There are a lot of games this season that the Sharks can look back on and say they didn’t try hard enough. Tuesday’s game against Detroit springs to mind. However, last night’s game against the Winnipeg Jets doesn’t rise to that level. The Sharks lost to the Jets 2-1 in a game that featured the worst team in the league against one of the best. The bumps the Sharks’ losing streak to double digits. Once again this season, the Sharks have lost ten games in a row.
But this game felt different than loss number ten in the last losing streak. For three periods, the Sharks stuck with the Jets as best they could. Whether it was Mackenzie Blackwood coming up big in net with a much needed save or Mario Ferraro dropping down to block a shot, the Sharks did what they needed to do to stay in the game. At times, the Jets came at them in waves, but the Sharks didn’t break. They weathered the storm and then pushed the pace back the other way. It’s the kind of play you want to see from a team that’s destined to lose more games than it will win this season.
A solid start for Blackwood
Even though the Sharks didn’t get the win, this was a good game for Blackwood. The Sharks’ netminder stopped 28 of the 30 shots he faced last night and finished with a .933 save percentage. Even though he let in two goals, he was still below the 3.02 expected goals against that Natural Stat Trick calculated. In other words, he had a good night.
That’s good news for Sharks fans because Blackwood was in a bit of a slump. Before last night, the last start for Blackwood was Dec. 23, when he allowed the Vancouver Canucks to score 6 goals on 31 shots. His two outings before that were not as bad, but they weren’t great either. That’s when he allowed five goals apiece to the Arizona Coyotes and Colorado Avalanche.
This game was a good rebound for Blackwood. Hopefully, it’s an indication that he’s had a chance to reset and is ready to put together a new string of good games.
Beat on special teams
The difference maker in this game was the play on special teams. The Sharks had two power plays; the Jets had one. The Sharks didn’t score on the power play. The Jets did.
On paper, San Jose’s first power play will look like the team did well. After all, the Sharks were in the Jets’ zone for the majority of the two minutes. However, when you look at what the Sharks did in that span of time, you see that most of it was passing the puck around the perimeter. The Sharks had one shot on goal and a couple of blocked shots, but that’s about it. You want more from a power play if it’s going to have that much time in the opponent’s zone.
Meanwhile, look at what the Jets did on the power play. The team moved the puck quickly and kept the Sharks guessing. The passes were crisp. The Jets put four shots on net in the span of approximately 20 seconds, giving the Sharks fits. What’s more, when the shooting lanes weren’t there, the Jets created new opportunities, so much so that there was absolutely nothing Blackwood could have done on that goal by Gabe Vilardi.
The Mentors are zapped with extra energy after that power play goal! ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Jucyn4QJwa
— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) January 5, 2024
Barabanov is getting back into form
Alexander Barabanov scored the lone goal for the Sharks. While it was not a power play goal, it was power play influenced in that it came just after the Sharks’ second power play had expired.
Credit to William Eklund for pulling the defenders down low and then finding Barabanov with a perfect pass so he could one-time it into the net.
The goal is Barabanov’s second in as many games and it could be a sign that he’s getting his game back. It’s got to be tough to get a feel for your stick again after breaking a finger, so this might be a sign that he’s fully recovered.
Barabanov received more ice time as the game went on and was moved back up to the first line for the second half of the game.
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