The Sharks end their East Coast road trip still in search of a single win to start the season. For a while, it looked like goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood might steal one against the Capitals, but a late goal by Tom Wilson to help Washington pull ahead ultimately sunk San Jose. On the bright side, the Sharks ended the team’s scoreless streak with a goal from Luke Kunin.
Mikael Granlund returned to the Sharks lineup for the first time since the home opener against the Vegas Golden Knights. His line with Kunin and William Eklund was the Sharks’ best line of the night, setting up the most dangerous offensive chances and the only goal of the game for San Jose. The welcome return, however, meant a goodbye, for now, to Thomas Bordeleau. The young forward was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda prior to the face-off against Washington.
Blackwood excellent
The Sharks would not have been in the lead entering the third without exceptional goaltending from Blackwood. It must be extremely frustrating for the goaltender to not yet have a win this season because his play has been stellar to start the year. Against the Capitals, Blackwood stopped 39 of 41 shots against for a .951 save percentage. It was nice to see him bounce back well after a rough night in Tampa Bay, where he was relieved in the second period by Kaapo Kahkonen.
After a season where goaltending often left something to be desired, it is nice to see the Sharks’ crease churning out high-quality starts and saves at a more frequent pace. Hopefully, Blackwood can be rewarded for his excellent play here soon.
Ty Emberson looks comfortable
In this, just his fifth NHL game, defenseman Ty Emberson looked quite confident along the blueline. He was engaged from the start and looked active on both ends of the ice. Throughout the game, Emberson quietly made smart defensive plays, maintained a good gap, challenged shooters with his stick, and kept the play alive in the offensive zone with the assertiveness of an NHL veteran. His ice time has steadily increased every single game so far, with the total against Washington being 21:15. It’s clear he has earned some more of David Quinn’s trust, who is still searching for the best combinations defensively.
It might not be a coincidence then that Emberson also earned his first NHL point after providing the initial point shot that Kunin finished off. It was that direct play offensively that created a dangerous net-front situation. The Sharks still do not have a goal from a defenseman this season, perhaps with more play like this, Emberson could break the cold streak.
Small wins, one game at a time
For Sharks fans, especially those reminiscing the Thornton-Marleau era of late, it is likely painful and frustrating to watch this team struggle to even gain a lead or hold it for longer than a period, let alone win a game. We’re all aware of the rebuild and understand it’s a process that takes time (and losing), but it still doesn’t feel good to watch.
This here is a reminder to focus on the little wins because that is all we have for now. Think of how Blackwood, who lost so many games to injury in the past couple of years, has shown himself this season. It takes strong determination to recover your game after something like an MCL injury.
On a similar note, Kunin’s goal was his first since Nov. 27, 2022 before a season-ending injury. It must have been an enormous relief for him to score again.
Watching Eklund continue to make crafty passes, create turnovers, and grow his game is something really special. Those are the small moments that build up a team, develop its character, and endear fans to the players, no matter the result on the ice.
The Sharks haven’t had many bright spots through nine games so far, but within each game, there is always something to point to and find inherent worth.
Highlight
Drumroll, please… 🥁
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) October 29, 2023
We present to you a #SJSharks goal highlight‼️ pic.twitter.com/vQRAdEPJrs
The lone goal of the game for San Jose came from Kunin, assisted by Emberson and Mario Ferraro. It’s a simple play, really. The hard part for the Sharks in generating offense has been creating sustained offensive zone time. They did that here on a solid shift from the Granlund line.
After battling for the puck below the Capitals goal line, the Sharks move the puck low to high up to Ferraro. Ferraro wastes no time and moves the puck laterally to Emberson across the blueline. Before the Capitals can catch up, Emberson turns and sails the puck toward the net, where Kunin is parked to help create havoc in front of Darcy Kuemper. The shot misses the net, but Kunin skillfully collects and shovels it past Kuemper’s left leg.
Next up, the Sharks return home to host the Vancouver Canucks on Thursday, Nov. 2.
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