Sharks 2022-23 Game 10 Recap: Sharks 4, Maple Leafs 3 (OT) (10/27/22)

 The Sharks get the job done in overtime for their third win and first home win of the season, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3. 

The third win is the charm, carrying a lot of significance and importance for this Sharks team. Team Teal got going early in this one, specifically 20 seconds in, with Logan Couture’s first goal of the game. Matt Nieto and Alexander Barabanov were credited with the assists on the Sharks’ and Captain Couch’s first goal of the game. About five minutes later, the Leafs tied things up on a goal from David Kampf to make it 1-1 through one period of play. 

The Sharks score their next two goals in the second period, both on the power play and between the five- and six-minute marks. The first of the two was Logan Couture's second goal of the game, and the second of the two was initially scored as Couture's third goal of the game to give him a hat trick, but Timo Meier last touched it before the puck found the back of the net, making it his first of the season. Hats had flown onto the ice before the scoring change was made. Erik Karlsson picked up two assists on the two Sharks power play goals, while Alexander Barabanov picked up his second assist of the game on the first power play goal. Logan Couture's second goal of the game also marked his 300th career NHL goal. Late in the second period, the Leafs narrowed their deficit to one before the second intermission via Mitch Marner. 

Early in the third period, the Sharks lost their lead again as Auston Matthews tied the game at three on the power play. This forced overtime, where Erik Karlsson scores the game-winner almost a minute into bonus hockey on the breakaway. Timo Meier picked up the assist on the OT GWG for his second point of the night. EK65 currently leads the league in overtime goals with two and leads the Sharks in points with nine. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was solid in net and received the necessary production from his offense to earn the win, recording 22 saves. 

It may not have seemed like it at times, but this was a great game and great effort from the Sharks, especially with Erik Karlsson and Logan Couture carrying the offense with three points each and Timo Meier getting the monkey off his back by finding the back of the net for the first time this season. Next up, the Sharks face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday, with an afternoon start time of 1:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 9 Recap: Golden Knights 4, Sharks 2 (10/25/22)

 The Sharks showed hope during parts of this game, but they ultimately got off to a slow start and collapsed in the third period as they drop their first meeting with the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2. 

The biggest highlight from this game that overshadows every other aspect of this game is the Golden Knights’ Phil Kessel breaking the NHL’s all-time Ironman Streak record, skating in his 990th consecutive game. In addition, Phil Kessel scored the first goal of the game in the first period, marking his 400th career NHL goal. Luckily things didn’t get completely out of hand for the Sharks in the first period, but they were outshot and created quite a few turnovers. 

The Sharks haven't played well during most second periods this season but have certainly showed up during the second period more recently. They tied the game early in the middle frame on a redirect by Nico Sturm for his team-leading fourth goal of the season, with assists from Kevin Labanc and Evgeny Svechnikov. Towards the end of the second period, Matt Nieto scored his first goal of the season on a breakaway chance to give the Sharks their first lead of the night, with Tomas Hertl sending a great pass to Nieto to set up this incredible goal. 

Things were looking great through two periods until they let this one slip away in the third, allowing the Knights to score three unanswered goals via Shea Theodore early in the final frame and William Karlsson and Mark Stone late in the period. This was a winnable game for the Sharks, but they didn't show up for a full 60 minutes and allowed a worn-out Golden Knights team that was skating in the second game of a back-to-back set to take advantage of them. 

James Reimer was decent in net, recording 27 saves, but his offense and defense left him out to dry at times during this game. 

This wasn't a great game from the Sharks perspective but an important and significant one from a historical perspective, mainly for Phil Kessel, the Golden Knights, and the NHL as a whole. At least one other team is doing worse than the Sharks right now, and that would be the Vancouver Canucks, who are still looking for their first win of the season. Team Teal will try to regroup and get their act together in their next game on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: ESPN, Sharks Audio Network, NHL App

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 8 Recap: Sharks 3, Flyers 0 (10/23/22)

 The Sharks close out their current East Coast road trip and earn their second win of the season by shutting out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0 Sunday night. 

