Sharks 2023-24 Game 37 Recap: Avalanche 3, Sharks 1 (12/31/23)

 The Sharks close out the 2023 calendar year with a 3-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche, their eighth loss in a row. 

The Avalanche scored first in the opening period via Mikko Rantanen on the power play, while the Sharks evened it up at one via Tomas Hertl in his 700th NHL game from Mikael Granlund and Calen Addison. About midway through the first period Mario Ferraro was hit hard by Nathan MacKinnon and didn’t return to the game due to an upper-body injury. In unsurprising fashion, the Avalanche would score the next two goals in the third period via Val Nichushkin and Josh Manson to prevail 3-1. 

Kaapo Kahkonen had a decent performance in net, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win, recording 30 saves on 32 shots against. In addition, Ty Emberson was activated off of the IR and back in the lineup, taking the place of Kyle Burroughs, and Magnus Chrona was reassigned to the Barracuda. 

Overall, a better overall effort from this Sharks team in Denver than in their past several games, but still not enough scoring chances and not a winning style of hockey. Team Teal returns home for their next three games to start the 2024 calendar year, starting on Tuesday against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 pm PT. 

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

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 36 Recap: Oilers 5, Sharks 0 (12/28/23)

 The Sharks remain in Christmas vacation mode as they get shut out 5-0 by the Edmonton Oilers to extend their skid to seven games. 

 The Oilers got off to a fast start, with Ryan McLeod scoring one minute into this game to get on the board first. Edmonton added on three more goals in the first period from Zach Hyman, Evan Bouchard, and Leon Draisaitl, along with one in the second period from Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. 

Magnus Chrona was thrown into a tough situation in his first career NHL start tonight, recording eight saves on 12 shots against before Kaapo Kahkonen took over in net to begin the second period. Kahkonen finished the night with 17 saves on 18 shots against in relief for Chrona. In addition, Ryan Carpenter was activated off the IR, while Givani Smith was placed on the IR. 

Team Teal is back to early-season mode, having little to show for on offense and completely leaving Magnus Chrona out to dry in his first NHL start. Based on their upcoming schedule, there seems to be no relief in sight for this Sharks team anytime soon. San Jose closes out the 2023 calendar year against the Colorado Avalanche in Denver for the second time this season on New Year’s Eve Sunday at 5 pm PT. 

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

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 35 Recap: Kings 5, Sharks 1 (12/27/23)

 Team Teal showed up in the first period, but disappeared the rest of this game as the Los Angeles Kings took care of business for a second consecutive matchup with a score of 5-1. 

The Sharks struck first in the opening period when Fabian Zetterlund scored on a breakaway for his tenth goal of the season. Early in the second period, two bad turnovers by the Sharks led to the Kings scoring two quick goals from Kevin Fiala and Trevor Lewis to gain their first lead of the night. Later in the middle frame, the Kings extended their lead to two via Pierre-Luc Dubois. 

LA put the nail in the coffin in the third period after Adrian Kempe scored twice to put the Kings up by four. In addition, Luke Kunin and Alex Lafferiere scrapped after Kunin laid a hit on Arthur Kaliyev, sending Kaliyev uncomfortably into the boards and Kaliyev slow to get up. Kunin won the tilt, while Laferriere received an additional two-minute roughing penalty on top of his five-minute fighting major. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was back in net for the Sharks, recording 38 saves on 43 shots against. Although this stat line wasn’t great, Kahkonen made some highlight-reel stops against the Kings in LA. On the other hand, Mackenzie Blackwood was sidelined with an illness, resulting in the Sharks calling up Magnus Chrona from the Barracuda. In a corresponding move, Jacob MacDonald was transferred to the injured reserve. 

The primary factors that doomed the Sharks in this one were the costly turnovers and the fact that they generally struggle to generate scoring chances against some of the top teams in the NHL. Team Teal returns home tomorrow to host the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 34 Recap: Canucks 7, Sharks 4 (12/23/23)

 The Sharks and Canucks scored in every period of this one, but Team Teal was chasing from the get-go as they fell 7-4 in their final game before the Christmas break in Vancouver. 

