The Sharks basically had the opposite of the other night as they were shut out by the Avalanche 4-0.
The first period was fairly quiet for both teams, but as the game progressed, it seemed to get further away from the Sharks. Their best scoring chance of the entire game was late in the second period when Evander Kane's shot hit the goalpost.
As for the Avalanche, Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog each recorded four points in this game. Rantanen accounted for the first and last goals of the game in the second and third periods respectively and assisted on the first two goals of the third period by Sam Girard and Gabe Landeskog. In addition to his goal in the third, Landeskog assisted the other three goals scored by the Avalanche in this game.
Another significant factor contributing to the Sharks' loss last night was Joachim Blichfeld's shoulder check to the head of Nathan MacKinnon. Blichfeld made his season debut for the Sharks in this game, and it will be best remembered by him getting a five-minute major and a match penalty for his actions against MacKinnon in the third, although I'm pretty sure the hit wasn't intentional. The severity of Nathan MacKinnon's injury after that hit is unknown at this time, and this will also play a factor in the disciplinary actions handed to Blichfeld by the NHL Department of Player Safety, which we will find out in the coming days. I would be shocked if Blichfeld doesn't get suspended at least a game or two. I also wonder whether it was a mistake for the Sharks to call up Joachim Blichfeld from the Barracuda and insert him in the lineup so soon. Hope Nathan MacKinnon isn't out for an extended period of time after that hit by Blichfeld.
Despite the losing effort, Martin Jones shouldn't be blamed for the result of last night's game, recording 34 saves and keeping the Sharks in it for a significant portion of the game. When there is a lack of offense, it becomes very difficult to win games. The Sharks' offense has been bipolar for a good chunk of this season, scoring a bunch on certain days while being absent on others. In addition, with the absence of Tomas Hertl, San Jose has been struggling in the faceoff circle during the past few games and hasn't been winning too many faceoffs.
The Sharks' record stands at 8-10-2 through 20 games this year and won't face the Avalanche again until late April when they will be playing each other for four straight games through early May. Maybe the Sharks should continue to wear their Heritage jerseys like they did on Monday for as long as possible because they seem like a good luck charm for them. In the meantime, Team Teal's next miniseries is on Friday and Saturday against the Golden Knights. Puck drop for each of their next two games is at 7:30 pm PT, and the Sharks will be wearing their Reverse Retro jerseys for the first time this weekend.
Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL app
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