Sharks 2023-24 Game 23 Recap: Bruins 3, Sharks 0 (11/30/23)

 The Sharks’ road woes continue, starting their longest road trip of the season with a 3-0 shutout loss to the Boston Bruins. 

This game marked the first time the Sharks wore their teal buckets that they would normally wear at home with their road uniforms, and the teal helmets contrasting their white away jerseys is a great look. 

The first period was scoreless and pretty uneventful, while the Bruins scored twice in the second period on goals from Danton Heinen and Jake DeBrusk. Later in the second period,  tensions began to heat up between the two teams, beginning with a large scrum ensuing after Givani Smith checked Brad Marchand into the boards. Two other fights went down in the second period as well, with the first of these two putting Givani Smith against Trent Frederic and the other putting Brad Marchand against Fabian Zetterlund. After that second fight between between Marchand and Zetterlund along with Charlie McAvoy getting two minutes for boarding and Marchand getting another two minutes for roughing, the Sharks went on a two-man advantage that lasted until about a minute-and-a-half into the third period. This two-man advantage was their best opportunity to score all game, but Team Teal couldn’t find the back of the net. The Bruins capped things off a bit later in the final frame on a goal by Pavel Zacha to go up 3-0. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was solid in net against the Bruins in Boston and the primary factor keeping this game from getting completely out of hand, recording 32 saves on 35 shots against. On a more positive note, Tomas Hertl was back in the lineup for the Sharks tonight after missing their previous game against the Capitals on Monday. Hertl confirmed in a postgame press conference that the reason he was out for Monday’s game was due to him passing a kidney stone. 

The way the Sharks have begun this lengthy road trip doesn’t come as much of a surprise. They’ll have to search for their first road win of the season again tomorrow in Newark against the New Jersey Devils at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 22 Recap: Sharks 2, Capitals 1 (11/27/23)

 Team Teal wins their second straight contest and their fifth game of the season to close out their current homestand, taking down the Washington Capitals 2-1. 

The Sharks struck first in the opening period on Fabian Zetterlund’s sixth goal of the season, with the assists going to Nikita Okhotiuk and Mikael Granlund. Late in the second period, Washington evened things up on a broken play, with the tying goal being credited to Evgeny Kuznetsov. Unlike the previous time these two teams faced each other in the nation’s capital back in October, the Sharks would get the last laugh, as Luke Kunin would score the game-winner on the power play late in the third period, with assists from Justin Bailey for his first point as a Shark and Ty Emberson for points in back-to-back games. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was excellent in net and the primary factor keeping this game a low-scoring affair for the Sharks, compiling 33 saves, some of which were remarkable. 

Prior to this game, the Sharks signed forward Justin Bailey to a one-year, two-way deal and placed Filip Zadina on the IR. Bailey led the Barracuda in goals and has 11 points with the Sharks' AHL club this season, tied for second on the 'Cuda. In addition, Tomas Hertl didn't play in this one due to an undisclosed injury occurring off the ice.

Despite their overall record and place in the standings this season, the Sharks have been performing well on home ice as of late. This is a pleasant surprise and great to see from a rebuilding Team Teal that got off to a historically bad start this season through its first 11 games. The Sharks should do everything they can to keep their win streak and positive momentum going, especially heading into their longest road trip of the season consisting of their next six games. Speaking of the Sharks longest road trip of the 2023-24 campaign, it begins Thursday in Boston against the Bruins at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, San Jose Sharks PR, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 21 Recap: Sharks 4, Canucks 3 (11/25/23)

 The Sharks went toe-to-toe with the Canucks and earned their fourth and most impressive win of the season, a 4-3 victory over Vancouver. 

The Canucks nearly had the first goal of the game via Sam Lafferty, but was overturned after a successful challenge for goalie interference by David Quinn. However, the Sharks were able to seize that honor later in the first period, with Ty Emberson scoring his first NHL goal and the first goal by a Sharks defenseman this season. Assists on the Emberson goal went to Tomas Hertl and Mike Hoffman. Not long after, the Canucks scored their official first goal of the game via Filip Hronek to tie it up at one. 

Team Teal went back ahead by one on Fabian Zetterlund’s fifth goal of the year, with Tomas Hertl recording his second assist of the night. Vancouver responded before the end of the second period, with Brock Boeser scoring to even things up at two. 