Andrei Kuzmenko scored the first two goals to start this one off for the Canucks, while the Sharks answered with two of their own from Mikael Granlund and Tomas Hertl to even it up through one period of play. The first Sharks goal initially went to Anthony Duclair but was changed to Granlund’s goal after Granlund got a piece of it before finding the back of the net, with Duclair getting the primary assist instead. Filip Zadina was credited with the primary assist on the second of these two goals, while Mario Ferraro assisted on both Sharks goals in the first period. 

The Canucks regained their two-goal lead in the second period on goals from Nils Aman and Sam Lafferty. The Sharks had another response, this time with Fabian Zetterlund’s ninth goal of the season to get back within one, with Mario Ferraro earning his third assist of the night and Mikael Granlund getting the secondary assist on the third Sharks goal in this one. Vancouver remained in control, with Dakota Joshua scoring to make it 5-3 through two periods of play. 

Team Teal would add one more goal in the third period via Jacob MacDonald from Filip Zadina and Jan Rutta, while the Canucks added two more goals via Pius Suter and an empty-netter from Quinn Hughes to round out the season series between these two teams. 

Mackenzie Blackwood recorded a total of 19 saves on 25 shots against in the Sharks’ fifth straight defeat. 

In all, the Sharks’ offensive output improved compared to their previous four games, but this team is back to their old ways, and a few big reasons for this are due to the injury bug, poor puck management, and not-so-great coverage on defense. They resume action on Wednesday in LA against the Kings at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 33 Recap: Coyotes 5, Sharks 2 (12/21/23)

 The Sharks get dismantled by the Arizona Coyotes again, this time on home ice by a score of 5-2. 

The scoring began in the second period as the Coyotes got on the board first via Michael Kesselring, followed by Anthony Duclair from Fabian Zetterlund to end Duclair’s six-game goal drought to tie it at one. Arizona added two more goals later in the second period via Clayton Keller and Alex Kerfoot to go up by two through 40 minutes of play. Givani Smith left the game during the first period and didn't return after getting pummeled by Matt Dumba in an open-ice hit. 

The Sharks scored their second goal of the game less than 30 seconds into the third period via Filip Zadina from Mario Ferraro and William Eklund to get within one, only for the Coyotes to score the following two from Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse.

Mackenzie Blackwood received the nod in net for Team Teal, compiling 25 saves on 30 shots against. In addition, Alexander Barabanov didn't play in this one, as he was dealing with an illness.

Team Teal generated plenty of chances on offense throughout the game, but couldn't capitalize on most of them. This has often been the theme during this current four-game skid for the Sharks. Next up, the Sharks travel to Vancouver to face the Canucks in their final game before the Christmas break on Saturday at 7 pm PT. 

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

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 32 Recap: Kings 4, Sharks 1 (12/19/23)

 The Sharks didn’t stand much of a chance against one of their So Cal rivals, falling to the LA Kings 4-1. 

The Kings were in complete control from the get-go, scoring once late in the first period via Anze Kopitar on the power play and twice early in the second period via Trevor Moore and Alex Laferriere. Late in the third period, Trevor Lewis potted an empty-net shorthanded goal to put the Kings up by four. The Sharks responded with their only goal of the game via Jacob MacDonald from Kevin Labanc and Filip Zadina to at least avoid getting completely shut out, but it was too little too late. 

Kaapo Kahkonen finished his night with 33 saves on 36 shots against. In other news, Oskar Lindblom was recently activated from the IR and reassigned to the Barracuda, while former Sharks goalie Aaron Dell signed with the Carolina Hurricanes on a professional tryout. 

Team Teal put up a stinker in practically every area of their game tonight, and didn’t have much to show for against the Kings, who have the best road record in the NHL this season, winning 13 of their first 15 road games. Next up, the Sharks host the Arizona Coyotes in their final home game before the Christmas break on Thursday at 7:30 pm PT, which will also be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, ESPN, San Jose Sharks PR, NHL Discussion via Instagram, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 31 Recap: Avalanche 6, Sharks 2 (12/17/23)

 Team Teal didn’t have much of a chance against the Colorado Avalanche tonight, losing 6-2 to close out their brief two-game road trip. 

