The San Jose Sharks returned to SAP Center the day after Thanksgiving to host the Montreal Canadiens on a rare afternoon face-off. It was a special occasion in San Jose as the Sharks celebrated legendary radio broadcaster Dan Rusanowsky. Just last week, Rusanowsky was officially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a recipient of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.
It was important to see how the team responded to its disappointing game at Climate Pledge Arena, where a flat first period effort put the Sharks in a 0-4 hole from the start. San Jose’s effort was much improved. Although the Sharks were initially out-paced by the young Montreal group, San Jose ended up outshooting the Canadiens and earning a two-goal lead. However, the Canadiens climbed back to tie the game in regulation before winning it in a shootout. Matt Benning and Nico Sturm made their returns to the lineup, replacing injured Jan Rutta and Kevin Labanc. Calen Addison appeared in his 100th NHL game.
Hertl answers the call
Following that forgettable game against Seattle on Tuesday night, David Quinn and several Sharks voiced the need for somebody to step up and lead the team through its tough moments. Well, Tomáš Hertl made a case for why he should be relied upon to answer. The big Czech center and default captain with Logan Couture still sidelined, put up an excellent 60-minute effort against the Habs. His hard play and backcheck streamlined an amazing play between William Eklund and Mike Hoffman. Hertl’s hungry effort on the power play made it look as dangerous as it has been all season. He was all over the puck defensively and offensively and created so many other scoring opportunities.
Moving forward, it would be nice to see Hertl’s effort more consistently rewarded. It provides much more entertaining hockey, even if it’s a Sharks loss. The rebuild doesn’t have to be as unpleasant as it has been on many nights.
Eklund growing before our eyes
The Sharks young star is playing through his first full NHL season, which is bound to have its ups and downs. Coming back to Seattle again, Eklund was visibly scolded by Head Coach David Quinn for his lack of defensive coverage that led to an ultimately overturned goal.
Against Montreal, Eklund took another step forward. His defensive coverage was better; he was in the right lanes and pursued the puck responsibly. It was telling that Quinn had Eklund out in the final minute of a tied game, showing both hope in his offensive abilities but more importantly, trust in his defensive mindset. The cherry on top was Eklund securing the first multi-point game of his NHL career. His crafty puck skills were fully displayed with the beautiful pass to Hoffman for an assist. Eklund also scored a goal and had the lone Sharks’ shootout goal.
Before everything went wrong. pic.twitter.com/zOYC8BNTqp
— Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) November 24, 2023
Clutch factor still missed
Not long ago, we wrote about Logan Couture’s absence and its impact on this team. This game would have been the perfect opportunity to watch Couture do what he does best. Up 2-0 more than halfway through the game, a winning and experienced leader like Couture could have helped the Sharks shut things down. It is so rare that the Sharks are still in the game late in the third period, whether it’s tied or in the lead, so there haven’t been opportunities for players to make that clutch play to begin with.
His leadership translates well on the ice. Throughout the past decade, he has led by example by blocking shots at key moments or scoring huge overtime winners. His absence was felt as San Jose let the lead slip away and then couldn’t get it back or earn the extra point in extra time. The captain has still not resumed skating, so San Jose will continue to have to lean on others for that clutch performance. Look to Hertl, Eklund, and Mackenzie Blackwood to provide that for now – but it still would be nice to have someone as determined to win as Logan Couture. Is there anybody on the Sharks’ current roster that you might expect more from in clutch moments?
Highlight
The Sharks first goal of the game was a beautiful one. Hertl, Eklund, and Hoffman combined on an excellent effort and each showed their standout individual skills in one play:
Next up, San Jose hosts the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 7:00 PM PST. The Sharks have gone winless against the Canucks in two prior matchups.
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