Sharks 2022-23 Game 56 Recap: Golden Knights 2, Sharks 1 (2/16/23)

 Most of this game was a goaltending duel, but the Sharks didn’t get enough offense and the Golden Knights won in the final seconds to take this one 2-1. 

The first period was scoreless, but early on, Nico Sturm got hurt after blocking a shot. He was initially listed as questionable to return, but Sturm was back on the ice in the second period in miraculous fashion. The Sharks scored the first goal of the game late in the second period via Alexander Barabanov’s tenth of the season from Marc-Eduoard Vlasic and Logan Couture. This first goal matches Barabanov’s total from last season. 

Early in the third period, the Golden Knights almost evened it at one, but Kaapo Kahkonen motioned that he had the puck under control and the refs whistled the play dead before the puck could cross the line, allowing the Sharks to catch a break there. Vegas soon made up for it, officially knotting it up at one via Paul Cotter. With 16.6 seconds remaining in this contest, the Golden Knights delivered the backbreaker via William Carrier, in which Kahkonen was completely fooled and Carrier had a wide-open net in front of him. What also didn’t help the Sharks was the fact that they found themselves on the penalty kill seven times tonight, a season high. On the other hand, the Golden Knights’ seven power plays in this one were the most they’ve had in one game in their franchise history. 

Kaapo Kahkonen was back in net and had one of his best performances of the season, recording 36 saves, which ended up all for not due to the lack of goal support by the rest of the Sharks. Prior to this game, Nick Cicek was called back up from the Barracuda, while Eetu Makiniemi was sent back down. 

Besides Kaapo Kahkonen being phenomenal and the team holding a slim 1-0 lead, San Jose played mostly sloppy hockey and didn’t have much going for them in Vegas tonight. Their record now falls to 17-28-11 on the campaign, still 7th in the Pacific Division. Team Teal returns home for their next game on Saturday, when they host the Buffalo Sabres at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 55 Recap: Penguins 3, Sharks 1 (2/14/23)

 The Sharks drop the first game of their current homestand 3-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Valentine’s Day. 

Team Teal’s offense couldn’t get a whole lot going during this game. The Penguins struck first early in the opening frame via Rickard Rakell. Pittsburgh’s top line continued its domination, adding another goal in the second period by Sidney Crosby finding Jake Guentzel at the doorstep to put it home. 

San Jose's only goal of this game came in the third period on Timo Meier's team-leading 31st goal of the season to cut their deficit to one. The Sharks were back in it late in the third, but the Penguins got the last laugh as Jake Guentzel scored an empty-netter in the final minute for his second goal of the game. 

Aaron Dell received the start in net since Kaapo Kahkonen was held out for precautionary reasons and James Reimer isn't ready to return yet, recording a total of 25 saves. Eetu Makiniemi was called up from the Barracuda and served as the backup for Dell if necessary. In addition, this marked Logan Couture's 900th NHL game, and Kevin Labanc was inserted back into the lineup after Jonah Gadjovich was considered week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Overall, the Sharks had many chances in this one, but couldn't convert on nearly all of them. This is just one of those nights for the Sharks, which they've had quite a bit this season. Team Teal hits the road again for their next game only, which is in Vegas against the Golden Knights on Thursday at 7 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 54 Recap: Sharks 4, Capitals 1 (2/12/23)

 Team Teal closes out their last long road trip of the season with another big win, a 4-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on Super Bowl Sunday. 

The Sharks struck first early in the first period on Evgeny Svechnikov’s fifth goal of the season from Erik Karlsson and Jonah Gadjovich. This also marks Evgeny Svechnikov’s tenth point of the season and his first point against the Capitals in his career. 

Towards the middle of the second period, Alexander Barabanov scored his ninth goal of the season and his third goal in the past four games to extend the Sharks’ lead to two on the man advantage from Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson. In addition, EK65 picks up his 55th assist of the season, tying the second-most assists in Sharks franchise history for a defenseman. The Capitals answered back with a goal from Evgeny Kuznetsov to get on the board and cut their deficit to one. During that play, Kuznetsov made contact with Kaapo Kahkonen’s head, and Kahkonen was slow to get up. This led to Kahkonen getting pulled late in the middle frame and Aaron Dell replacing him in net due to concussion protocol. Kahkonen made a total of 12 saves before exiting the game early. 