This game got underway by Jacob MacDonald receiving a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for boarding Sam Melinski, in which Melinski was in an awkward position, drew blood, and was slow to get up, ending MacDonald’s night. This ensuing five-minute power play for the Avalanche set up Val Nichushkin to score the first goal of the game for Colorado. The Avs added two more goals later in the first period via Mikko Rantanen on their second power play opportunity and Miles Wood to go up by three through one period of play. 

The Avalanche continued scoring early in the second period, extending their lead to four by none other than Nathan MacKinnon. The Sharks got on the board soon after on their power play, as Tomas Hertl deflected a shot from Mikael Granlund to cut Team Teal’s deficit to three. Alexander Barabanov collected the secondary assist on this goal. On the other hand, Calen Addison exited the game after the end of the second period due to a lower-body injury. 

Things picked back up in the third period, as Ryan Johansson scored on an unlucky bounce to make it 5-1 Avs, while Tomas Hertl responded with his second goal of the night and team-leading 11th goal of the season to get the Sharks back in it, with William Eklund and Mikael Granlund recording the assists on Hertl’s second goal of the game. Later in the third period, Nathan MacKinnon put this one away for good with an empty-netter for his second goal and fourth point of the night. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was back in net for the Sharks tonight, recording 23 saves on 28 shots against. In addition, Anthony Duclair was a healthy scratch ahead of this game, primarily because Head Coach David Quinn didn’t like some aspects of his performance in the Sharks’ shutout loss to the Coyotes in Arizona on Friday, and Jack Studnicka made his Sharks debut against the Avs tonight after being acquired from the Canucks in a trade on Friday. 

It’s possible that the Sharks’ magic from their recent stretch of games may have ran out for the time being. It was going to be tough for the Sharks to pull off any sort of win against a great Avalanche team in Denver. Next up, the Sharks return home for their next two games, starting on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Kings at 7:30 pm PT, which can be streamed exclusively on ESPN+. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, San Jose Mercury News 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 30 Recap: Coyotes 1, Sharks 0 (12/15/23)

 The Sharks took a step back and had two game-tying goals disallowed in a 1-0 shutout loss to the Arizona Coyotes. 

The Coyotes struck first in the second period via Mattias Maccelli in what would end up being the only goal scored and needed to win this contest for Arizona. The Sharks made efforts to tie this game in the third period and almost did so twice, the first time by Mikael Granlund and the second time by William Eklund, but both goals were overturned due to offsides and goaltending interference respectively. A combination of bad luck and not enough coordination by Team Teal. 

Kaapo Kahkonen had another quality start in net, but his offense couldn’t bail him out, recording 23 saves on 24 shots against. 

Prior to this game, Nico Sturm was placed on the IR with a mid-body injury and didn’t travel with the Sharks on their current two-game road trip. In a corresponding move, the Sharks acquired center Jack Studnicka from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for defenseman Nick Cicek and a 2024 sixth-round pick. Studnicka will be joining the Sharks on their current road trip ahead of their next game on Sunday and was added to their roster. He is a 24-year-old two-way center who has one goal in five games with the Canucks along with one goal and six assists for seven points in nine games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season. In total, Studnicka has six goals and ten assists for 16 points in 90 career NHL games with the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks, along with five Stanley Cup playoff games. In addition, Studnicka has 35 goals and 68 assists for 103 points in 126 AHL games with the Providence Bruins and Abbotsford Canucks, and was named to the AHL All-Star Game and AHL All-Rookie Team during the 2019-20 season. 

On the other hand, Cicek had a brief stint at the NHL level with the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, recording four assists in 16 games. In addition, Cicek has a total of seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 108 AHL games with the Barracuda after joining the Sharks organization on an AHL contract for the 2021-22 season. Overall, this trade is a solid and necessary one, especially with injuries piling up for the Sharks and concerns that Nico Sturm could miss a significant amount of time, leaving the Sharks’ center depth pretty thin. 