The Sharks were firing on all cylinders to start the third, going up by two on goals by Mikael Granlund and Mike Hoffman. Calen Addison assisted on both third-period goals, while Mario Ferraro assisted on the first of these two and Granlund on the second of these two. In addition, these were Granlund’s first goal of the season and Hoffman’s team-leading sixth goal of the season respectively. Moments later, Elias Pettersson hip-checked Calen Addison near the boards, causing Addison to fall awkwardly onto the ice and every skater on the ice at the time to get involved in a large scuffle. After the scuffle simmered down, Matt Benning received two minutes each for roughing and cross-checking, Sam Lafferty received two minutes for roughing, and Calen Addison and Mark Friedman each received ten-minute game misconducts. With just over three minutes remaining, Brock Boeser scored his second goal of the game to put the Canucks within one, but it ended up being too little too late. In the final moments of this game, Nico Sturm had blocked a shot and headed straight for the bench in a ton of pain. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was great in net against the Canucks tonight, making a total of 30 saves on 33 shots against. 

What a win by the Sharks, especially against one of the better teams in league and a team they gave up ten goals against in their first matchup earlier this season. This is definitely one that they will look back at in awe of and build off of, especially from a confidence standpoint. Team Teal concludes its current homestand on Monday, hosting the Washington Capitals at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 20 Recap: Canadiens 3, Sharks 2 (SO) (11/24/23)

 Team Teal performed well for most of this game, but allowed the Montreal Canadiens to come back and ultimately win 3-2 in the shootout. 

The Sharks got some great scoring chances in the opening period, especially on the man advantage, but the game remained scoreless through one period of play. Team Teal capitalized early in the second period on Mike Hoffman’s fifth goal of the year from William Eklund and Tomas Hertl. They then extended their lead to two soon after on a bar-down clapper from William Eklund from the faceoff circle, with assists from Calen Addison and Tomas Hertl. Montreal was able to sneak one in before the end of the middle frame via Jonathan Kovacevic to get the Canadiens on the board. 

The wheels started to fall off a bit for the Sharks early in the third period, as a nice shot by Cole Caufield tied the game for the Habs, which would ultimately force overtime and a shootout. William Eklund and Nick Suzuki would score on the first shootout attempts for both teams, but the difference-maker would be Jesse Ylonen in round six, who would score to win it for the Canadiens. 

Mackenzie Blackwood had a solid outing on this Black Friday matinee, recording a total of 22 saves on 24 shots against. In addition, Filip Zadina exited the game after the first period due to a nagging upper-body injury. On a more positive note, this was the first game that the Sharks played all season where they outshot their opponent, with the totals being 33-24 in favor of San Jose. Prior to this game, Matt Benning was activated from the IR, while Jan Rutta was placed on the IR and is considered week-to-week. 

It sucks that the Sharks blew it in the third period and couldn’t hold on, but at least they performed a lot better than their previous game in Seattle the other night. The way games like these end make me want the NHL to abolish shootouts altogether. Also, it was great to see the Sharks honor their radio play-by-play announcer and 2023 Foster Hewitt Award winner Dan Rusanowsky in a pregame ceremony today. Next up, the Sharks return to action tomorrow night, hosting the Vancouver Canucks at 7:00 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, San Jose Sharks PR 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 19 Recap: Kraken 7, Sharks 1 (11/22/23)

 The Sharks didn’t have much to show for in Seattle on Thanksgiving Eve, getting blown out 7-1 by the Kraken. 

The Kraken got on the board first about a minute-and-a-half into the game via Brandon Tanev. Jared McCann briefly extended Seattle’s lead to two, but this second goal was overturned due to offsides. The Kraken would get their two-goal lead back via Oliver Bjorkstrand later in the opening period. Soon after, Jan Rutta was crunched into a rounded corner of the boards and didn’t return to the game, and Adam Larsson scored to give the Kraken a 3-0 lead. Seattle capped off the first period with a fourth goal, this time from Yanni Gourde. 

Mackenzie Blackwood entered the game to start the second period, subbing for Kaapo Kahkonen. Kahkonen finished his night with 13 saves on 17 shots against, all in the first period. The Kraken scored one more in the second period via Jared McCann to make it 5-0 and too big of a hole for the Sharks to climb out of. The middle frame also featured a significant tilt at center ice between Kyle Burroughs and Brandon Tanev. 

