Sharks 2022-23 Game 24 Recap: Canucks 4, Sharks 3 (OT) (11/27/22)

 The Canucks and Sharks traded scoring chances and went down to the wire, but the Sharks ended up on the wrong side of this one in a 4-3 overtime loss.

The Canucks strike first in the first period via Kyle Burroughs. Team Teal answered back late in the second period in unusual fashion: the initial shot by Matt Benning was deflected by Nick Bonino, went off the back of Luke Kunin and over a few Canucks defenders, and bounced into the net. This is credited as Luke Kunin's fourth goal of the season, making it 1-1 through two periods of play. What an unbelievable sequence.

The Sharks went ahead fairly early in the third period on Logan Couture's 12th goal of the season on the power play, with assists from Erik Karlsson and Alexander Barabanov, only for the Canucks to tie it up again shortly after via Ilya Mikheyev. A few minutes later, Elias Pettersson tipped one in to give the Canucks another one-goal lead. In a matter of minutes, Luke Kunin scores his second goal of the game on a great setup from Erik Karlsson to tie the game at three and send it to OT. 

It wasn't long into overtime when a costly turnover by Timo Meier ultimately lead to a breakaway chance by Andrei Kuzmenko, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime for the Canucks. Timo meant to pass the puck to Tomas Hertl when Hertl was heading to the bench, leading to a slow line change by the Sharks, miscommunication, and the breakaway by Vancouver that won them the game.

Kaapo Kahkonen was given the start in net, making a total of 16 saves. In addition, prior to this game, Mario Ferraro was placed on the IR with a lower-body injury, and Scott Harrington was recalled from the Barracuda. However, Harrington was inactive against the Canucks Sunday night.

The Sharks had a great third period to at least earn a point and played well enough to win, but a few untimely and costly miscues are the main factors as to why the Canucks won their fourth straight game against the Sharks Sunday night. Most importantly, this Sharks team has proved that they can hang in there, remain resilient, and have some of the pieces in place to win games. Next up, the Sharks head out on a lengthy road trip to Eastern Canada, with the first stop in Montreal against the Canadiens on Tuesday at 4 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Bay Area News Group 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 23 Recap: Kings 5, Sharks 2 (11/25/22)

 The Sharks drop their first meeting with the LA Kings and the debut of their Reverse Retro 2.0 sweaters 5-2. 

The Kings set the tone in this game from the get-go. Adrian Kempe scored 42 seconds in for the Kings, but it was challenged for offsides and overturned. LA scored the actual first goal of the game at around the nine-minute mark of the first period via Jaret Anderson-Dolan. About four minutes later, Kevin Labanc puts the Sharks on the board to tie it at one with his fourth goal of the season, with helpers from Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl. With about two minutes remaining in the first frame, Philip Danault pots one in on the man advantage to give the Kings a 2-1 lead through one period of play. 

Early in the second period, Viktor Arvidsson scores to give LA a two-goal lead. The Sharks answered back late in the second period on Alexander Barabanov's third goal of the year. 

The Kings were on cruise control in the final frame, as Rasmus Kupari scores early in the period to regain the Kings' two-goal lead, and Anze Kopitar puts one in the empty net late in the third to seal the deal. 

James Reimer wasn't his best, recording 24 saves in the loss and his defense letting him down once again. 

I didn't watch this game live because I was attending a completely different game that night, but this was a frustrating result. On a more positive note, the Sharks' new Reverse Retro threads look great on the ice. The Sharks conclude their current homestand Sunday against the Vancouver Canucks at 5 pm PT before heading out on their next road trip to Eastern Canada and Buffalo. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Bay Area News Group 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 22 Recap: Kraken 8, Sharks 5 (11/23/22)

 Timo Meier scored his 4th career hat trick, but the Sharks lose to the Seattle Kraken 8-5 in only the 5th all-time meeting between these two clubs. This also marked the first time the Kraken scored eight goals in a game in franchise history. 