The Sharks conclude their current brief road trip on Sunday in Denver against the Colorado Avalanche at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App, Sharks + SAP Center App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 29 Recap: Sharks 2, Jets 1 (12/12/23)

 Team Teal returned home from their longest road trip of the season and took care of business against Winnipeg Jets, prevailing 2-1. 

The Sharks struck first in the opening period on Justin Bailey’s first goal as a Shark and first NHL goal since 2018, with assists from Mike Hoffman and Jan Rutta. The Jets responded later in the opening period via former Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon to tie it up at one. Late in the third period, William Eklund would score the game-winner on the power play for his seventh goal of the season, with Mikael Granlund and Anthony Duclair getting the assists on the game-winning goal. Granlund’s primary assist extends his point streak to six games. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was fantastic in net, recording 36 saves on 37 shots against in the victory. In addition, the Sharks’ penalty kill came up huge tonight when it needed to.

Prior to this game, Luke Kunin was activated off of the IR, while Matt Benning was placed on the IR. In other news, Tomas Hertl was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for last week, recording five goals and one assist for six points in three games, including a hat trick against the Islanders last Tuesday. 

With this win tonight, the Sharks are now seven points out of a playoff spot and continue to exceed expectations and perform well, which are always great things to see. Team Teal hits the road again for their next two games, starting on Friday in Tempe against the Arizona Coyotes at 6 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, Multiple sources via X, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 28 Recap: Golden Knights 5, Sharks 4 (SO) (12/10/23)

 Team Teal displayed its resilience and came back late in this game once again, but they fell just short in the shootout as the Vegas Golden Knights would take this one 5-4 to close out the Sharks’ longest road trip of the season. 

The Sharks got things going almost immediately, scoring the first goal 29 seconds in on Mario Ferraro’s first goal of the season, with assists from Kyle Burroughs and Mikael Granlund. The Golden Knights jumped ahead in the second period on goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Chandler Stephenson. Anthony Duclair was upended in his jaw in the first period by Keegan Kolesar, resulting in Duclair leaving the game and being unable to return. 

The Knights extended their lead to two early in the third period via Brayden McNabb, while the Sharks responded soon after on the power play via Mike Hoffman’s seventh goal of the season, with assists from Mikael Granlund and Kaapo Kahkonen. Later in the third period, Vegas went back up by two on Jonathan Marchessault’s second goal of the game, while the Sharks stormed back with two goals from Calen Addison and Mike Hoffman to tie it at four to force bonus hockey. The first goal of these last two was Addison’s first as a Shark, with assists from Justin Bailey and Filip Zadina. The equalizer by Hoffman was his second goal of the game and assisted by Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. There was a minor delay after the game-tying goal, as the NHL officially reviewed the play for a hand pass, but the goal stood and the review was a waste of time. 

The deciding factor in this game came down to the shootout, in which Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault made their attempts with ease to win it for the Golden Knights. 

Kaapo Kahkonen recorded a total of 23 saves on 27 shots against in the skills competition defeat. On the other hand, Henry Thrun was recalled from the Barracuda yesterday, while William Eklund was out due to a lower-body injury, and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic was out due to personal reasons. 

Team Teal had outperformed their expectations and had an excellent road trip to their standards, finishing these past six games with a 3-2-1 record. This didn't end they way they would've wanted it to, but it's a stretch of games that they will build off of and look back on as a defining moment of the 2023-24 campaign. The Sharks return home on Tuesday to host the Winnipeg Jets at 7:30 pm PT before hitting the road again for a few more games. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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I Attended My First Local Junior Hockey Games in Almost Five Years

 Over the past few days, I attended two of my local junior hockey team's games, who played a three-game series at a downtown arena that they only play a few games at every season. My local junior team is known as the Monsters, and they hosted their southern rivals known as the Roughnecks in one of their biggest series of the season. The last time I was at the downtown arena for a Monsters game was almost five years ago when the Stanley Cup was in the building. I was at the games they played in this series on Thursday and Saturday; both games had similar atmospheres and slightly different results, but were nothing short of exciting. Let's dive into them: 

 

