final six. Romanov completed with 26 saves.
Eklund’s objective, his 14th of the season, got here on the 13:00 mark of the primary interval.
With the Sharks killing a hooking penalty to ahead Zack Ostapchuk, Ty Dellandrea gained a puck battle alongside the wall and received it to Eklund. He carried into the Carolina zone and fell as defenseman Brent Burns tripped him, however the puck continued to slip ahead and received previous Hurricanes goalie Frederik Andersen.
Carolina received that objective again within the second interval.
Mukhamadullin had the puck within the nook however misplaced it beneath the objective line. After the puck went off the facet of the online, Mukhamadullin tried to clear it, however despatched it to Jarvis, who beat Romanov with a shot excessive to the blocker facet.
Cagnoni confronted an enormous check Thursday as he made his NHL debut in opposition to one of many high forechecking groups within the league in Carolina. In a single sequence, after a faceoff within the Sharks’ zone, Cagnoni turned the puck over, resulting in some probabilities for the Hurricanes and a shift that lasted 2:12.
Cagnoni was second amongst all AHL defensemen this season with 47 factors in 56 video games with the Barracuda, bur merely wasn’t going to have the identical time and house he loved on the farm.
“The puck has got to move, and you’ve got to be ready to make your decision before you get the puck,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky stated about how Cagnoni wanted to strategy enjoying the Hurricanes. “Obviously, there’s going to be some adjustment period of the pace, especially against this team. But we think that’s one of (Cagnoni’s) best things he can do, is break out of puck.
“Play towards your strengths but have an understanding that the first guy’s coming and the second guy is on top. We’ve got to be ready to move pucks tonight.”
Cagnoni was recalled from the Barracuda on Tuesday after Jimmy Schuldt was returned to the AHL. Schuldt, although, was introduced again Wednesday after Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s higher physique harm flared up after apply. It’s unclear how a lot time Vlasic should miss,
Romanov’s probabilities to show himself at this degree could be valuable.
The Sharks now have simply 13 video games left this season and No. 1 Alexandar Georgiev figures to get the majority of the work, maybe beginning with Saturday’s residence recreation in opposition to the Boston Bruins.
It’s additionally attainable that Yaroslav Askarov will return to the NHL earlier than the tip of the common season. Askarov stays out with a decrease physique harm, however there’s some hope he can rejoin Barracuda practices subsequent week.
So, at the least for now, Romanov, a pending restricted free agent, figures to stay with the Sharks.
“I don’t think about contract right now,” Romanov stated Wednesday. “I need concentration on my practices, on how I work on ice, off ice, how I work, how I play, and I try to concentrate on my target, and my target right now is to show my best game, my best version.”