There are at least a few positives from this game for Team Teal, but this was still a terrible, subpar, and unacceptable result, especially since they gave up eight goals to the NHL's newest team. The Sharks scored first early in the first period on Logan Couture's 11th goal of the season, which he tipped in on a shot from Nick Cicek, who earned his second NHL point on this play. Matt Nieto earned the other assist on the Sharks' first goal of the game. Towards the middle of the first period, the Kraken tied it at one on a power play goal via Andre Burakovsky. Late in the first period, Timo Meier scored his first goal of the game on a 4-on-3 opportunity to go ahead 2-1 through one period of play. Erik Karlsson collected his 30th point of the season with an assist on the Sharks' second goal, while Logan Couture was credited with the other assist on that goal.

 The second period featured a string of three unanswered goals from the Kraken, starting near the six-minute mark with goals from Vince Dunn, Ryan Donato, and Jamie Oleksiak. Later on, Timo Meier scored his second goal of the game to get within one, making it 4-3 Kraken through two periods of play. Tomas Hertl was credited with the only assist on Timo's second goal of the game. 

Early in the third period, the Sharks tied the game at four on a redirection from Alexander Barabanov on the initial shot from Matt Benning. Marc-Eduoard Vlasic picked up the other helper on the equalizer. It wasn't long before the Kraken went back ahead in a matter of minutes on goals from Oliver Bjorkstrand and Jaden Schwartz. Near the halfway point of the third period, Timo Meier completed the hat trick with his third goal of the contest, with assists from Kevin Labanc and Tomas Hertl. This got the Sharks back within one and back in this game, only for any chance to complete any kind of comeback to slip away soon after. Matty Beniers scored to put Seattle back up by two, and Jaden Schwartz sealed the deal with an empty-netter for his second goal of the game.

Kaapo Kahkonen was given the start in net in Seattle against the Kraken, recording 19 saves and giving up seven goals. Aaron Dell was the backup goalie for Kajkonen, as James Reimer is currently out with a lower-body injury. In addition, Radim Simek was activated off the IR but was inactive in this game, while Nico Sturm was moved to the IR in place of Simek.

What this game came down to was the Sharks' defense completely falling apart, resulting in them allowing the Kraken to put an eight-spot on the scoreboard. It has happened plenty of times for the Sharks during this season when a player or two has a phenomenal performance, only for another aspect of the team to waste it and lose the game. I have gotten used to things being this way for this team, and I've had enough. The Sharks return home to face the LA Kings for the first time this season on Friday at 7:30 pm PT, when they will debut their new Reverse Retro jerseys for this season.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Bay Area News Group 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 21 Recap: Sharks 5, Senators 1 (11/21/22)

 A huge second period and an excellent performance in net from Kaapo Kahkonen helped lift the Sharks over the Ottawa Senators 5-1. 

This was also the Sharks' first win at home in regulation since April 23 against the Blackhawks. Team Teal needed this one, especially since they have had only one win at home prior to this game.  First off, the Sharks scored early in the first via Noah Gregor's first goal of the season, with assists from Luke Kunin and Matt Benning. The Senators tied the game at one about seven minutes later on a goal from Tim Stutzle. 

The Sharks began the second period off with a bang, as Timo Meier scores from a sharp angle on the feed from Erik Karlsson to gain a 2-1 lead. It took about two-and-a-half minutes into the second period for Nick Cicek to record his first NHL fight, with it being against Mark Kastelic. Team Teal extended their lead to two when Matt Nieto tipped in a shot from Matt Benning for his third goal in four games, prompting the Senators to replace Cam Talbot in net with Anton Forsberg. Alexander Barabanov collected the other assist on that play. Tomas Hertl capped off a big second period with his fifth goal of the season, deflecting a shot from Logan Couture on the man advantage at around the 16-minute mark to make it a three-goal lead. Luke Kunin also picked up his second assist of the game on Team Teal's third-straight goal. 