The first game on Thursday had some folks in attendance, most of which appeared to be families of players on the ice, and both teams wearing their standard home and away uniforms. The Monsters' uniforms in this game look like potential alternate uniforms the Dallas Stars would wear, while the away uniforms of the Roughnecks in this one reminded me of the Edmonton Oilers' Reverse Retro 1.0 uniforms. The atmosphere is more intimate at these games compared to those of NHL games, but the vibes at live hockey games are simply unmatched. I saw a handful of folks repping the Sharks and some other NHL teams scattered here and there, and this was more so the case at the game on Saturday as well. The barn is definitely showing its age, and I understand why it isn't used that often for events anymore, but games that take place at this arena are always enjoyable and carry a greater importance and nostalgia effect compared to the rink that they normally play their games at. The Monsters won the first game of this series 3-0, scoring one goal in every period. 

The second game had the teams wear different uniforms than each of their previous two games in this series, drew more of a crowd than the first game on Thursday, and featured a spectacle that is often an integral part of minor league hockey during the holiday season: the teddy bear toss. Before finding my seat inside the arena, I had to purchase a collectible puck to add to my puck collection, which I felt was absolutely worth it. The Monsters wore detailed winter holiday-themed uniforms that looked cool, while the Roughnecks wore bright orange and yellow gradient uniforms with graphics of oil derricks across the bottoms of their jerseys. The latter uniforms had a great attention to detail, but I have seen better. Some stuffed animals went flying onto the ice during this teddy bear toss, but not in the hundreds or even thousands like with some minor league teams. I sat on one side of the ice at the beginning of the game briefly before I spotted a few of my buddies across the ice and had to go meet up with them. From that point, I spent the rest of the game with my buddies, who were sitting behind the Roughnecks' bench chirping them all night long while they were a few drinks deep. 

The Monsters won the third and final game in this series in dominant fashion with a score of 8-1 to take two of three games. The Monsters scored once early in the first period, two in the second period, and erupted for five more goals in the third period. The Roughnecks only managed one goal in the second period. Another major factor in this game compared to the first one on Thursday was its overall physicality. Tensions were higher between the two teams in the third game of this series, featuring harder hits and a few fights. The Roughnecks' coaches praised my buddies for their chirping throughout the game, which almost got out of hand at one time. At that one time, security ushers were headed towards me and my buddies to kick us out of the game, but those officials were only motioning for at least one other fan who did something a bit more extreme, and all was good. In all, the second game of this series that I attended on Saturday was pure pandemonium. 

In conclusion, these may not have been games involving two NHL-affiliated clubs, but they were a ton of fun, and I would want to attend more of these games in the future more often, especially if there is a major promotion or it becomes difficult for me to travel out of town to attend an NHL game. I highly recommend that anyone reading this post who has a chance to watch their local hockey team play in person do so, no matter what level they are, because it is some of the most fun you will ever have at any entertainment venue. You'll thank me later. 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 27 Recap: Sharks 6, Red Wings 5 (OT) (12/7/23)

 A second period completely out of left field and further resilience by the Sharks propels them to a 6-5 historic overtime victory over the Red Wings in Detroit for their second straight come-from-behind victory. 

Although the first period was scoreless, the Sharks had some great scoring opportunities, especially on the power play, but couldn’t find the back of the net. However, the Red Wings broke the ice at around the nine-minute mark of the second period via Klim Kostin to get the first goal of the game. Detroit extended its lead to four a few minutes later on two quick goals by Michael Rasmussen and another by Lucas Raymond. At this point, things began to unravel so fast for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood was pulled from the Sharks net in favor of Kaapo Kahkonen, and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic received a two-minute minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. However, these circumstances would spark another huge comeback for Team Teal, scoring two shorthanded goals from Tomas Hertl and Fabian Zetterlund on that penalty kill, their first two shorties of the season, followed by Nico Sturm’s first two goals of the season to tie the game at four to close out an epic and unbelievable second period. William Eklund, Jan Rutta, and Mikael Granlund collected assists on the two shorthanded goals by Hertl and Zetterlund, while Marc-Eduoard Vlasic, Kyle Burroughs, Justin Bailey, and Kevin Labanc assisted on the two goals by Sturm. This Sharks-Red Wings game is only the second game in NHL history to feature six goals scored in 3:01 or less, and that second period was the first eight-goal period the Sharks have been involved in since March 1999. 

