It wasn’t easy, but it was a win, and that’s all that the San Jose Sharks needed tonight against the New York Rangers. Head coach David Quinn earned his first win with the club against the organization that gave him his first NHL head coaching job — and funny enough, his first with with New York had come against San Jose. The circle is now complete and the relief of getting the first win over with will hopeful power the team through.
It should come as no surprised that San Jose struck first. Logan Couture breathed some life into the power play with a goal early in the opening frame. The pair continued to trade penalties, but both teams’ penalty kills remained perfect after the Couture goal.
Which was good for the Sharks, because Luke Kunin spent six minutes in the box tonight. Not ideal!
New York came out in the second period with two goals before the halfway mark, but for once San Jose didn’t roll over after the first period was over. Radim Simek netted a tying goal a few minutes later and the game remained tied from there.
I was expecting the most disappointing loss of the season to come in a game where the Sharks were able to drive play and dictate game flow for more than 20 minutes. Igor Shesterkin is a tough netminder to break and the scoreless third period proved it.
With a point guaranteed, the game went to overtime. San Jose was hungry at 3-on-3 and Erik Karlsson showed no quit when he was taken down with a trip and managed to stay with the puck and get it to Meier and behind the net. Leading Shesterkin to the wrong side with the pass, Meier came around to get the puck back to Karlsson, who had all the space in the world to sink it.
And he did.
San Jose Sharks
STATS
Record: 0-5-0
Streak: L5
Goals Leader: Evgeny Svechnikov (2 G, 1 A)
Assists Leader: Mario Ferraro (0 G, 3 A)
Power Play: 5.3%
Penalty Kill: 100%
Goals For/60: 1.6
Goals Against/60: 3.8
Shots For/60: 27.4
Shots Against/60: 31.2
LINES
Timo Meier — Tomas Hertl — Alexander Barabanov
Nick Bonino — Logan Couture — Luke Kunin
Jonah Gadjovich — Nico Sturm — Evgeny Svechnikov
Oskar Lindblom — Steven Lorentz — Matt Nieto
Jaycob Megna — Erik Karlsson
Marc-Edouard Vlasic — Matt Benning
Mario Ferraro — Radim Simek
James Reimer
Kaapo Kahkonen
Expected Scratches: Kevin Labanc, Scott Harrington, Noah Gregor
Injured Reserve: Markus Nutivaara (lower body)
Related
Sharks at Rangers: Empire State of Mind
New York Rangers
STATS
Record: 3-1-0
Streak: W1
Goals Leader: Mika Zibanejad (4 G, 4 A)
Assists Leader: Artemi Panarin (2 G, 8 A)
Power Play: 33.3%
Penalty Kill: 78.6%
Goals For/60: 4.25
Goals Against/60: 3
Shots For/60: 39.5
Shots Against/60: 29.5
LINES
Chris Kreider — Mika Zibanejad — Kaapo Kakko
Artemi Panarin — Vincent Trocheck — Alexis Lafreniere
Sammy Blais — Filip Chytil — Barclay Goodrow
Jimmy Vesey — Ryan Carpenter — Ryan Reaves
Ryan Lindgren — Adam Fox
K’Andre Miller — Jacob Trouba
Zac Jones — Braden Schneider
Igor Shesterkin
Jaroslav Halak
Expected Scratches: Libor Hajek, Vitali Kravtsov
Injured Reserve: None
How to Watch
Tonight’s game will be broadcast regionally on NBCSCA and MSG. Streaming is available with a subscription to ESPN+ (blackout restrictions may apply). The radio call will be streamed through the Sharks Audio Network and WEPN. Puck drop is at 4 p.m. PT/7 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York.
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