Sharks 2021-22 Game 57 Recap: Sharks 4, Kings 3 (OT) (3/10/22)

 The Sharks get a statement win for the first time in what seems like forever as they take care of the LA Kings 4-3 in overtime. 

This game was highlighted by a few aspects that propelled the Sharks. Zach Sawchenko earned his first NHL win, and Erik Karlsson made his return from left forearm surgery and made an immediate impact with two assists and improved coverage on the power play. I'll get to the most meaningful one in a bit. 

First, Brent Burns lights the lamp on the power play within the first few minutes to get the Sharks on the board. Besides the EK65 assist, Logan Couture picked up the secondary assist on the first goal. A few minutes later, the Kings gained their first lead of the night on goals from Philip Danault and Andreas Athanasiou, which both came seconds apart. 

Halfway through the second period, Trevor Moore extends the Kings' lead to two while shorthanded. LA's two-goal lead didn't last for long as Nick Bonino pokes one in on the man advantage, getting assists from Jonathan Dahlen and Jake Middleton. Early in the third, Alexander Barabanov redirected a pass from Erik Karlsson to tie the game at three to eventually force OT. Tomas Hertl was credited with the other assist on the Barbs game-tying goal. Speaking of Tomas Hertl, he scored the game-winner in overtime by faking out Jonathan Quick, creating a wide-open net, and burying it on the wraparound attempt for his first goal since late January. Some will say this boosted Hertl's trade value ahead of the trade deadline in a few weeks, while others will make the case that this gives the Sharks more reason to keep him around. 

In addition, the fact that Tomas Hertl was heated after taking a questionable tripping penalty late in the third fired him up even more to score the game-winner in OT and his first goal since late January.

Along with his first NHL win, Zach Sawchenko recorded 33 saves on 36 shots against. 

This is a big and much-needed win by the Sharks, especially after their recent struggles. San Jose has also dominated the Kings in recent years and are looking to continue that on Saturday when these two teams face each other again, this time at SAP Center, at 6:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App