Late in the third period, Dylan Larkin would score to put the Red Wings back on top, which appeared to be the game-winner until the Sharks responded on Tomas Hertl's second goal of the game with about a minute-and-a-half remaining in regulation to even it up at five, with assists from Mikael Granlund and  Alexander Barabanov. Mikael Granlund would score the overtime winner 37 seconds into the OT period for his third goal of the season and third point of the night, with Fabian Zetterlund tallying the lone assist on the Granlund OT winner. This marks the first time the Sharks have earned consecutive comeback wins with a deficit of three or more goals in franchise history.

Mackenzie Blackwood recorded 16 saves and gave up four goals before his night ended, while Kaapo Kahkonen recorded ten saves and gave up one goal in relief for Blackwood. One of the biggest headlines heading into this match-up was Patrick Kane making his Red Wings debut, but that was quickly overshadowed by the absolute insanity that was the second period and the Sharks' incredible comeback from a four-goal deficit. 

The Sharks are on a heater right now and have proven that they are capable of amazing things. If they can keep up their current level of play, they might just enter themselves into the playoff discussion. I haven't felt this great about this Sharks team for much of the season, and I may start getting delusional if they continue their massive comeback wins and put up more dominant victories. Team Teal closes out its longest road trip of the season on Sunday in Vegas against the Golden Knights at 7 pm PT. 

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

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 26 Recap: Sharks 5, Islanders 4 (OT) (12/5/23)

 The Sharks completed a huge comeback against the other New York team on the road, winning 5-4 in overtime. 

 This was simply incredible. Team Teal has been stepping up their game as of late, and it’s starting to pay off big time. First off, the Islanders began the scoring nearly halfway through the opening period via Julien Gauthier before Tomas Hertl would notch his first goal of the game to even it up at one through one period of play, with Anthony Duclair getting the lone assist on this equalizer. 

The Islanders then scored the next three goals via Brock Nelson in the second period and Mike Reilly and Ryan Pulock in the third period to take a 4-1 lead until roughly the midway point of the third period. This would be when the Sharks began their comeback efforts, starting with Kevin Labanc's first goal of the season, with the lone assist on that goal going to Nikita Okhotiuk. This was followed up by Tomas Hertl scoring the next two goals late in the third period to complete the hat trick and tie it up at four to force overtime. Assists went to Mikael Granlund and William Eklund on Hertl's second of the game and Eklund and Alexander Barabanov on Hertl's hat trick goal, marking the sixth hat trick of Tomas Hertl's NHL career. Only Jonathan Cheechoo has more hat tricks than Hertl in Sharks franchise history with nine. This comeback effort by the Sharks in the third period would ultimately lead up to William Eklund scoring the overtime game-winner and the biggest goal of his NHL career so far with five seconds remaining in the OT period. Mikael Granlund picked up the only assist on the Eklund OT GWG.

Kaapo Kahkonen was in net for the Sharks against the Islanders and had another quality start, collecting a total of 35 saves on 39 shots against. In other news, Sharks prospects Will Smith and Eric Pohlkamp were named to the preliminary roster of the U.S. National Team ahead of the IIHF World Junior Tournament later this month along with Sharks prospect Jake Furlong receiving an invitation to Team Canada's World Junior selection camp. Prior to this game, Ryan Carpenter became the latest addition to the Sharks injured reserve. 

In all, this now tops their most recent matchup against the Canucks at home on November 25 as the Sharks' biggest and best win of the season thus far. This rendition of Team Teal has become more exciting and competitive recently, and are looking and feeling more like an average team than a true bottom-feeder. Next up, San Jose travels to Detroit to face the Red Wings on Thursday at 4 pm PT.

Sources: San Jose Sharks PR, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 25 Recap: Rangers 6, Sharks 5 (12/3/24)

 The Sharks displayed great effort and resilience against the Rangers in New York, but the Rangers gained the upper hand and prevailed 6-5. 

