Filip Zadina has heated up since the trade deadline, adding two more goals to his season total. Zadina scored San Jose’s only goals in the 3-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Both of those goals came on the power play. Zadina now has a career high 12 goals on the season and 22 points in 59 games. The forward was often San Jose’s best player on the ice according to Hockey Stat Cards, which measures each player’s impact in an individual game.
#NHL GameScore Impact Card for San Jose Sharks on 2024-03-12:#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/AmFoTrjckq
— HockeyStatCards (@hockeystatcards) March 13, 2024
Sharks won the special teams battle, lost in 5-on-5
The Sharks power play continues to cook. As stated before, the team’s two goals both came on the power play. It was the second unit contributing in this game. Zadina had the markers, but Luke Kunin made key plays to make both goals happen. He received primary assists on both of Zadina’s goals. Alexander Barabanov and Klim Kostin also earned points in the game. For Kostin, it was his first point on the power play in his career. He already has 138 career NHL games spread out between the St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings.
The Sharks allowed just one goal on the power play.
However, as it is in most games, it’s the five-on-five play that matters and the Sharks were woefully outmanned in that sense.
Like his predecessors this season, Magnus Chrona was often asked to make more stops than were necessary. Despite the 3-2 loss, the goaltender had a good showing. He stopped 38 of 41 shots for a .927 save percentage.
Officially eliminated from the playoffs
The loss in regulation means that the Sharks are officially eliminated from the playoffs. While this is something that Sharks fans saw coming, potentially as far back as the first puck drop, it still adds a bit of finality to the season. You definitely don’t want to know that after game 64 , you’re no longer in the mix.
That said, it’s better for the rebuild. It’s easier to change a team when you know it’s not going anywhere. Give a general manager hope and things could go south quickly. While this is a tough pill to swallow, it’s a necessary step forward in the long run.
Highlight of the game Sharks at Flyers March 12, 2024
The Sharks didn’t win the game, but the team may have won in signing Zadina. It is clear that the forward is happy that he bet on himself and the fact that he’s reached a career high in goals certainly helps.
The goal: 👏
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) March 12, 2024
The celly: 😤@zadina_filip | #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/sTTOm3tGth
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