Sharks 2021-22 Game 13 Recap: Jets 4, Sharks 1 (11/11/21)

 The Jets scored four unanswered goals as the Sharks dropped their season series finale to Winnipeg 4-1. 

The Sharks scored the first goal of the game in the first period via Andrew Cogliano from Brent Burns for Cogliano's second goal of the season. This also marks Burnzie's eighth assist in the past six games for Team Teal. 

However, it all went downhill from there. Winnipeg's four unanswered goals came in this order: Kyle Connor's game-tying goal in the first period, Nate Schmidt's go-ahead goal in the second, one by Jansen Harkins to go up by two, and the empty-net dagger by Pierre-Luc Dubois in the final minute of the third. 

In addition, there were a fair share of missed calls throughout the game that didn't go the Sharks' way. 

It wasn't James Reimer's best performance in net against the Jets, as he made 30 saves and gave up three goals in the mostly-lopsided loss. 

Fortunately, the Sharks will have everyone who was on COVID protocol for the past few weeks back in the lineup for their next game in Colorado against the Avalanche. With that being said, there will be some tough roster decisions ahead for San Jose that will need to be sorted out soon. Speaking of the Sharks' next game in Colorado, it will be on Saturday at 6 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 12 Recap: Sharks 4, Flames 1 (11/9/21)

 The Sharks began their second road trip of the season with a bang, as they got a huge win over the Calgary Flames 4-1 in their first game against a Pacific Division opponent this season. 

The production on offense didn't begin until early in the middle frame when Alexander Barabanov scored on what appeared to be a breakaway to put the Sharks on the board first, with Brent Burns and Adin Hill assisting on the play. Burnzie made a beautiful cross-ice pass to set up Barabanov for the first goal. The Flames soon tied it on a controversial goal credited to Andrew Mangiapane, which was initially reviewed by the league and then challenged by the Sharks for goaltender interference. The game-tying goal stood and San Jose was given a minor penalty for delay of game. Apparently the league has forgotten what goaltender interference is. 

Early in the third period, Nikita Zadorov laid a big hit on Alexander Barabanov, in which Zadorov's elbow made contact with Barabanov's head. There was no call on the hit, but it could've been much worse as Barabanov was able to get up from the collision. It is very possible that there could be a hearing from the NHL Department of Player Safety soon regarding that incident. 

Following that hit, Logan Couture scored the go-ahead goal in what would be the game-winner for the Sharks. His shot had deflected off Nikita Zadorov's stick and went past Jacob Markstrom to retake the lead. In the process, Santeri Hatakka registered his first NHL point, and Nicolas Meloche getting his first point of the season. Team Teal topped off its winning efforts with two empty-netters from Tomas Hertl and Jonathan Dahlen in the final minute of this game. On the first empty-netter by Hertl, Brent Burns and Adin Hill each picked up their second assist of the night. 

Adin Hill had a phenomenal performance in net, recording 37 saves and two assists. Hill becomes the second goalie in Sharks history besides Vesa Toskala to record two assists in a game and the fifth goalie in NHL history to record two assists and 37+ saves in a game. 

As for the Sharks players that were in COVID protocol, none of them traveled with the team to Calgary or plan to do so to Winnipeg either. Five of those players (Nieto, Labanc, Meier, Vlasic, Simek) participated in morning skate in San Jose on Monday, while the other two (Karlsson, Middleton) began skating yesterday. All seven are on track to rejoin the lineup for Saturday's game in Colorado. 

Overall, this is a huge statement win over a Flames team that has been playing incredibly well this season. In addition, the Sharks are undefeated when playing in Canada this season so far. Let's see if they can keep that going when they face the Jets in Winnipeg on Thursday at 5 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 11 Recap: Devils 3, Sharks 2 (SO) (11/6/21)

 The Sharks played fairly well and never trailed in this game, but couldn’t get it done in the skills competition as they dropped their last game of their current homestand 3-2. 

The first period was scoreless, although the closest the Sharks came to scoring in the first was John Leonard hitting a few posts. Rudolfs Balcers scored the first goal of the game in the second period from Mario Ferraro and Brent Burns, while the Devils followed that up with one from Ryan Graves to tie it at one. 

Early in the third, Jonathan Dahlen scored on the power play from Brent Burns and Nick Merkley to retake the lead for the Sharks. However, with about three minutes remaining, Janne Kuokkanen gets the game tied again for the Devils to force overtime and eventually a shootout. Logan Couture and Jesper Bratt made the first shootout attempts for the Sharks and Devils respectively, but Damon Severson's successful attempt to conclude the first round of the skills competition was the difference-maker. As a result, the Devils walk away with two points, while the Sharks only get one. I hate when games end like this and the Sharks are on the losing end of them, but at least they salvage a point in the standings every time, which is better than nothing. 

