In what has become a running theme in the past few games, the San Jose Sharks have claimed a lead, only to squander it as the clock nears the final horn. Last night was no different, as San Jose lost to the Chicago Blackhawks 5-4 in overtime.
While the score seems close, what happened to end the game should give fans cause for concern. San Jose had a 4-0 lead partway through the second period and then proceeded to allow the Blackhawks to score four goals without any response. The fourth goal came at 47 seconds left in the third period, virtually guaranteeing overtime. It took just 18 seconds of overtime before Seth Jones scored the overtime winner.
It was Jones’ second goal of the game. Former Shark Ryan Donato had a goal and two assists, bringing his season series points against the Sharks to five (2 G, 3 A).
The loss led to this inauspicious stat line for the Sharks, another franchise record that fans would like to forget.
Zetterlund hits 20 goals
But we won’t dwell on the bad because there was some good in this game. For one thing, Fabian Zetterlund reached the 20-goal mark for the first time in his career. Zetterlund scored a pair of goals to open the second period, just a minute and five seconds apart.
According to the NHL Public Relations, it was the second quickest two-goal start to a period by a Sharks player.
Zetterlund led all forwards with 18:52 of ice time.
Bordeleau coming on strong
Thomas Bordeleau also had an impressive night. The young forward continues to do the little things that have allowed him to score five goals since he was recalled from the Barracuda on March 7. Bordeleau had a power play goal and an even-strength goal in the game. Both goals came in the first period to give the Sharks a quick 2-0 lead.
One of the better things about Bordeleau’s game is that he’s found different ways to score. His power play goal was a simple redirection of a hard pass by Zetterlund. He positioned his stick perfectly so that Zetterlund’s pass would change direction and shoot past Petr Mrazek in Chicago’s net.
Then, on his second goal of the night, it was a quick shot that went top corner in the other direction. Not only was he able to quickly release the puck on net, but he was able to pick his spot for the goal.
Cooley leads the team out through the Shark Head
Devin Cooley stopped 26 of the 31 saves that he faced last night. There were some impressive stops, like this one on Connor Bedard.
They got Connor Bedard but we got Devin Cooley pic.twitter.com/HSLeX9MgLJ
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 24, 2024
There were also some goals that he’d probably like to have back, but it’s not entirely his fault. The Sharks have played poorly in front of Cooley in both of his starts. Cooley, clearly, is still learning and hasn’t been able to recover as well when the defense breaks down in front of him. Take, for instance, the game-tying fourth goal.
Guys….the #Blackhawks have scored four unanswered goals and we have a TIED GAME in San Jose! #RallyPuppies pic.twitter.com/xmpDBpHLcu
— Blackhawks Talk (@NBCSBlackhawks) March 24, 2024
Cooley made the initial stop. But somehow, Philipp Kurashev was allowed to take another whack or two at the puck while two Sharks players stood by and weren’t hard enough on him to push him out of the space.
It’s hard to say whether Cooley will be an NHL-caliber goalie in the future because the Sharks have, recently, not iced a team that has played up to NHL-caliber in front of their netminders. It doesn’t matter if it’s Cooley or Magnus Chrona or Mackenzie Blackwood in the net, the Sharks have not supported him.
It’s likely that the only reason Blackwood has looked better than Cooley or Chrona this season is that he’s more experienced.
Highlight of the night Blackhawks at Sharks March 23, 2024
The highlight of the night is Bordeleau’s first goal of the game. Notice how he does the work along the boards and then goes quiet as he glides into a good position in front of the net.
Bordeleau? More like Borde-GOAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9KzpznB3Yv
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) March 24, 2024
Bordeleau’s intelligence to “get lost” makes the play work. What’s more, he has started to become more dangerous with his redirects and is getting rewarded for going into the area in front of the net. At least three of Bordeleau’s five goals this March have come because he puts himself in a position to either create a redirection or allow the puck to go off of his body to score a goal.
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