Pretty much everything went right for the Sharks against the Flyers in Philadelphia. Every aspect of the Sharks stepped up, and most importantly, they had a great second period. Speaking of the second period, the Flyers though they had the first goal of the game via Joel Farabee, but the Sharks challenged it and the goal was successfully overturned due to the Flyers going offside in the process. Soon after, Erik Karlsson scored the official first goal of the game for the Sharks, with assists from Tomas Hertl and Alexander Barabanov. Late in the third, The Sharks extended their lead to two on a tip-in by Steven Lorentz for his first goal in teal. Jaycob Megna made the initial shot from long distance that set up Lorentz to tip it in. Matt Nieto also assisted on the second Sharks goal by Lorentz. 

This marks the first time the Sharks had a lead heading into the third period. Nico Sturm topped this off with an empty-netter late in the third period for a 3-0 lead, with assists from Logan Couture and Luke Kunin. This is also the first game this season where the Sharks scored a third-period goal and three goals in regulation. 

James Reimer had his best performance of the season in net so far, recording 30 saves and a shutout against the Flyers. 

In addition, the Sharks' final game of this current road trip was Oskar Lindblom's return to Wells Fargo Center to face his former team, where he received a well-deserved standing ovation from the Philly crowd. Nick Bonino was held out of this game and is considered day-to-day due to an upper-body injury. 

This was an excellent showing from the Sharks, with James Reimer putting the team on his back to get the job done and end the four-game road trip on a high note. The Sharks begin a six-game homestand on Tuesday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 7 Recap: Devils 2, Sharks 1 (10/22/22)

 The Sharks go back to their losing ways, falling 2-1 to the New Jersey Devils Saturday morning/afternoon. 

The first period was pretty uneventful, but things began to pick up in the second period. Nico Hischier and the Devils thought they had the first goal of the game, but it was overturned because Hischier made a distinct kicking motion while scoring that supposed goal. The Sharks caught a break there, but it was only a matter of time before the Devils redeemed themselves and scored the actual first goal of the game via Yegor Sharangovich. A few minutes later, the Sharks surrendered their first power play goal of the season as Dawson Mercer made it 2-0 for the Devils late in the middle frame. However, Team Teal averted complete disaster and got one back soon after via Kevin Labanc’s first goal since November 22, 2021. It was also a statement goal for Laban after he was a healthy scratch in the Sharks’ previous game against the Rangers on Thursday. Oskar Lindblom and Scott Harrington were credited with the assists on the Sharks’ first goal of the game. 

Luckily, the Sharks survived the second period and still remained within reach. However, Nick Bonino got hurt and had to head to the dressing room after an open-ice collision with Kevin Labanc. As with third periods in pretty much every game, the Sharks couldn't muster up any offense in the third period. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was great in net for the Sharks, making 34 saves, but didn't receive the necessary support from his offense to get the win. 

On a more positive note, the Sharks' AHL team, the Barracuda, is off to a great start to its season and just played its first game in its new arena, TechCU Arena. 

In all, besides a few moments and high points, this game was fairly mediocre but not a total crapshow. The Sharks will have to get over this one quickly as they face the Flyers in Philadelphia to close out their current road trip tomorrow in the second game of a back-to-back set at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 6 Recap: Sharks 3, Rangers 2 (OT) (10/20/22)

 The Sharks finally earned their first win of the season in a huge, improbable way as they took down the New York Rangers 3-2 in overtime at Madison Square Garden. 

This was a great game and a hard-fought win for Team Teal. They played to win and not to not lose, and I have regained some confidence back in this team after their first win this season. The Sharks got off to a great start by scoring the first goal in the first period on the power play via Logan Couture from Luke Kunin and Erik Karlsson. They were also penalized quite a bit, but their excellent penalty has bailed them out every time. 

San Jose slipped up a bit in the second period, but still escaped and stayed in it. The Rangers scored the next two goals in the middle frame via Filip Chytil and Artemi Panarin to take a one-goal lead. Luckily, the Sharks tied the game soon after on an incredibly skilled goal by Radim Simek. Not only was this Simek's first goal of the season, it was also his first goal in 22 games. Matt Nieto and Oskar Lindblom picked up the assists on the game-tying goal in the second. 