Despite the loss, James Reimer had another solid performance in net, stopping 26 of 28 shots against and maintaining one of the lowest GAA of all NHL goalies this season. 

As for the players and team personnel on the COVID Protocol list, the soonest they will be able to return to the lineup and regular team activities is next Saturday against the Avalanche in Colorado. They won't be able to travel with the team to their next two games in Calgary and Winnipeg due to NHL and Canadian regulations. 

Speaking of their next game, the Sharks face the Flames at the Saddledome on Tuesday at 6 pm PT for their first game against a division rival this season. Hopefully San Jose can get back to their winning ways soon. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks Reassign William Eklund to Djurgardens IF in Sweden

 The Sharks announced yesterday that they are sending William Eklund back to Sweden to the junior team he previously played for, Djurgardens IF, for the remainder of this season.

Before this was announced, William Eklund recorded four assists and two penalty minutes in nine games for the Sharks this season. 

Like many of the fans, Eklund himself, and his teammates, I am upset with this move and feel like Eklund belongs with the Sharks and in the NHL since he has a ton of upside and potential. However, sending him back to Sweden for the rest of this season is intended to aid in his long-term development. I also heard that Djurgardens isn’t very good this year, but once he gets comfortable being back in Sweden, he will tear up the SHL on offense for sure.

It may hurt the Sharks in the short term, but after this brief stint in Sweden, William Eklund will return to the Sharks better, stronger, and hungrier than ever. 

Sources: Sheng Peng via Twitter, Sharks + SAP Center App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 10 Recap: Blues 5, Sharks 3 (11/4/21)

 The Sharks were in it the entire game, but some careless mistakes cost them as they fall to the St. Louis Blues 5-3 to snap their two-game win streak. 

Much of this game was a back-and-forth scoring affair, especially in the first half of this game. It first began with Brent Burns scoring his first goal of the season on a 5-on-3 opportunity, getting assists from Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. The Blues followed that up on Brandon Saad's first goal of the game to tie it at one. The Sharks then retook the lead via Logan Couture while shorthanded to make it 2-1 Sharks, with the only helper on that play coming from Rudolfs Balcers. Couture also had to briefly exit the game at one point after going hard into the boards and taking a stick to the face.

Early in the second, the Blues tied it again, this time from Pavel Buchnevich. In a matter of seconds, the Sharks retook the lead 3-2 on Nick Merkley's first goal as a Shark, which was deflected off a shot from Mario Ferraro at the point. Brent Burns was also credited with an apple on Nick Merkley's first goal as a Shark. Later on in the second, the Blues scored both the game-tying and go-ahead goals via Brandon Saad's second of the game and James Neal's second of the season. A few of the goals that the Blues scored in this game were soft, and Adin Hill admitted that he wanted those soft goals back. 

Lastly, Robert Thomas scored on the empty net in the final minute of regulation to seal the deal for St. Louis. 

Besides the few softies he allowed, Adin Hill could've performed better in net, making a total of 23 saves on the night. There were also times in this game when the Sharks' defense was lackluster and the young players' inexperience was exposed. Also keep in mind that the Sharks still had seven regular roster players, their head coach, and a few other team personnel in COVID protocol, which certainly didn't help the team's chances. This loss isn't entirely the Sharks' fault either, as the Blues are off to a hot start this season and are playing very well lately. 

A few  noteworthy storylines I want to discuss here as well: the Sharks haven't yet confirmed what they plan to do with William Eklund as he has no goals and a few assists through ten games in his rookie campaign. Eklund's fellow teammates have praised him so far and stated that he belongs in the NHL and with the Sharks, and I totally agree with them. There has also been some speculation that the Sharks could potentially send Eklund back to Sweden so he can further develop as a player, and that would be a big mistake as that would set him back rather than improve his game. I believe in Eklund as much as anyone around the Sharks does, and that it will be a matter of time before he scores his first NHL goal. 

The next storyline involves the Jack Eichel sweepstakes. There have been rumors of the possibility that the Sharks could land the superstar center from the Sabres, but those rumors were never that serious and San Jose was never a finalist in the sweepstakes either. The Sabres ultimately dealt Jack Eichel and a 2023 third-rounder to the rival Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-rounder, and a 2023 third-rounder. I'm glad that Jack Eichel is out of Buffalo as his relationship with the Sabres is severed to the point of no return. In addition, Eichel is able to have the type of surgery that he wanted done, but his recovery is expected to take roughly four months. However, as a Sharks fan, I don't think too highly of this trade as they will now be facing him more in the near future. Most importantly, once everyone on the Golden Knights is back in the lineup and healthy, they are expected to be a scary good team and will make life more difficult for Team Teal.