With about a minute left in regulation, Logan Couture sealed the deal with an empty-netter from the other end of the ice for his tenth goal of the year. Luke Kunin picked up his third assist of the night, while Jaycob Megna recorded the other assist on the empty-netter. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was outstanding in net against the Senators, making 37 saves and earning his second win of the season. This was also a statement win for Kahkonen, as he proved that he deserves more starts and to be in the Sharks' goalie tandem. 

Overall, this was an all-around great win for the Sharks to bounce back from their previous two games. Next up, Team Teal will travel to Seattle for a quick road trip to face the Kraken for the first time this season on Wednesday at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Sharks Audio Network  

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 20 Recap: Rangers 2, Sharks 1 (11/19/22)

 The Sharks’ offense couldn’t get going for much of this game as they lose this one late in the third period 2-1 to the New York Rangers. 

This was also the season finale between these two teams, and it is very difficult for a team like the Sharks to sweep a season series against a team as good as the Rangers are this year. It was scoreless for two periods and most of the third period, but this doesn't mean nothing significant occurred during those scoreless periods. Nico Sturm briefly went to the dressing room late in the first period after Ryan Carpenter laid a big hit on him from behind, but fortunately he returned to the bench around the start of the second period. James Reimer made some huge saves during those scoreless periods and throughout the game in general, and Steven Lorentz made a big stop of his own as well. 

Late in the third period was when the scoring began. It first happened around the 14-minute mark by Julien Gauthier to put the Rangers on the board, followed by an empty-netter by Adam Fox around the 19-minute mark to put the Rangers up by two. Logan Couture helped the Sharks avoid getting shut out with 17 seconds remaining in regulation with his ninth goal of the season, with assists from Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier. 

James Reimer made a total of 41 saves in the 2-1 loss to the Rangers. He has been having more quality starts in net this season than Kaapo Kahkonen, therefore earning more ice time and starts between the two goalies. This game also marked Barclay Goodrow's return to the Tank for the first time since he was traded to the Lightning at the trade deadline during the 2019-20 season.

Overall, this wasn't a great game from the Sharks' perspective, but it could've been worse. I only say that it could've been worse is because the Sharks were in it the entire game and they didn't get completely blown out. This team really needs to start performing better at home. On a more positive note, fans in attendance at this game received free Sharks-49ers white and red shirseys, and the players wore different white and red Sharks-49ers collab jerseys during warmups, which both looked pretty cool. Next up, the Sharks host the Ottawa Senators on Monday at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Bay Area News Group 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 19 Recap: Red Wings 7, Sharks 4 (11/17/22)

 The Sharks' three-game win streak has been snapped, as they lose 7-4 to the Detroit Red Wings. 

Team Teal had a chance in this one, but the Red Wings were too much for the Sharks to handle. There were some positives from this game, but the home woes continue. The Sharks struck first fairly early in the first, with Erik Karlsson making an incredible behind-the-back, between-the-legs pass to Kevin Labanc, who deposits it into the net. Timo Meier picked up the other assist on the first goal by Kevin Labanc. About a few minutes later, Filip Hronek tied the game at one for the Red Wings. Soon after the 1-1 tie, Matt Nieto scores his third goal of the season to go ahead 2-1, with Erik Karlsson picking up his second assist of the game and Nick Cicek picking up his first NHL point on that play. In addition, this marks Erik Karlsson's ninth multi-point game of the season. 

The Red Wings scored the next two goals during the second half of the middle frame via David Perron and Jake Walman to get their first lead of the night 3-2 through two periods of play. 

