San Jose maintained control for the entire game as they start their East Coast road trip with a bang on a 1-0 shutout victory over the New Jersey Devils.
The Sharks struck first in an unusual and fluky way, as Nico Sturm backhanded the puck from behind the Devils' net, goes off of Jake Allen, and former Shark Timo Meier knocks it in his own net for Sturm's third goal of the year. Carl Grundstrom and Henry Thrun were credited with the assists on the Sharks' opening goal in Newark Sunday evening. Fabian Zetterlund nearly made it 2-0 in the second period, however it was reviewed and determined by the officials that Zetterlund pushed Jake Allen's pad into the net when scoring and the goal was disallowed. In reality, other camera angles suggest that Zetterlund had lifted the puck up into the net and scored before pushing the pad of Jake Allen into the net. The officials saw something else, Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky couldn't challenge the ruling, and it should've counted as a good goal for the Sharks.
The biggest factor in this road trip-opening victory for Team Teal is Mackenzie Blackwood, who stopped all 44 shots he faced in only his second game against his former club to earn his first shutout of the season. This is also Blackwood's 11th shutout of his NHL career and the most saves recorded in a 1-0 shutout win in Sharks franchise history. Many of Blackwood's saves down the stretch were absolutely clutch and massive, leading to his best performance of the season. In addition, Will Smith was a healthy scratch against the Devils in New Jersey due to load management.
Overall, this is a huge win for this Sharks team, who clicked during the entirety of this game, and all they needed to seal the victory in this one was an unorthodox goal and Mackenzie Blackwood being a brick wall. Lastly, Blackwood's 44-save shutout victory was crucial in propelling my fantasy team to its second win of the season. Next up, the Sharks travel to Philadelphia to face the Flyers in the second game of a back-to-back set tomorrow at 4 pm PT.
Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App
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