The Kraken weren’t done yet, as Eeli Tolvanen would score in the third period for Seattle’s sixth goal of the night. Late in the third, the Sharks scored their only goal of the game on Mike Hoffman’s fourth of the year from Nikita Okhotiuk and Kyle Burroughs to avoid getting completely shut out. Soon after, the Kraken included the extra point on Eeli Tolvanen’s second goal of the game to put this one away for good. 

Mackenzie Blackwood finished his night with ten saves on 13 shots against in relief for Kahkonen. In addition, Kevin Labanc is out with an upper-body injury after being slewfooted by Nils Hoglander in Vancouver the other night. 

The Sharks return home for their next three games, starting on Black Friday against the Montreal Canadiens at 12:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 18 Recap: Canucks 3, Sharks 1 (11/20/23)

 The Sharks performed much better against the Canucks this time than their previous matchup at the Tank earlier this season, but are still searching for their first road win of the season, falling 3-1 in Vancouver. 

 The Canucks began the scoring late in the second period with two goals from Quinn Hughes and Sam Lafferty, the latter being a tough last-second shorthanded goal. The Sharks almost had the first goal of the game in the middle frame by William Eklund but was overturned. On top of that, a horrible incident occurred in which Nils Hoglander slewfooted Kevin Labanc and received a match penalty for intent to injure.

Team Teal would score its only goal of the game less than a minute into the third period on a power play via Tomas Hertl from Calen Addison and Mikael Granlund. This goal moved Hertl into sole possession of 5th all-time in goals in Sharks franchise history with his 207th of his career, passing Owen Nolan. Vancouver finished things off about seven minutes later in the final frame, extending their lead to two via J.T. Miller. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was back in the crease for the Sharks, recording 34 saves on 37 shots against. In addition, Nico Sturm took a leave of absence due to a personal family matter and did not travel with the team on their brief Pacific Northwest road trip, while Jacob MacDonald was activated off the injured reserve prior to this game. 

San Jose concludes its brief two-game Pacific Northwest road trip on Wednesday in Seattle against the Kraken at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Darin Stephens via X 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 17 Recap: Sharks 5, Blues 1 (11/16/23)

 The Sharks earn their third win of the season and put up their best output on offense all season, defeating the St. Louis Blues 5-1. 

The Sharks score first early in the first period via Mike Hoffman on a great pass by Nico Sturm, with Filip Zadina recording his first assist of the season on this goal as well. The scoring didn’t stop there, as Team Teal would score the next three goals early in the second period. The first of these next three came from William Eklund deflecting a shot from Nikita Okhotiuk. The second of these three was Givani Smith’s first goal as a Shark and first goal in 39 games, becoming the 300th different goal-scorer in Sharks franchise history, with Luke Kunin and Ryan Carpenter recording the assists on the Givani Smith goal. The third of these early in the second came via Luke Kunin from Givani Smith and Ryan Carpenter, leading the Blues to pull Joel Hofer from their net in favor of Jordan Binnington. The onslaught on offense by the Sharks in the middle frame was capped off later in the period after Mike Hoffman scored his second goal of the game on a breakaway to make in 5-0 Sharks, with assists from Filip Zadina and Nikita Okhotiuk. 

The Blues’ only goal of the game came in the third period on a redirection by Pavel Buchnevich. 

Kaapo Kahkonen had his best performance in net this season, recording a total of 44 saves on 45 shots against. In addition, Kyle Burroughs and Anthony Duclair were back in the lineup tonight, while Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and Kevin Labanc were healthy scratches. 

It’s great to see the Sharks step up their offense and goaltending and put together their best performance of the season so far. They need all the positive momentum they can get, and hope the Sharks can string together a decent-sized win streak in their next stretch of games. Team Teal has the entire weekend off, which is unusual for them, and resume action on Monday on the road in Vancouver against the Canucks at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 16 Recap: Panthers 5, Sharks 3 (11/14/23)

 The Sharks played well and were neck-and-neck with the Florida Panthers in this specific matchup, but the wheels fell off in the final ten minutes as the Panthers would win 5-3. 

The Panthers opened the scoring late in the first period via Ryan Lomberg, while the Sharks responded with Mike Hoffman’s first goal as a Shark. Jan Rutta recorded his first point as a Shark with an assist on the equalizer, and Ryan Carpenter collected the other assist on this goal. Florida regained the lead more than halfway into the second period via Sam Reinhart on a power play. 