In general, I wasn't too pleased with how this game went for the Sharks. They have an opportunity to rebound tomorrow when they host the New Jersey Devils to close out their current homestand at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

Sharks 2021-22 Game 9 Recap: Sharks 5, Sabres 3 (11/2/21)

 The Sharks continue to face more adversity and find ways to win as they take down the Buffalo Sabres 5-3 in arguably their biggest win of the season. 

Before discussing the Sharks' unbelievable win over the Sabres, the increased adversity originated from leading scorer Timo Meier and lead trainer Ray Tufts being added to COVID protocol. On the bright side, Jonathan Dahlen has been released from COVID protocol and rejoined the Sharks roster yesterday afternoon. In addition, Joel Kellman and Artemi Kniazev were recalled from the Barracuda prior to last night's game.

Now onto the game itself: First things first, I should mention that there were just over 10,000 in attendance at the Tank, which is far from a sellout. I understand several reasons why this was the case, but with the way this game went, it deserved to have more butts in the seats. The man who most recently returned from COVID protocol, Jonathan Dahlen, puts the Sharks on the board first with his fourth goal of the season, with assists from William Eklund and Brent Burns. Soon after, Jeff Skinner scores a big one for the Sabres to tie it up at one. Later on in the first, the Sharks regain the lead on Ryan Merkley's first NHL goal, getting helpers from Alexander Barabanov and Tomas Hertl. Ryan Merkley's mom and sisters were in attendance to witness his first NHL goal. 

The second period saw Tomas Hertl score his first goal of the game, getting an assist from Rudolfs Balcers to extend the Sharks' lead to two. Buffalo then got within one via Drake Caggiula. In addition, Santeri Hatakka left the bench and headed into the dressing room with an undisclosed injury and did not return to the game. 

In the first half of the third period, Mario Ferraro scores his first goal of the season to get the Sharks back to a two-goal lead, getting assists from Nick Merkley and Jasper Weatherby. About five minutes later, Tomas Hertl scores an absolute beauty for his second goal of the game for the Sharks' biggest lead of the night, with apples from Rudolfs Balcers and Mario Ferraro. With around two minutes remaining, Jeff Skinner scores his second goal of the game to get the Sabres back within two, but it wasn't enough as the Sharks prevail yet again while having several players and team personnel on COVID protocol and new faces from the Barracuda. 

James Reimer got the start in net and was solid yet again, stopping 25 of 28 shots against. 

Since this game was televised only on ESPN+, I listened to the game on the Sharks Audio Network alongside watching the Atlanta Braves clinch their first World Series in 26 years in a 7-0 shutout win in Game 6 over the Houston Astros. Back to the Sharks-Sabres game, the Sharks pulled off another incredible, unbelievable victory in the most unlikely of circumstances. This Sharks team continues to amaze me as this season progresses. Tomas Hertl needs to be signed to a long-term extension as soon as possible. 

San Jose has improved its record to 6-3-0. Last season, it took 24 games for the Sharks to get to six wins, and I love that it has now taken less that half that amount of games to reach that mark. Team Teal's next game is tomorrow, hosting the St. Louis Blues at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: Sharks Audio Network, NHL App

Sharks/Fantasy News & Notes (11/1/21)

 There is one significant update involving the Sharks worth mentioning before their next game tomorrow, and I completed my third week of the current fantasy hockey season. Let’s get into them: 

• Update from Saturday's game vs. the Jets: Logan Couture is feeling well and back in the lineup ahead of Tuesday's game vs. the Sabres. In addition, Andrew Cogliano has returned to the Sharks roster from COVID protocol this morning. However, Kevin Labanc is now the latest from the Sharks to join the six other players (Dahlen, Karlsson, Vlasic, Simek, Middleton, Nieto) and head coach Bob Boughner still in COVID protocol. This is great news for Cooch and Cogs but unfortunate for Labanc and everyone else still in COVID protocol. Hopefully no one else from the Sharks gets added to COVID protocol and those who are still in COVID protocol can return soon. 

•  My third week of my second season of fantasy hockey is officially in the books, with my team defeating Hertl Power 252.80 to 214.90 for my second-straight win. My team's top performers were Blake Coleman, TJ Oshie before he got injured, Juuse Saros, and Chris Kreider. I have now moved into seventh place in my fantasy league, which puts me in playoff position. On the other hand, after having to move TJ Oshie to the IR, I added Frank Vatrano to my roster. This week, I face PDX Sharks, and as I am writing this, my team is trailing by 1.25 points. Luckily this is only the beginning of Week 4 as I expect to gain a lot more points throughout the rest of the week. 

Stay tuned to CPF Hockey for more Sharks and fantasy updates. 

Sources: Kevin Kurz & Sheng Peng via Twitter, Yahoo Fantasy Sports