Later in the third period, Erik Karlsson scored his 18th goal of the year to get the Sharks back to a two-goal lead, capping off a three-point day. This is Karlsson’s eighth three-point performance of the season, setting a Sharks franchise record. Logan Couture and Alexander Barabanov picked up the helpers on EK65’s 18th goal of the year. Lastly, Tomas Hertl sealed the deal with an empty-netter with around two minutes remaining in regulation. Nick Bonino recorded the lone assist on the empty-netter by Tomas Hertl. 

Aaron Dell was a perfect 8-for-8 in save opportunities in relief of Kaapo Kahkonen. As for James Reimer, he hasn’t started in some time because he has been dealing with a minor illness, according to head coach David Quinn. Reimer should be available as soon as the Sharks’ next game. 

The Sharks finished this lengthy road trip with a 3-3-2 record, which is pretty good considering all the teams they faced and the odds stacked against this Sharks team. Another stat worth mentioning regarding this game is that the Sharks are now 15-2-1 when playing in DC since 1990, which is an NHL-best span during that time period. San Jose should absolutely build off their current great level of play in any way possible heading back home. Next up, the Sharks host the Pittsburgh Penguins on Valentine’s Day this Tuesday at 7:30 pm PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, multiple sources via Twitter 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 53 Recap: Panthers 4, Sharks 1 (2/9/23)

 This was a close one until the last few minutes, as the Sharks are back to their losing ways and fall 4-1 to the Florida Panthers. 

The Sharks get off to another great start with the first goal by Alexander Barabanov from Erik Karlsson early in the first period. With that assist, Erik Karlsson now has 70 points on the season, becoming the fastest defenseman in 33 years to reach the 70-point mark in a season. 

Early in the second period, Jonah Gadjovich flattened Brandon Montour into the boards, resulting in Givani Smith dropping the gloves and fighting Gadjovich. The Panthers followed that up with Sam Reinhart’s first goal of the game to tie it at one. Reinhart added another goal in the final minute of the second period to give the Panthers their first lead of the night. In addition, Logan Couture was hit into the end boards during the second period, was slow to get up, and had to head straight for the dressing room, but was luckily back in the game a few minutes after heading into the dressing room. 

This game officially slipped away from the Sharks in the last two minutes as Eric Staal potted two empty-netters to seal the victory for the Panthers. These were all while the Sharks were on a four-minute power play after Aaron Ekblad high-sticked Timo Meier. 

Kaapo Kahkonen received his third straight start in net and had another solid performance, recording a total of 38 saves. If Kahkonen keeps up his current level of play, he will definitely take over the top spot in the Sharks’ goalie tandem. 

Overall, this is a game that the Sharks could’ve and should’ve won, but it doesn’t surprise me that they fell apart in the last few minutes. Team Teal closes out its last long road trip of the season on Super Bowl Sunday morning in Washington against the Capitals at 10:30 am PT. 

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App, Curtis Pashelka via Twitter 

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Sharks 2022-23 Game 52 Recap: Sharks 4, Lightning 3 (OT) (2/7/23)

The Sharks get a huge come-from-behind win against a juggernaut in Tampa and stun the Lightning 4-3 in overtime in their first game back from the All-Star break. 

Team Teal didn’t get off to the best start in this one, but what mattered most was how they finished. Ross Colton opened the scoring 2:10 into the first period to get the Lightning on the board. About four minutes later, Erik Karlsson ripped one from the point four seconds into the Sharks' power play to tie it at one. This was EK65's 17th goal of the season, with Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl collecting the assists. Brayden Point would then score the next two goals in the first period, the first one on the power play and the second one at even strength, to make it 3-1 in favor of the Bolts through one period of play. 

Late in the second period, the Sharks would get within one on Timo Meier's first goal of the game on another power play chance. Alexander Barabanov and Logan Couture collected the assists on that goal. The Lightning would then regain their two-goal lead via Steven Stamkos, only for that goal to be disallowed after San Jose challenged it and further review determined that Brayden Point went offside and entered the zone before the puck did. During the final minute of the second period, Mikey Eyssimont and Brayden Point had a tilt and slugged it out. 