Early in the third period, Team Teal would score the next two goals via Tomas Hertl and Luke Kunin. The first of these two was on a man advantage, Mikael Granlund assisted on both of these goals, Fabian Zetterlund assisted on the first of these two by Hertl, and Danil Gushchin assisted on the second of these two by Kunin after recently getting called up from the Barracuda. The Sharks would run out of gas a few minutes after taking a 3-2 lead, as Carter Verhaeghe and Kevin Stenlund would score the next two goals to retake the lead for the Panthers once more. Sam Bennett would then score to extend the Panthers’ lead to two, only for that goal to be challenged and overturned for offsides. Florida would get its two-goal lead back, however, after Aleksander Barkov scored on the empty net with just over two minutes remaining. 

Mackenzie Blackwood had a solid performance in net against the Panthers, recording a total of 27 saves on 31 shots, including a brilliant highlight-reel stop on Evan Rodrigues in the first ten seconds of the game. In addition, in a corresponding move to Gushchin being called up from the Cuda, Oskar Lindblom was placed on the IR with a lower-body injury. 

Another major positive in the Sharks’ performance at home against the Panthers is that they weren’t significantly outshot by their opponents, unlike practically every other game they’ve played this season. Team Teal has improved in other areas of their game in this one, but they still need to play a full 60 minutes and step it up further in order to win. The Sharks conclude their brief homestand on Thursday against the St. Louis Blues at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 15 Recap: Ducks 4, Sharks 1 (11/12/23)

 The Sharks concluded their quick two-game road trip by losing 4-1 to the Anaheim Ducks. 

The Ducks struck first in the first period on a goal by Frank Vatrano, while the Sharks answered back later in the first on a gutsy goal by Luke Kunin, with great effort by Tomas Hertl to primarily set that one up. William Eklund was credited with the other assist on the Sharks’ equalizer. The Ducks regained the lead before the end of the first period after Frank Vatrano teed one up for his second goal of the game. 

No goals were scored in the middle frame, but Luke Kunin and Max Jones fought, and tempers flared between the two teams. Anaheim added two more goals early in the third via Mason McTavish and Radko Gudas, the latter of which was shot from the blue line, deflected off of the stick of Mikael Granlund, and somehow Mackenzie Blackwood didn’t see it as it skipped past him into the net. Soon after, Givani Smith and Sam Carrick would drop the gloves in response Carrick’s hit to Ryan Carpenter, and tempers would heat up further. 

Mackenzie Blackwood compiled 40 saves on 44 shots against in the Sharks second consecutive defeat. 

Anthony Duclair was out of the lineup for a second straight game due to illness. Team Teal had an extra defenseman in their lineup tonight in the form of Nikolai Knyzhov in place of Duclair. 

In other news, Sharks Radio Play-by-Play Broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky was named the recipient of this year’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and will be honored as part of the Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony tomorrow in Toronto. 

The Sharks return home for their next two games, starting on Tuesday against the Florida Panthers at 7:30 pm PT, which will be televised exclusively on ESPN+. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 14 Recap: Golden Knights 5, Sharks 0 (11/10/23)

 The Sharks have been humbled and returned to their old ways, getting shut out 5-0 by the Vegas Golden Knights. 

The Golden Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from Alex Pietrangelo and Alec Martinez. They then added on three more goals in the third period via William Karlsson, Alec Martinez, and Brett Howden to pad their lead significantly to the point of no return for Team Teal. 

Kaapo Kahkonen drew in net since the Sharks were in the second game of a back-to-back, recording a total of 34 saves on 39 shots. In addition, Anthony Duclair didn’t play in this game, as he is dealing with an illness. Oskar Lindblom took Duclair’s place in the Sharks lineup and made his first appearance in an NHL game this season. 

Overall, the Sharks receiving a reality check in this game shouldn’t come as much of a surprise considering the circumstances they faced, but at least they got their first two wins of the season out of the way. Next up, Team Teal travels to Anaheim to face the Ducks in their next game on Sunday at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, Shang Peng via X, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 13 Recap: Sharks 3, Oilers 2 (11/9/23)

 The Sharks have now won two straight games, beating a struggling Edmonton Oilers team 3-2. This also snaps a nine-game streak of being limited to two goals or fewer for Team Teal. 

