The Sharks had a brief lead in the first period, but things went completely off the rails for them from there in a 7-2 blowout loss to the Florida Panthers.
The Panthers struck first early in the first period on a slapshot by Nate Schmidt, while the Sharks responded soon after with two goals in a span of 32 seconds to take the lead. The first Sharks goal came on a deflection by Cody Ceci on a shot from Jake Walman for Ceci’s fourth goal of the year, while the go-ahead goal was scored by Will Smith for his eighth goal of the season, assisted by Mario Ferraro and Fabian Zetterlund. Later in the first period, the Panthers tied the game at two via Sam Bennett. This equalizer was challenged by the Sharks for potential goalie interference, but it ultimately stood as a good goal. It wasn’t long before Florida would retake its lead, this time via Aaron Ekblad to make it 3-2 before the end of the first period.
Early in the second period, Florida extended its lead to two via AJ Greer. This resulted in the Sharks pulling Alexandar Georgiev in net and inserting Yaroslav Askarov, with Georgiev finishing his night with 11 saves on 15 shots against. After the goaltending change, the Panthers proceeded to score its fourth unanswered goal via Matthew Tkachuk to make it a three-goal contest. Later in the second period, Jesper Boqvist and Sam Reinhart each scored to make it six unanswered goals and a five-goal lead for the Panthers. Luckily the third period had calmed down and the Sharks did not dig themselves a deeper hole after the first two periods, but the damage had already been done by the Panthers.
Yaroslav Askarov recorded 13 saves on 16 shots against in relief of Georgiev. In addition, yesterday the Sharks placed Ty Dellandrea on IR, recalled Scott Sabourin from the Barracuda, and reassigned Collin Graf to the Barracuda. On top of that, San Jose signed Colin White to a one-year, $850k NHL contract, who had 5 goals and 5 assists in 20 games for the Barracuda this season.
This is now the fourth consecutive game in which the Sharks have allowed at least five goals from their opponents. Team Teal’s offense has recovered some during this stretch, but their defense has remained practically nonexistent. Something has to give for this Sharks team to recover from their current slump, but I wouldn’t be surprised if much of this trend continues for much of the remainder of this season. The Sharks conclude their current three-game homestand on Monday, when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 pm PT.
Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, San Jose Sharks PR, Curtis Pashelka via X
Discover your next favorite outfit at the CPF Store! With our wide selection of stylish and comfortable clothing, you can express your unique style while feeling amazing. Shop now and elevate your wardrobe with the latest trends and timeless classics. Don't miss out - embrace fashion that speaks to you at the CPF Store by clicking the link here: CPF Store
No comments:
Post a Comment