This was a tough season for Sharks fans and that 5-1 loss to the Calgary Flames in game 82 certainly didn’t help. The loss kept the Sharks just below that 20-win mark, a number that didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, but somehow felt like a moral victory.
That said, in spite of all the losses, the mission of this season was accomplished. The Sharks put the team in the best position to receive the number one overall pick in the NHL draft lottery. Now, the bouncing balls just need to take pity on San Jose and finally grant the team a first overall pick.
Granlund hits 60 points
The season wasn’t a total wash for Sharks players. The Lund line was one of the bright spots for the team.
Center Mikael Granlund achieved 60 points when he assisted on Fabian Zetterlund’s power play goal in the final minute of the game.
It was his 13th consecutive game with a point and his fourth career season with 60-plus points. For Zetterlund, he reached a career high 24 goals.
Collin Graf received the secondary assist on the play.
Making California hockey history
While the score is something most Sharks fans would rather forget, there was a milestone in this game that hockey fans on both sides can get behind. For the first time in NHL history, two California born hockey players faced off against one another in net. Former Junior Shark and Los Gatos native Devin Cooley strapped on the pads for San Jose, while former Junior Kings player and Gilroy native Dustin Wolf suited up for the Calgary Flames.
It’s a piece of hockey history that shows just how viable the sport is in California and the Bay Area and it’s great to see the system starting to create NHL hockey players.
One thing I did find surprising about this milestone is that Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko wasn’t the first to faceoff against a California born goaltender. Demko’s a bonafide NHL starting goaltender and a San Diego native so it’s a little surprising that he wasn’t one of the two to make history.
For you stat trackers, Wolf won this battle. He stopped 16 of 17 shots for a .941 save percentage. He was nine seconds from a shutout when Zetterlund scored on the power play.
Meanwhile, Cooley was chased in the second period, a few minutes before the halfway point of the game. He gave up five goals on 23 shots. It was a tough loss for the kid, the defense played like crap in front of him.
Romanov a tantalizing goaltending option
In the last two games, goaltending prospect Georgi Romanov has been called in to offer relief to Cooley.
At 24 years old, Romanov seemingly came out of nowhere. The Russian born player was I drafted and signed with the Sharks after some unheralded time in the KHL. He played his first professional season of hockey in North America, spending most of his time this season with the Barracuda. However, recent solid play in the AHL earned Romanov a call up.
While he never received an NHL start, he has played nearly a full game in relief where he stopped 29 of 30 pucks. He finishes the season with a .967 save percentage.
While the number cannot be used as an indicator of how Romanov will do with a full season in the NHL, they are promising stats.
Highlight of the night Sharks at Flames April 18, 2024
Going with a Cooley save for the highlight of the night because honestly, he was going to have to stand on his head to keep the puck out of the net in Calgary. The team defense in front of him was … not great.
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