The Sharks scored first late in the first period on a great goal via Fabian Zetterlund from Tomas Hertl and William Eklund. The Oilers soon evened things up at one early in the second period via Darnell Nurse. The Sharks went back ahead by one after Tomas Hertl potted his second goal of the season, with assists from Fabian Zetterlund and Nikita Okhotiuk, the latter’s first point as a Shark. Team Teal extended its lead to two early in the third period on Filip Zadina’s third goal of the season, getting assists from Nico Sturm and Ryan Carpenter. Edmonton was able to muster up one more late in the third from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, but it wasn’t enough for the Oilers to fully mount a comeback. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was simply sensational in net in the Sharks’ second win of the season, recording a total of 39 saves, some of which were huge and crucial throughout this game. Blackwood was the primary reason why the Sharks performed as well as they did tonight and held on to win. In addition, Calen Addison made his debut with the Sharks after being acquired in a trade with the Wild yesterday, and Oskar Lindblom was recalled from the Barracuda prior to this game. 

I had a gut feeling that the Sharks would completely take advantage of this struggling Oilers team and keep their positive momentum going, and that’s exactly what happened tonight. Team Teal has gotten its swagger back, and I haven’t felt this good about them all season long. Let’s see if the Sharks can keep their momentum going once more, as they travel to Vegas to face the Golden Knights in their next game tomorrow night at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL Network, ESPN, NHL App 

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Sharks Acquire Calen Addison from Minnesota Wild

 Fresh off of the Sharks earning their first win of the season, we have a trade to announce: San Jose has acquired defenseman Calen Addison from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for prospect forward Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth-round pick. 

A puck-moving defenseman has been a glaring need for the Sharks since the departure of Erik Karlsson via trade this past offseason, and Team Teal has found a solution in this trade in Calen Addison. Addison has recorded a total of five goals and 33 assists for 38 points in 92 career NHL games with the Wild, including five assists in 12 games this season, and is a pending RFA at season’s end. In addition, he was originally a 2018 second-round pick of the Penguins and has one assist in three playoff games with the Wild in 2021. 

On the other hand, Adam Raska was originally a 2020 seventh-round pick and has nine goals and 16 assists for 25 points in 110 AHL games with the Barracuda, including appearances in seven games with the Cuda this season. In addition, Raska has appeared in eight NHL games with the Sharks between 2021 and 2023 and hasn't been able to get things going at either NHL or AHL level thus far. 

Overall, this is a great trade for the Sharks, as Calen Addison will receive more ice time and opportunities with his new team and help them win more games this season and going forward. I see Addison as part of the solution for the Sharks in helping them become more competitive in the near and long-term future. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 12 Recap: Sharks 2, Flyers 1 (11/7/23)

 The Sharks finally earn their first win of the season in their 12th game of the 2023-24 campaign, beating the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. 

After starting the season with 11 straight losses and GM Mike Grier having a direct lecture with the team yesterday on how they’ve been playing, this Sharks team has never wanted a win more badly than this one. Team Teal set the tone early in this one on a quick goal by Anthony Duclair to make it 1-0 only 1:43 into the game. Kevin Labanc and Mikael Granlund picked up the assists on this opening goal. Soon after, Givani Smith and Nicolas Deslauriers dropped the gloves and fought, displaying a different and better kind of energy from the Sharks than they have all season long up until this point. 

Late in the middle frame, William Eklund scored on a 4-on-3 opportunity to give the Sharks their first two-goal lead all season, with Anthony Duclair picking up the assist on this second goal for his second point of the night. Soon after, Mackenzie Blackwood made an incredible save, only for it to get reviewed and overturned to become a good goal for the Flyers. Specifically, the officials and the situation room in Toronto determined that the puck completely crossed the goal line while Blackwood was making the unreal save, with this goal being credited to Joel Farabee. No goals were scored in the third period, but towards the final buzzer, frustrations began to mount for the Flyers, creating huge scrums in front of the Sharks' net with seconds remaining and after the game ended. The biggest penalties handed out during those scrums were game misconducts to Duclair, Scott Laughton, and Nikita Okhotiuk. 

Mackenzie Blackwood made 38 saves in his first win with the Sharks. He was simply outstanding in net against the Flyers and finally got the support from his offense that he needed badly all along. 