Early in the third period, Jonah Gadjovich got a piece of the initial shot by Scott Harrington to tie the game at three, with Erik Karlsson picking up the secondary assist on that equalizer. This would ultimately force bonus hockey, where Timo Meier would score his second goal of the game and his 30th goal of the season to complete an unlikely comeback for the Sharks. Leading the way for Team Teal in this comeback were Erik Karlsson and Timo Meier, who both recorded three points each on the night. Tomas Hertl recorded the other assist on the overtime winner. 

Kaapo Kahkonen received his second straight start in net and looked great out there, recording a total of 34 saves, many of which were huge, clutch, and even the acrobatic kind. 

I didn't expect this game to turn out the way it did, but I am nothing short of impressed. Others will say that this big performance from Timo Meier boosts his trade value even more, but I say that this is a greater case for him to be re-signed and built around for the forseeable future. The Sharks will look to continue their current win streak in South Florida for their next game against the Panthers on Thursday at 4 pm PT.

Sources: NBC Sports Bay Area/California, NHL App 

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Sharks Trade Jaycob Megna to Kraken

 The second domino has fallen for the Sharks ahead of the March 3 trade deadline, as the team announced today that they have traded defenseman Jaycob Megna to the Seattle Kraken for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2023. 

Megna has recorded one goal and 11 assists for 12 points in 48 games so far this season. He was primarily paired with Erik Karlsson on defense and played a key role in contributing to EK65's career year of a season. Megna also averaged 19:03 of ice time per game this season and is under contract until the end of next season for a veteran's minimum of $762.5k per season. In total, Megna registered three goals and 17 assists for 20 points in 92 games across parts of two seasons for the Sharks. During the 2021 and 2021-22 seasons, Megna served as the captain of the Barracuda in the AHL. 

As for the draft pick headed to the Sharks in this deal, Seattle will decide between their own fourth-rounder or the Avalanche's fourth-rounder in this year's draft to send to San Jose by June 15. The Sharks and Kraken don't face each other again until February 20 at SAP Center, which will be the next game my buddy and I will be attending. It might me a bit strange to see Jaycob Megna on the other side of the bench at my next NHL game. 

Overall, this is a fair trade for both parties involved. The Sharks give up a depth defenseman who wasn't their best or a star player and add another draft pick in their arsenal in a reportedly deep draft full of talent. I'm okay with this trade, but I am anxiously awaiting who the Sharks' front office will deal next, as general manager Mike Grier won't hesitate to make moves well ahead of the March 3 trade deadline. 

Source: Sharks + SAP Center App, San Jose Hockey Now 

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2023 NHL All-Star Game Recap (From the Sharks' Perspective)

 The NHL All-Star festivities in South Florida have wrapped up, and although they have no implications on the regular season or the playoffs, I plan to present a recap of them from a unique perspective. Let’s begin: 

Erik Karlsson was the lone representative for the Sharks in this year’s NHL All-Star weekend in South Florida. He registered a goal and an assist in the Pacific Division’s 6-4 loss to the Central Division in first semifinal match of Saturday’s All-Star Game. EK65's assist was on the the Pacific's first goal of the All-Star Game scored by Connor McDavid to tie it at one, while his goal was scored during the second half to make it 5-4 in favor of the Central Division. In all, Erik Karlsson had a pretty solid performance during the All-Star Game. As for the rest of the All-Star Game, the Atlantic Division defeated the Metropolitan Division 10-6 in the second semifinal and went on to defeat the Central Division 7-5 in the final to win the All-Star Game. Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers was named All-Star Game MVP in front of his home crowd, becoming the sixth player in the modern era to do so. 

However, Erik Karlsson didn't participate in any of the skills competition events on Friday, which wasn't a big deal. It was great to see Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby play together on the same line on the same team once more and cool for there to be an outdoor dunk tank added to the skills competition this year. 

Overall, it was a mediocre All-Star weekend watching from home, better for the NHL in South Florida and even better for the players, coaches, and fans in attendance. In addition, it was announced that next year's NHL All-Star festivities will be held in Toronto, which is a perfectly reasonable site to host the ultimate hockey fan experience. Now to await how the rest of this season goes for the Sharks and what other moves they make leading up to the March 3 trade deadline. 

Source: ESPN

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