The San Jose Sharks fell by a score of 3-1 to the Florida Panthers. While Anthony Duclair got teary-eyed when the Panthers showed a tribute video of him, he could not get on the scoresheet.
Welcome back to South Florida, Duke š£ļøš„¹ pic.twitter.com/SYXszdzR9a
— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) October 25, 2023
Zetterlund is second in points
I have to be honest, after last season I thought Fabian Zetterlund was the next Devan Dubnyk for the Sharks. Yes, they play different positions but there were expectations which neither met nor exceeded when they first joined team teal.
However this season, even if Zetterlund’s play hasn’t gotten much attention anywhere, he is second in points only behind Tomas Hertl this season for the Sharks.
Zetterlund has two goals and one assist throughout six games.
On Zetterlund’s latest goal, William Eklund took the puck behind the net where he did a shortside pass to Zetterlund to shoot into the open net as the play beat Florida goalie Anthony Stolarz.
Eklund sets up Zetterlund š„ pic.twitter.com/D741jL1c9e
— Sharks on NBCS (@NBCSSharks) October 25, 2023
Zetterlund’s first goal came from a breakaway during the game with Carolina.
If he can make himself open and capitalize on these opportunities, there is a chance that he will become a solid middle-six forward for the Sharks moving forward.
Vlasic scratched
It was a shock to read the reports that Head Coach David Quinn benched Marc-Edouard Vlasic halfway through the team’s game against Nashville. Vlasic has been on a downhill stride the past few seasons, but to see Quinn actually bench him was a surprise. It was something that was never done before during Pete Debeor or Bob Boughner’s tenure as San Jose’s head coach.
This game, Vlasic did not even step out onto the ice as he was a healthy scratch.
The big questions is, what does this mean for Vlasic’s future?
Vlasic still has two more years after this season on his contract.
Could this be a sign of a future move regarding Vlasic?
However, I do not think this is the case. This is pure speculation on my part, but with the knowledge of how hard it is to move Vlasic’s contract and a buyout would only extend our cap restraints, I believe this is a wake-up call for Vlasic.
I believe this is about leadership. If Vlasic gets benched then it shows to other rookies and veterans that although there are low expectations for the team this year players need to play the full 60 minutes of hockey.
Blackwood is still stellar
Mackenzie Blackwood has gotten all of my respect since coming to San Jose.
In this game he still put up a respectable performance as he saved 32 shots out of 34 with a save percentage of .941.
After four starts, Blackwood’s save percentage is at a .914, which is his best since the 2020 season when he was with the New Jersey Devils.
If he continues this level of play he should have some Vezina votes, though it is unlikely he would win it due to the Sharks’ performance.
This resurgence of Blackwood is what the Sharks were missing ever since Martin Jones was the starter. Too bad it came when the team is unable to get out of its own zone, which has been the story of every single game this year.
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