The Sharks dropped their series opener in Minnesota against the Wild 4-1 last night.
This wasn't a terrible loss, but the main reason why this game got away from the Sharks was that they couldn't get their top six forwards going on offense.
San Jose gave up the first goal of the game in the first period to Joel Eriksson Ek to put the Wild on the board first. The Sharks later tied the game on Matt Nieto's first goal of the season and first goal with the Sharks since February 16, 2016 vs. the Lightning. Erik Karlsson and Patrick Marleau were credited with the assists on the Nieto goal. Other than this goal, Team Teal wasn't able to generate much offense and get pucks in the net.
Minnesota took the lead in the second period by Zach Parise scoring off a rebound. This game didn't feel like a 4-1 loss for the Sharks, but the Wild added two empty-netters late in the third, explaining the end result. The Sharks are now one of only two teams in the NHL this season yet to record a regulation or overtime win, with the other team being the Boston Bruins.
There weren't any changes to the Sharks' lineup from their previous game except for Devan Dubnyk starting in goal against his former team. Despite the loss, Dubnyk performed great, recording a .926 save percentage and stopping 25 of 27 shots from the Wild.
Although this game didn't end the way it should've, Erik Karlsson continued to play well on both sides of the puck. The third and fourth lines also performed well and had a lot of chemistry together. Ryan Donato played his hardest and had plenty of opportunities against his former team, but came up short every time.
On a side note, Kirill Kaprizov is looking like an early favorite for the Calder Trophy and has been impressive in his rookie campaign so far.
The Sharks are now 2-3-0 through five games in the 2021 season and remain stuck at four points in the West Division standings. They will complete their first two-game series against the Wild in Minnesota on Sunday at 5 pm PT.
In other news, it has been reported that Jumbo Joe suffered a rib fracture and will miss at least four weeks with the Maple Leafs.
Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN
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