This was a strange game, but hockey can be a strange sport. A win last night would have helped Seattle leapfrog St. Louis into the final wildcard spot in the Western Conference, a position it has been battling to get to since its dismal start to the season. And the Kraken outplayed San Jose for the majority of the game, outshooting their Pacific Division foes 32-22, and garnering the best scoring chances throughout. Seattle limited San Jose to just seven shots through the first two frames, but at the end, came up with a goose egg on the scoresheet. Thanks in large part to a stalwart performance from Sharks goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the Kraken lost 2-0.
The Sharks, meanwhile, played like a team that had nothing to lose but nothing to gain either – at least for the first two periods. It was a sleepy effort 40 minutes into the game, and if Blackwood hadn’t come prepared, this would have looked like the last game against the Kraken, a 7-1 loss (generally regarded as one of the ugliest losses of the season, in a year where the Sharks also lost 10-1 and 10-2 in consecutive games). Yet, on this odd night, all the bounces went for Big Mac, who earned his first shutout since Dec. 8, 2021.
It wasn’t a good effort overall, but San Jose was bolstered by an impressive push in the third period and took advantage of Blackwood’s clinic on bail-outs.
Other notes:
- Shakir Mukhamadullin was effective on defense. He didn’t get as many shot attempts last night, but he helped keep the puck out of the Sharks zone for long periods of time. His timing and mid-game adjustments looked better than in his debut, and it was very encouraging to see him look even more comfortable at the NHL level. He deserves a longer look with the big club.
- Many Sharks wingers were sloppy defensively, which led to the disparity in chances between the two teams. Sticks were not in the right lanes, they often failed to clear and overcommitted to already covered areas.
Adjustments on the fly seem to work
San Jose has already been without center and team leader in assists, Mikael Granlund. Entering last night, the Sharks were also without All-Star center, Tomáš Hertl. Instead of throwing Luke Kunin or anybody else at center, David Quinn tried young William Eklund to fill in for the injured Hertl. It was interesting to see how Eklund would do at the position he was originally drafted for, but had not played much of through all his time in North America.
Eklund was one of the few forwards who played with pace and made an actual impact on the game, ultimately providing a key assist on the game-winning goal. He looked mostly comfortable at this position, outside of the face-off dot, and provided a very good effort at both ends of the ice. He came up with several excellent rushes from his own goal line and into the Seattle zone, which was also how he contributed to the 1-0 goal. You could see him gain confidence as the game went along as well. It was astounding to see him use his position at center to start his breakouts deeper in his own zone, building up speed and aggressively carrying the puck in with the confidence that he could maneuver around any challenger. This was a very encouraging game for those who still have hope in Eklund’s ability to become a true NHL top-6 center.
In case you need to see it to believe it, look at this entry. It speaks for itself:
Marc-Édouard Vlasic redemption arc?
Marc-Edouard Vlasic’s embattled performances over the past five years have taken a toll on his reputation as one of the league’s best defensemen. While it’s understood that his years of being the premier shut-down defenseman in the world are long gone, Vlasic has done very well this month at quieting many of his critics about his place in the Sharks lineup. Whatever GM Mike Grier is planning, Vlasic’s contract is not easy to dispose of, but its price and term become a lot more palatable with games like last night. Vlasic scored the game-winning goal, played over 20 minutes, had 4 shots on goal, 4 blocked shots, and was helpful defensively. He made correct reads on the back-end and facilitated breakouts when the Sharks needed a clear. At least for this month, Vlasic brought back the old “Steady Eddie” who we dearly missed.
Perhaps the strangest thing about this game against the Kraken, is that it was the third time this month, that both Vlasic and Jan Rutta – defensemen who had zero goals entering January – scored a goal in the same game. It sounds like a niche stat, and it is, but it is simply bizarre and is worth highlighting.
Praise for Blackwood
Mackenzie Blackwood needed this. Mackenzie Blackwood, who has the lowest goal support amongst goaltenders in the league, deserved this. It wasn’t an easy shutout by any means, he had to make several difficult saves to shut down the Kraken, and got a few bounces his way as well. Those bounces are a part of any shutout, and it’s about time the workhorse netminder got a few good breaks. Blackwood is now on a personal three-game winning streak, and will get a well-deserved break heading into the NHL’s All-Star weekend.
Highlight
The game-winning goal brought to you by Pickles himself, all starts from this aggressive zone-entry from newly-minted center, William Eklund:
The Sharks go right back at it to face the Anaheim Ducks at the Honda Center tonight at 7:30 p.m. This will be the team’s final game before the All-Star break, and will then return to action on Feb. 14 in Winnipeg.
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