This road trip hasn’t started the way the San Jose Sharks would’ve hoped, dropping their second straight in tonight’s 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Before the start of the game, Erik Karlsson was announced as a last minute scratch due to a lingering lower-body injury.
Despite the Lightning scoring two goals in the first period, the Sharks were generating the majority of shots and shot attempts at 5-on-5 for nearly the entire game. With 20 seconds left in the period, Evander Kane eventually broke through with a power play goal.
There was optimism in the second period after Kane notched another to tie the game, but it was short lived. Yanni Gourde scored to make it 3-2 and Victor Hedman gave the Lightning their two-goal lead, scoring on the power play.
In the third period, Steven Stamkos got i on the scoring action, adding two goals to help put the game out of reach. Later in the period, Marcus Sorensen made it 6-3 Sharks, but with only 36 seconds left in the game, it was too little too late.
The Sharks have started 0-2 on their four-game road trip.
Pregame
After losing their first game of 2019 to the Arizona Coyotes, the San Jose Sharks head to the Southeast to spend the next few days in Florida, where tonight they’ll take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the loss to the Coyotes the Sharks fell behind early and couldn’t find their way back into the game, eventually snapping their seven-game win streak. Two weeks ago, the Lightning fell to the Sharks in the second game of the aforementioned streak. The Sharks scored five goals on the way to victory over the Lightning, who had gone the entire month of December without losing in regulation.
On the other hand, the Lightning are also coming off a loss, falling 4-2 on Thursday against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both teams will look to get back on track with a win tonight before the All-Star break.
Lines
Although they’re coming off a loss, Head Coach Peter DeBoer is rolling out the usual lines in hopes that Thursday’s performance was a one-off and the Sharks can bounce back against one of the leagues best teams. On defense, Marc-Edouard Vlasic remains out of the lineup, so Tim Heed will play alongside Justin Braun on the bottom pairing.
Projecting the same lines as last game. Jones looks like he will be in net. #SJSharks pic.twitter.com/wRufdYfY8o
— Fear the Fin (@fearthefin) January 19, 2019
Meanwhile, the Lightning had an optional skate, so lines may change. Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the call in net.
13 players on the ice for #Bolts morning skate, including Louis Domingue, which suggests Andrei Vasilevskiy will get the start tonight vs. San Jose, Tampa Bay’s final game before the bye week. #SJSvsTBL
— Bryan Burns (@BBurnsNHL) January 19, 2019
Ondrej Palat — Steven Stamkos — Yanni Gourde
Tyler Johnson — Brayden Point — Nikita Kucherov
Alex Killorn — Anthony Cirelli — Adam Erne
J.T. Miller — Cedric Paquette — Ryan Callahan
Victor Hedman — Dan Girardi
Ryan McDonagh — Erik Cernak
Mikhail Sergachev — Anton Stralman
Andrei Vasilevskiy
Louis Domingue
Finally, here are how the Lightning and Sharks stack up statistically with a visual from Wave Intel’s versus tool:
Where to Watch
Puck drop from Amalie Arena is at 4:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. ET, broadcast on NBC Sports California and 98.5 KFOX with the radio call. Check back then for live updates and reactions.
Hey everyone! Eddie here and I’ll be with you all for this evening’s liveblog.
First Period
20:00: Let’s drop the puck!
18:54: Tomas Hertl goes to the net and nearly gets the puck past Andrei Vasilevskiy.
16:28: Goal. Mathieu Joseph makes it 1-0 on a rebound shot.
12:26: Martin Jones with a save on the 2-on-1!
12:05: Brent Burns is denied by Vasilevskiy.
11:34: Power Play. Alex Killorn is called for stick holding and the Sharks head to the man-advantage.
9:34: Lightning are able to kill the Killorn penalty.
6:42: Vasilevskiy denying the Sharks on multiple scoring chances.
2:09: Goal. Alex Killorn makes it 2-0 Lightning.
1:36: Power Play. Ondrej Palat heads to the box for interference and the Sharks get their second power play of the evening.
:20: GOAL! Evander Kane on the power play helps cut the Lightning’s lead to one.
End of the First Period
For those who are just joining us, Erik Karlsson was a last minute scratch from the lineup due to a lower-body injury.
Second Period
19:02: GOAL! Kane strikes again to tie the game at two!
16:46: Penalty. Joakim Ryan heads to the box for slashing and the Sharks are on the penalty kill for the first time tonight.
16:08: Jones is making some saves on the penalty kill, denying the Lightning two scoring chances.
14:46: Sharks kill the Ryan penalty.
12:31: Goal. Yanni Gourde gives the Lightning the lead on a rebound.
10:00: Penalty. Kevin Labanc heads to the box for cross-checking.
7:59: Goal. Victor Hedman scores on the power play, it’s 4-2 Lightning.
4:33: Timo Meier heads to the dressing room early.
2:37: Meier returns back from the dressing room.
End of the Second
Third Period
16:58: Sharks are generating shots, but nothing too dangerous.
14:52: Goal. Steven Stamkos makes it 5-2.
14:20: Marcus Sorensen fights to the net, but is unable to get a shot off or draw a penalty.
11:23: Nikita Kucherov slaps the puck near Pavelski and the two exchange words as they head to the bench.
6:46: A lot of talking between Kane and Erik Cernak, but no action.
6:46: Penalty. Kane heads to the box for roughing.
5:45: Goal. Lightning score their second power play goal of the night, as Stamkos scores on a one-timer.
4:12: Power Play. Ryan McDonagh heads to the box for closing his hand on the puck.
2:12: Sharks are unable to score on the man-advantage.
:36: GOAL. Sorensen slaps it past Vasilevskiy, who proceeds to smash his stick.
Final: Sharks 3, Lightning 6
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