The Sharks played fairly well and never trailed in this game, but couldn’t get it done in the skills competition as they dropped their last game of their current homestand 3-2.
The first period was scoreless, although the closest the Sharks came to scoring in the first was John Leonard hitting a few posts. Rudolfs Balcers scored the first goal of the game in the second period from Mario Ferraro and Brent Burns, while the Devils followed that up with one from Ryan Graves to tie it at one.
Early in the third, Jonathan Dahlen scored on the power play from Brent Burns and Nick Merkley to retake the lead for the Sharks. However, with about three minutes remaining, Janne Kuokkanen gets the game tied again for the Devils to force overtime and eventually a shootout. Logan Couture and Jesper Bratt made the first shootout attempts for the Sharks and Devils respectively, but Damon Severson's successful attempt to conclude the first round of the skills competition was the difference-maker. As a result, the Devils walk away with two points, while the Sharks only get one. I hate when games end like this and the Sharks are on the losing end of them, but at least they salvage a point in the standings every time, which is better than nothing.
Despite the loss, James Reimer had another solid performance in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots against and maintaining one of the lowest GAA of all NHL goalies this season.
As for the players and team personnel on the COVID Protocol list, the soonest they will be able to return to the lineup and regular team activities is next Saturday against the Avalanche in Colorado. They won't be able to travel with the team to their next two games in Calgary and Winnipeg due to NHL and Canadian regulations.
Speaking of their next game, the Sharks face the Flames at the Saddledome on Tuesday at 6 pm PT for their first game against a division rival this season. Hopefully San Jose can get back to their winning ways soon.
Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App
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