Hurricanes 2, Sharks 1: Three is a pattern

Not even the pressure of looking good in front of both the home crowd and the former Sharks players on the opposing roster could get San Jose the first win of the season.

The team came out with some pep and Evgeny Svechnikov took the opportunity to flash some skill while his brother was in town with the Hurricanes. He opened scoring late in the first after nearly a full period of back-and-forth play.

It didn’t take long for the Hurricanes to settle into their game after that though. Carolina led by one shot in the first period — that gap jumped to 13 shots in the second period, holding San Jose to just four shots in the entire period. James Reimer stayed solid in net, but the dam was going to break eventually and Martin Necas made sure the middle frame didn’t close out without a tied score.

Goaltending kept the Sharks in the game, and it looked like the team might manage to steal a point (or god forbid, a win) in the lopsided affair. With two minutes to go, Sebastian Aho tucked away the game-winning goal.

On to the next.

San Jose Sharks

STATS

Record: 0-2-0
Streak: L2
Goals Leader: Luke Kunin (1 G, 1 A)
Assists Leader: Mario Ferraro (0 G, 2 A)
Power Play: 12.5%
Penalty Kill: 100%
Goals For/60: 1.5
Goals Against/60: 3.5
Shots For/60: 32
Shots Against/60: 25

LINES

Timo Meier — Tomas Hertl — Luke Kunin
Steven Lorentz — Logan Couture — Kevin Labanc
Oskar Lindblom — Nick Bonino — Matt Nieto
Noah Gregor — Nico Sturm — Evgeny Svechnikov

Jaycob Megna — Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Mario Ferraro
Radim Simek — Matt Benning

James Reimer
Kaapo Kahkonen

Expected Scratches: Alexander Barabanov, Scott Harrington, Jonah Gadjovich

Injured Reserve: Markus Nutivaara (lower body)

Related

Hurricanes at Sharks Preview: Brent Burns Returns

Carolina Hurricanes

STATS

Record: 1-0-0
Streak: W1
Goals Leader: Martin Necas (1 G, 2 A)
Assists Leader: Martin Necas (1 G, 2 A)
Power Play: 0%
Penalty Kill: 100%
Goals For/60: 4
Goals Against/60: 1
Shots For/60: 43
Shots Against/60: 32

LINES

Teuvo Teravainen — Sebastian Aho — Seth Jarvis
Andrei Svechnikov — Jesperi Kotkaniemi — Martin Necas
Paul Stastny — Jordan Staal — Jesper Fast
Jordan Martinook — Derek Stepan — Stefan Noesen

Jaccob Slavin — Brent Burns
Brady Skjei — Brett Pesce
Calvin de Haan — Jalen Chatfield

Frederik Andersen
Antti Raanta

Expected Scratches: Dylan Coghlan, Ethan Bear

Injured Reserve: Max Pacioretty (Achilles tendon), Ondrej Kase (concussion)

How to Watch

Tonight’s game will be broadcast regionally on NBCSCA and BSSO. Streaming is available with a subscription to ESPN+ (blackout restrictions may apply). The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET at SAP Center in San Jose, California.