Early in the first period, a cross-ice saucer pass from Kyle Burroughs set up Anthony Duclair to score his sixth goal of the season on the breakaway to put the Sharks on the board. Later in the opening period, Artemi Panarin scored scored on the power play to even things up at one. Soon after, the Sharks went back up by one via Ryan Carpenter’s first goal of the season from Jan Rutta, followed up by Artemi Panarin’s second goal of the game to tie it at two. The Rangers would then grab their first lead of the game via Mika Zibanejad to give the Rangers a 3-2 lead before the end of the first period. 

The Sharks evened it up at three in the second period on the man advantage via Jacob MacDonald from Kevin Labanc and Mike Hoffman. Before that, Mikael Granlund had a few great scoring chances, but Jonathan Quick made a sprawling stop and Granlund couldn’t get a grip on the puck after taking a few more whacks at the net. Mackenzie Blackwood made an incredible save on Alexis Lafreniere’s penalty shot, which was awarded to Lafreniere after Matt Benning took him down on his way to the net. Later in the middle frame, the Rangers went ahead 4-3 via Will Cuylle. 

In the third period, it was all downhill from there for the Sharks for a bit, with Artemi Panarin scoring his third goal of the game and completing the hat trick along with K’Andre Miller scoring to give the Rangers a three-goal lead. However, the Sharks remained resilient, scoring the next two goals late in the third period on Fabian Zetterlund’s seventh goal of the season from Mikael Granlund and Anthony Duclair, and Alexander Barabanov’s first goal of the season from Calen Addison and Tomas Hertl to get the Sharks back within one. Although the Sharks showed tremendous effort late in the third, these last two goals were simply not enough as the Rangers held on to win 6-5 and retain the best record in the NHL. 

Mackenzie Blackwood was back in net for Team Teal, recording 30 saves on 36 shots against. Prior to this game, the Sharks activated Alexander Barabanov and Jan Rutta off of the IR and placed Nico Sturm and Ty Emberson on the IR with lower-body injuries. In addition, Nikolai Knyzhov was placed on waivers yesterday, cleared waivers, and was re-assigned to the Barracuda in the AHL. 

The Sharks face the other New York team, the Islanders, at UBS Arena in their next game on Tuesday at 4:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks 2023-24 Game 24 Recap: Sharks 6, Devils 3 (12/1/23)

 San Jose earns its first road win of the season against a banged-up New Jersey Devils team, prevailing in this one 6-3.

The Sharks struck first early in the opening period on Jacob MacDonald’s first goal of the game from Mario Ferraro and Ty Emberson. Later in the opening period, the Devils would even things up on a goal that was first credited to Timo Meier but was later credited to Dawson Mercer. Team Teal then went up by two in the second period on Jacob MacDonald’s second goal of the game from Matt Benning and Justin Bailey and Anthony Duclair’s fourth goal of the year from Mikael Granlund.

The Devils would get back within one early in the third period via Jack Hughes to make it 3-2. A few minutes later, Anthony Duclair scored his second goal of the game to regain the Sharks’ two-goal lead, with Mikael Granlund earning his second assist of the night. Later in the final frame, Ondrej Palat would score to get the Devils back within one again, only for the Sharks to finish things off by scoring the next two goals via Mikael Granlund and an empty-netter from William Eklund, with Ryan Carpenter and Tomas Hertl assisting on the latter of these two. 

Kaapo Kahkonen received the nod in net in the second game of this back-to-back road set for the Sharks, recording 44 saves on 47 shots against. In addition, Luke Kunin was held out from this game due to an upper-body injury. 

The Sharks have finally overcome their road demons this season, and hopefully it stays this way for good. It’s also crazy to think that the Sharks have more regulation wins than the Canadiens, Maple Leafs, Blackhawks, and Kraken, especially considering how Team Teal’s season has gone thus far and the loftier expectations for these other teams this season. Next up, the Sharks will travel to Madison Square Garden in New York to face the Rangers on Sunday at 3 pm PT. 

Sources: NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via X, Rogers Sportsnet Canada 

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