The Sharks finally got the monkeys off their backs, and this first win for them is such a huge joy and relief. It's also great seeing William Eklund further develop into a star at the NHL level and Anthony Duclair find his groove with the Sharks. Now let's plan the parade! 

Hopefully the Sharks can carry this momentum and string together at least a few more wins. They host the struggling Edmonton Oilers in their next game on Thursday at 7:30 pm PT to close out their current homestand. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 11 Recap: Penguins 10, Sharks 2 (11/4/23)

 The Sharks have tied the NHL record for the most losses to start a season and given up ten goals in two straight games in a 10-2 blowout by the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

I would normally go into a bit more detail covering Sharks games, but I didn't watch this game since I was attending a different sporting event, and I hate the way the Sharks are playing right now. The Penguins struck first on two goals by Reilly Smith in the first period. Pittsburgh followed these up in the second period with two from Jake Guentzel and Vinnie Hinostroza before Anthony Duclair scored to put the Sharks on the board. Tomas Hertl and Jacob MacDonald assisted on the first of the two Sharks goals in this game. The Pens then added three more goals in the second period from Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, and Matt Nieto, along with three more in the third period from Bryan Rust, Evgeni Malkin, and Jake Guentzel. Jacob MacDonald scored the second Sharks goal, with assists from Tomas Hertl and Anthony Duclair. 

Mackenzie Blackwood made 12 saves and gave up six goals before Magnus Chrona took over in net and made his NHL debut, making 13 saves and giving up four goals. Chrona was recently called up from the Barracuda after Kaapo Kahkonen was still recovering from Andrei Kuzmenko accidentally colliding with him after scoring in the Sharks' game against the Canucks on Thursday. 

We might be witnessing one of the worst teams in NHL history right here. This Sharks team might not win a game at all this season. Due to the absence of Logan Couture and his timetable to return from injury still unknown, no other player on the Sharks has stepped up in a leadership role. They look lifeless out there every game and seem like a glorified AHL team. I don't know how much more of this I can take. 

Team Teal hosts the Philadelphia Flyers in their next game on Tuesday at 7:30 pm PT. 

Source: NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 10 Recap: Canucks 10, Sharks 1 (11/2/23)

 The Vancouver Canucks continue their surprisingly torrid start to the 2023-24 season as they dismantle the Sharks 10-1.

The Canucks scored two quick goals by Brock Boeser and J.T. Miller after Nico Sturm took a double-minor for high-sticking, which ended up being a very costly penalty for Team Teal. Vancouver proceeded to score two more in the first period via Quinn Hughes and Brock Boeser’s second of the game to dig a deeper hole for the Sharks. 

Vancouver wasn’t done yet, extending its lead to five early in the second period via Ilya Mikheyev and to six later on in the middle frame via Andrei Kuzmenko. In addition, right after Kuzmenko scored, his thigh made contact with Kaapo Kahkonen’s head accidentally. Kahkonen was pulled at that point but luckily is okay, with Mackenzie Blackwood taking over for the Sharks in net. Blackwood then gave up two more in the second period on a wraparound goal by Sam Lafferty and a one-timer by Pius Suter to make it 8-0 in favor of the Canucks. Luke Kunin and Phil Di Giuseppe also got in a relatively small scrap as well. 

The Canucks added the cherry on top of this completely lopsided beatdown in the third period after Anthony Beauvillier scored twice to make it 10-0. Later in the third, the Sharks out of nowhere avoided their worst shutout in franchise history after Fabian Zetterlund finally got Team Teal on the board, with Luke Kunin and Kevin Labanc collecting the assists on San Jose’s lone goal of the game. 

Kaapo Kahkonen recorded 13 saves before getting subbed by Mackenzie Blackwood in the middle frame, recording ten saves during the remainder of the game. On a side note, Nikita Okhotiuk made his Sharks debut tonight, while Jacob MacDonald made his season debut after being recently activated off the IR. Matt Benning was placed on IR with a lower-body injury in a corresponding move as the injuries continue to pile up for Team Teal. 

The Sharks have officially hit rock bottom, but it seems like they have yet to truly hit rock bottom this season. Otherwise I am at a loss for words. The only way can be up from here, as the Sharks will try to bounce back in their next game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, ESPN, NHL App 

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