Early in the third period, Joe Veleno scores to extend the Red Wings' lead to two. Around the midway point of the third period, the Sharks scored the next two goals: Logan Couture to get within one and Erik Karlsson to tie at four after the latter's shot made a lucky deflection off of the backside of Andrew Copp to find the back of the net. EK65 now has a total of four points on the night, and the only player in the NHL to currently have more points than him this season is Connor McDavid. Jaycob Megna, Kevin Labanc, and Tomas Hertl also recorded assists on the Sharks' last two goals of the game. Late in the third, it was all Red Wings from there as Moritz Seider scored the go-ahead goal and the game-winner to put Detroit up 5-4. this was followed by another goal a few-minutes later in which Pius Suter dodged a poke check by James Reimer when he was out of his crease, putting Reimer in a vulnerable position for the easy tap-in. Lastly, the Red Wings added an empty-net dagger with 1:15 remaining via Dominik Kubalik to put up a seven-spot and win by three. 

James Reimer didn't have his best performance in net at home against the Red Wings, making 14 saves on 20 shots against. 

In other news, a recent report suggested that the Sharks have spoken to the Ottawa Senators about a potential trade for Erik Karlsson to return to Ottawa, but it was nothing too serious. On the other hand, the NHL introduced a new rule stating that players that entered the league starting in the 2019-20 season and later will be required to wear helmets in warmups going forward. All other players can decide for themselves if they want to wear helmets in warmups or not. This new rule is designed to further prevent head injuries but at the same time is ridiculous and doesn't make much of, if not any difference in that regard. 

The Sharks have fallen down to earth after returning home from a great road trip in which they took three of four games. Although they had some momentum and big performances from certain players, they didn't have much momentum, and this didn't feel very good. They will try to fix their struggles at home in their next game on Saturday, when they face the New York Rangers at 7:30 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, NHL Discussion via Instagram 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 18 Recap: Sharks 5, Ducks 2 (11/15/22)

 The Sharks extend their win streak to three as they conclude their current four-game road trip with a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights in Vegas, possibly their best win of the season so far. 

Team Teal got off to a slow start to this one, but they stayed in it for the whole game and had the momentum tilt in their favor as the game progressed. This is also a huge win in the fact that the Golden Knights have been the top team in the Western Conference this season, and the Sharks earned their first win at T-Mobile Arena in regulation since Game 5 of the 2019 playoffs. 

The first period was almost scoreless until about four seconds remaining when Jack Eichel ripped one past James Reimer to put the Golden Knights on the board. The Sharks tied the game at one towards the middle of the second period via Luke Kunin, with assists from Erik Karlsson and Nico Sturm. Soon after, Erik Karlsson stumbles and falls back to create an odd-man rush heading the other way for the second time in a three-period span. Luckily, James Reimer made the stop on that odd-man rush. Late in the second, Jonathan Marchessault scores to put the Knights up 2-1 through two periods of play. 

The third period was when the Sharks' offense came alive and took over this game. Early on, Matt Nieto scored his second goal of the season to tie the game at two, getting helpers from Alexander Barabanov and Marc-Eduoard Vlasic. Later in the third with about three minutes remaining, Logan Couture makes a great pass to Timo Meier, who buries it for the go-ahead goal and the game-winner. In addition, Alexander Barabanov recorded his second assist of the game on the Timo Time game-winner. The Sharks added on two empty netters for good measure from Logan Couture and Mario Ferraro to seal this one up. Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson picked up the assists on the first empty-netter from Cooch. 

James Reimer had another solid performance in net, recording 24 saves. Yesterday, in preparation for this game, the Sharks had placed Radim Simek on the injured reserve and recalled defenseman Nick Cicek from the Barracuda in the NHL, with the latter making his NHL debut against the Golden Knights. 

This win felt amazing, especially with the odds stacked against the Sharks. San Jose has been playing well, finding its scoring touch, and improving their defense lately, taking three of four on their most recent road trip. This group has proved that they're resilient and capable of winning games, and they shouldn't be counted out in big situations. Next up, the Sharks return home to SAP Center for their next three games starting on Thursday against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App

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