This game remained tied at two through the third period to force overtime, where Erik Karlsson buried the game-winner less than a minute in to get the Sharks their first win of the season. EK65 handled the puck extremely well until he eventually lost control of it, allowing Timo Meier to pick it up, skate around behind the net, and pass it back to Erik Karlsson for him to find the back of a mostly-empty net. Tomas Hertl recorded the other assist on the OT game-winner. 

James Reimer recorded 21 saves in the win, some of which were significant. 

In addition, David Quinn won his first game as the Sharks' head coach against his former club, the Rangers, and Timo Meier skated in his 400th NHL game. 

It was an unexpected but amazing first win of the season for the Sharks, and this team needs to build on it and form more of a win streak moving forward. Team Teal faces the New Jersey Devils in their next game on Saturday at 10 am PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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My Thoughts on the Sharks Reverse Retro 2.0 Jersey

 The NHL unveiled their Reverse Retro 2.0 jerseys for all 32 NHL teams. After plenty of teasers and speculation, they are finally here. 

As you may have already determined, the main focus of this post is specifically on the Sharks' Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey. Like the initial speculation suggested, it is inspired by the Bay Area's previous NHL franchise, the California Golden Seals and one of the primary jerseys this previous team wore back in 1974. Instead of "Seals" printed across the center of the jersey, it has "Sharks" in place in the same font. It also contains teal and yellow striping along the upper sleeves, wrists, collar, and waist, with numbers printed on the middle of the sleeves where the elbows would be. Like with every Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey, the NHL crest on the collar is outlined in orange instead of the traditional chrome. 

 

Onto my initial thoughts: the Sharks Reverse Retro 2.0 jersey is just okay. I don’t despise it, but I don’t love it either. This is especially since I am not a huge fan of white jerseys and primarily large print on the front of hockey jerseys. In addition, based on how this season is going and the past few seasons have gone, these new Reverse Retro jerseys might be a bad luck charm. The Sharks announced that they plan to wear these jerseys in six games in the next two months, so we’ll see how they turn out and if they’ll affect the Sharks on-ice performance. 

However, my feelings on the Sharks’ latest jersey are subject to change once I see the players wear them on the ice. As of now, I’ll give the Sharks Reverse Retro 2.0 jerseys a 7 out of 10, and I am in no hurry to get my hands on one anytime soon. 

Sources: ESPN, San Jose Sharks social media accounts 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 5 Recap: Islanders 5, Sharks 2 (10/18/22)

 Another subpar second period and other mistakes lead to the Sharks dropping their fifth-straight game to start the season, a 5-2 loss to the New York Islanders. This is their first 0-5-0 start to a season in franchise history. 

Team Teal had a solid first period, scoring the first goal late in the first by Nico Sturm, getting assists from Evgeny Svechnikov and Jaycob Megna. 

San Jose led 1-0 through one period of play, and things held steady until the second half of the middle frame. The Islanders went on to score the next two goals via Anders Lee and Zach Parise. The Sharks tied the game at two soon after on Evgeny Svechnikov’s second goal of the season from Matt Benning, only to trail again by one moments later on a go-ahead goal by Oliver Wahlstrom for the Islanders before the second intermission. 

This game only got further away from the Sharks in the third period. Oliver Wahlstrom scored his second goal of the game early in the third, while Cal Clutterbuck put the cherry on top with an empty-netter late in the third. 

James Reimer made  saves in his third start of the season. Like in his first two starts of the season, Reimer has had to bail out his offense and defense many times because said offense and defense couldn't step up when necessary. 

On a more positive note, Alexander Barabanov is back in the lineup after missing the first four games due to an undisclosed injury, and the fourth line has been productive. However, the Sharks can't rely solely on the fourth line to generate all the offense every night. 

The start to this season for San Jose has been nothing short of deflating. I hope they turn things around at some point, but the more they keep up their current pace of play, the less confidence I will have in this team doing anything significant throughout the entire season. 

Next up, the Sharks face the other New York team, the Rangers, at Madison Square Garden on Thursday at 4 pm PT, still looking for their first win of the season.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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