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Quick Bites: Kings win in OT, Sharks look to regular season

Posted on by Erika Towne

Through three periods it was a back and forth battle between the San Jose Sharks and the Los Angeles Kings. Every time the Kings scored, the Sharks answered back with the next goal of the game. Until overtime. It took just 17 seconds of overtime for the Kings’ three players to zig zag their way around the Sharks and score the game winning goal. Final score 4-3.

The first period was a slow start for the Sharks. The Kings came out with a little more jump and earned the first power play of the game when Nico Sturm was called for tripping. While LA could not capitalize on the man advantage, the momentum was in its favor. At the 8:27 mark of the game, Pierre-Luc Dubois scored his first goal as a member of the Kings.

Slowly, San Jose clawed its way back into the game. A string of power plays helped in that regard. The Sharks drew three power plays in the back half of the first period and Alexander Barabanov scored on the second of the three to tie things up with a set tip play on a Mikael Granlund shot.

In the second period, the parade to the penalty box continued, though neither team would score a power play goal.

Anze Kopitar reclaimed the lead for the Kings on a thread the needle pass by Drew Doughty. Doughty picked up the puck on a turnover in the Sharks zone that should not have happened. He quickly turned back toward the net and passed the puck to Kopitar who simply had to deflect it past goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood.

San Jose tied things up again at the 14:45 mark of the second period.

Tomas Hertl shot the puck on net. While LA goaltender Phoenix Copely redirected the shot, it didn’t go where he wanted it to. Mike Hoffman was charging hard at the net and slapped in the rebound to make it 2-2. It was a good makeup goal for Hoffman, who was the player who turned the puck over on the Kopitar goal.

In the third period, it was rinse and repeat. The game was tied and the Kings scored first. Trevor Moore was right in that sweet spot in front of the net. He received a pass from Viktor Arvidsson who was behind the net and slammed it past Blackwood. While Mario Ferraro was in front of Moore, his stick had snapped just a few seconds earlier and he had no option but to try and block the shot. It didn’t work.

The Sharks pushed for a game-tying goal and at 14:15 in the third period, the team was rewarded. Thomas Bordeleau, who Head Coach David Quinn thought got better as the game progressed, picked up the puck behind the Kings’ net and then immediately went to the front before anyone could react.

It was a smart, heads-up play by the rookie who is really pushing for an opening night roster spot.

Sadly, the hopes for the win came to an end in overtime. The Kings won the faceoff and made the entry into the Sharks’ zone look easy. A few quick passing plays and the game was over. Adrian Kempe with the game winner.

Kaapo Kahkonen should start for San Jose against Vegas

This was the last preseason game for the Sharks, and it is likely the deciding factor in who will start in net on Thursday when the team opens the season against the Vegas Golden Knights. The answer is Kaapo Kahkonen.

You could argue that Blackwood faced a formidable Kings team and that Kahkonen only faced some of the Golden Knights’ starters on Tuesday night. You would not be wrong. But, no matter the players on the ice, the end result is what matters. Blackwood lost in overtime. Kahkonen shut out the Golden Knights.

Watching Blackwood in net on Thursday night, it was clear that he wasn’t reacting as quickly as Sharks’ fans would like. His movement from one side of the net to the other left much to be desired. On the first two goals, the Kings passed the puck in what looked like routine plays. Blackwood was just a split second too slow. As a result, he wasn’t in the correct position to make the stop.

In the first goal of the game by Dubois, you see that Blackwood is tracking the puck. He’s centered up to the shooter, Kevin Fiala, but does not react fast enough when Fiala passes instead of shooting. By the time Blackwood pushes over to get square on Dubois, Dubois is already taking the shot. As a result, Blackwood is flailing to make the save, and he doesn’t have a chance.

The Kopitar goal is a bit more forgivable. Doughty threads the pass through several sticks to get it to Kopitar in close. However, while Blackwood is there, his body is not well positioned to make the stop in close.

The final goal of the game is also frustrating to watch. Yes, the Kings executed extremely well. However, you want your goaltender to stop a shot like that.

So that’s what a five forward power play looks like?

The Sharks decided to roll out a five forward power play unit, something the coaching staff has considered given the team’s lack of offensive defensemen.

The first unit power play of Anthony Duclair, Tomas Hertl, Alexander Barabanov, Mike Hoffman and Mikael Granlund had plenty of opportunities to fine tune their game. San Jose had five power plays and the top unit took up most of the time.

The results were…not thrilling. The five forward power play lacked the offensive prowess you would hope to see out of a unit that contains three former 30-plus goal scorers. Some of this might be a chemistry issue. After all, the unit has only had a few days to practice together.

However, there was also a defense issue at play. The Kings had several shorthanded rushes as a result of missed passes, sticks in lanes and shots that ricocheted out to the point. While Hoffman and Granlund offered some extra firepower from the point, their defense left something to be desired.

The second power play unit didn’t see much ice time. It consisted of William Eklund, Bordeleau, Matt Benning, Kevin Labanc and Filip Zadina.

Was this the opening night roster?

Last night’s game was interesting in that it may be our best indication of what the opening night roster could look like.

There are 17 forwards left with the Sharks at training camp.

Forwards (17) – Alexander Barabanov, Thomas Bordeleau, Ryan Carpenter, Logan Couture, Anthony Duclair, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Tomas Hertl, Mike Hoffman, Luke Kunin, Kevin Labanc, Oskar Lindblom, Jacob Peterson, Givani Smith, Nico Sturm, Filip Zadina and Fabian Zetterlund

Of those 17, Carpenter, Couture (injured), Lindblom, Smith and Zetterlund did not play. It’s hard to say that any of those players made a better case to play than the guys that were on the ice last night.

On defense, there are 12 players left after Leon Gawanke was sent down.

Defensemen (12) – Matt Benning, Kyle Burroughs, Ty Emberson, Mario Ferraro, Nikolai Knyzhov, Jacob MacDonald, Nikita Okhotiuk, Valtteri Pulli, Jan Rutta, Radim Simek, Henry Thrun and Marc-Edouard Vlasic

Of the 12, MacDonald, Okhotiuk (possibly injured), Pulli (injured), Rutta (possibly injured), Simek (injured) and Thrun did not play. Thrun could be a victim of his own circumstances. He is the only one of the remaining defensemen who is waivers exempt and can be sent down to the AHL without the possibility of being claimed.

And as discussed above, it looks like Kahkonen has earned the start for opening night based on his play in the preseason.

Goaltenders (2) – Mackenzie Blackwood and Kaapo Kahkonen

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