After having three days off, the San Jose Sharks faced off against an opponent in the Seattle Kraken who had yet to lose in regulation at Climate Pledge Arena. Missing William Eklund and Michael Misa to some last-minute injuries and lineup changes, the Sharks decided to go 11 forwards and 7 defensemen for the second game in a row. Continuing the team’s streak of playing efficient defense, a game against a fellow Pacific Division team was a great time to keep that up.
First period
The Sharks’ Macklin Celebrini scored just over a minute into the game, setting the tone early. Coming out to play early is always better than taking your time to wake up in the NHL, something the Sharks have been guilty of in recent years. The Sharks did play with fire throughout the game, giving six power play opportunities to the Kraken, a strategy that doesn’t usually work out well. The penalty kill looked better than it has recently, limiting chances to the outside and not forcing Yaroslav Askarov to do any superhuman acrobatics in goal. Ryan Winterton did get the lone goal for the Kraken in this game after the rebound from his own breakaway found its way into the back of the net. Not long after, Askarov DID have to do some heroics. The same weak pass up the middle of the ice in their own defensive zone was made TWICE in a row, minutes before the end of the period. Askarov bailed them out, as he did all night.
The Kraken built on their early power play and kept a lot of the momentum in the first period. Some good defense by the guys in teal and the game stayed 1-1 until a late period shot by Ethan Cardwell gave the Sharks energy the team could head into the second with. Scoring early and late in the period seemingly gave the team a feel that they controlled it start to finish, even if the middle 18 didn’t quite tell that story.
Second period
The strong penalty kill continued, this time not giving up a complete momentum shift in the process. Keeping the Kraken to the perimeter and limiting high danger chances all night was the key to the Sharks success.
Since being told that he is staying with the Sharks all year, Sam Dickinson has been getting more involved offensively. A 2-on-1 with Celebini was an example of this confidence. Even though he didn’t score, showing off what he is capable of at the NHL level is an awesome sign for his development. During the Sharks’ second power play of the night, a John Klingberg shot from the point finally went in. Having someone who can stand at the blueline on the power play and act as the quarterback, even if they aren’t Erik Karlsson level, is a huge improvement over years past.
Overall, the second period was strong. They extended the lead to two, kept their perfect penalty kill going, and managed to suck all the energy out of Climate Pledge Arena.
Third Period
The third period is where the real fun started. Going into it up 2, they poured on another 3 goals, running the Kraken out of their own building. Another early period goal by Will Smith to make it 4-1 gave the Sharks the confidence they needed to close it out. I think some Kraken fans left at this point, making it quieter than it already was.
To emphasize just how good the PK was last night, a Colin Graf breakaway helped Dellandrea get his much deserved first goal of the year.
Joey Daccord’s night in goal for Seattle was done, as he got pulled. Not for lack of effort or because any of the goals were necessarily his fault, but the Sharks seemed to be scoring at will. Matt Murray came in, and it didn’t make a difference. Shakir Mukhamadullin with a beautiful stretch pass from behind his own goal as the penalty kill expired caught Toffoli on a breakaway, giving the Sharks 3 goals in the first 4 minutes of the 3rd period.
While they did give the Kraken 6 PP chances in the game, the Sharks played the way they must. Solid defense and an explosive offense have been letting them play with the top teams in the league as of late. That is 4 straight games allowing 2 or fewer goals, a stark difference from the winless October games.
Macklin Celebrini:
I wanted to save my thoughts about Macklin Celebrini for its own section. He has been OUTSTANDING to start the season and keeps doing things as a teenager that have not been accomplished since Sidney Crosby almost 20 years ago.
Not only is he doing things that are impressive for a teenager, but after the games finished last night, he is tied for the league lead in points with Connor McDavid. Something a teenager has not done at this point in a season. EVER. In NHL HISTORY.
Are you kidding me?! The Sharks are incredibly lucky to have this player, and he will continue to only get better. San Jose has a true superstar already, and the kid is only 19 years old.
Player Shoutouts:
Askarov has continued to play calmer and steadier, giving the Sharks a chance to win every night he plays. His 29 saves, including 13 on the PK, gave him a save percentage of 0.967 for the night. Making a big save here or there when it looks impossible and stopping the gimmes is more than is being asked of him, and he is delivering.
Shakir Mukhamadullin is only getting better this season and is proving to Ryan Warsofsky that he deserves to be in the Sharks top 4. His steady play on the back end mixed with an offensive flair mean that when he is on the ice, you can sit back and relax.
