Less than a week after taking the high-powered Dallas Stars to a shootout, the Sharks came back to SAP Center to host a rematch. The Stars entered the game with a chance to take first place in the Central Division, and after falling behind three separate times, earned that top spot in a most improbable fashion with a 7-6 overtime win.
There were notes of the Sharks’ prior two games against the Wild and these same Stars in the first period. San Jose was badly outshot, with goaltender Kaapo Kähkönen facing 20 shots in the first period, but went up 2-0 with excellent goals from Anthony Duclair and Fabian Zetterlund. But before the first ended, that two goal lead evaporated like a frozen pond in a Texas drought, and Dallas tied the game on two separate power plays within the final minute and a half of the period. This wouldn’t be the only late-period collapse of the game for the Sharks.
The Sharks ultimately regained that two goal cushion in the second period. Both teams traded chances but it was tightly contested, with shots significantly limited at just 5 for Dallas and 8 for the home team. Early on, Justin Bailey’s hard forecheck helped create a Ryan Carpenter goal, then shortly after Dallas tied it again at three. The Sharks stormed back as Duclair and Filip Zadina buried their 16th and 10th goals of the season, respectively. All the while, Kaapo Kähkönen had been steadily keeping the Sharks in the lead or at least holding a tie. The Sharks took it a step further by adding another goal early in the third from Mikael Granlund to make it 6-3.
Would the Sharks hold on to this lead? Absolutely not. You can never count out this electric Dallas team, not with the amount of talent on their roster. With less than thirteen minutes to go, the Stars, buoyed by Wyatt Johnston (3 goals, 2 assists) and Logan Stankoven (2 goals, 2 assists), scored three goals to bring the game to a 6-6 tie by the end of regulation. After holding the fort for two full periods, including an 18 save first period, Kaapo Kähkönen simply lost his steam. Arguably two of the three late goals were ones that the netminder would want to have back, and it may be that after a busy first and relaxed second, Kähkönen could not find his focus for the third period.
The Sharks hoped to avoid a complete collapse by salvaging the game with an overtime win, perhaps coupled with a Duclair hat trick goal, but it was not to be. On a shift where William Eklund was immobilized for nearly a full minute by a blocked shot, Roope Hintz finally put the Sharks out of their misery to win the game in an instant 7-6 classic.
This erratic team
The Sharks have had their fair share — scratch that — more than their fair share of absurd losses this season. Despite this difficult year, they’ve also had a few exciting and surprising games involving multi-goal comebacks and good, team-bonding moments. At the end of the day, the ups are going to come far less frequently than the downs on this rebuilding team. This game had plenty of ups, which we’ll get into, but it will be remembered for its dramatic and unfortunate end.
No matter what the lead, this team has to work twice as hard to hold on to it. It’s perhaps good news from a tanking perspective, at least. Chicago continues to have a poor record, and the Sharks have been keeping pace with them over the past week and a half. Rather than earning two points, they only earned one, and that’s good news because the Blackhawks got their first win in a while tonight. The teams are now tied with 37 points each, but San Jose has played two games fewer than Chicago.
Duclair hot at the right time
With less than a week until the league’s trade deadline, pending UFA and heavily rumored trade target, Anthony Duclair, finds himself in his best form of the season. The talented winger has been scoring at a torrid rate since the NHL’s All-Star break, and only added to that hot streak against one of the league’s best. With 2 goals and 2 assists tonight, Duclair’s totaled 8 points in his last 4 games and 7 goals in his last 8. One wonders what the Sharks could get in return for a natural scorer who is heating up at just the right time. A playoff contender could use his passion and ability to turn on the jets in a flash, and with his run to the Stanley Cup finals just last spring, Duclair could look even more enticing.
It was upsetting to see Duclair so demoralized after this loss, however. His post-game presser was honest and his downtrodden emotions were quite understandable:
https://x.com/fearthefin/status/1765263209932705920?s=20
Zadina’s earned another look
Zadina, just like Duclair, has been playing his best hockey since the team resumed play in mid-February. Notching his 10th goal of the year, which matches his career-high in a season, the 23-year-old has earned another shot in teal for next season. It would be good to see Zadina return after building up some chemistry and confidence in the Bay Area. While he might never become the top-six scoring winger he was drafted to be, he can still certainly develop into a reliable scorer that can come in and out of the top-six comfortably. Zadina plays hard and is clearly passionate. Along with providing offense, he was seen saving a goal late in the third period with the Sharks holding onto a lead. Albeit, this was all before the collapse (See above for blown three-goal lead).
Highlight
Just look at the determination to finish this play and the passion in his celebration. For some reason, this goal reminded me of Patrick Marleau’s overtime goal in game 5 against the Anaheim Ducks in 2009. Obviously the circumstances of the goals could not be further apart in their significance, but it was a determined stuff attempt on the third or fourth rebound right at the front of the net. Maybe, after a game like this, I’m just looking for any excuse to bring up some good times.
The Sharks will host the New York Islanders for their next affair. The game will start at 7:30 PM PST at the SAP Center on Thursday, March 7.
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