San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin is congratulated by his teammates after scoring the go ahead goal in the third period against the Washington Capitals at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Nov 27, 2023 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 Monday at SAP Center. Fabian Zetterlund and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks and Mackenzie Blackwood made 33 saves for the win. Evgeny Kuznetsov scored for the Capitals and Darcy Kuemper made 21 saves in the loss.

Justin Bailey was signed to a two-way contract Monday. He has been playing for the Barracuda so far this season. Monday was his first game with the Sharks and his first NHL point of the season. He made a particular impact in board battles. The 6’4” Bailey seems like exactly the type of player the Sharks could use to fill out their thinned forward ranks.

Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “He’s our biggest forward and he can skate. And as you can see, he’s got a little bit of touch too. That was a great pass he made to Kunin on the winning goal. And he plays an honest game.”

Fabian Zetterlund gave the Sharks the lead midway through the first period. After taking a shot from the top of the face-off circle, he pulled up near the net and jumped on the rebound. Assists went to Nikita Okhotiuk and Mikael Granlund.

Washington’s Evgeny Kuznetsov tied the game late in the second period. After a long spell in the offensive zone, Kuznetsov’s shot bounced off of Blackwood and then off of Okhotiuk and into the net. Assists went to Trevor van Riemsdyk and Martin Fehervary.

Luke Kunin gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead with a power play goal at 12:48 of the third period. Justin Bailey won a battle along the boards before finding Kunin with a short pass. Assists went to Bailey and Ty Emberson. Bailey was signed to a two-way contract with the Sharks Monday.

The Capitals pulled their goaltender with just over a minute left but the Sharks held on. The final shot count was 34-23 Capitals. The second period saw the largest discrepancy, with Washington out-shooting San Jose 14-6. The Sharks power play went 1/3 and their penalty kill was perfect through three penalties. The teams were even in the faceoff circle.

Tomas Hertl was out Monday, having suffered a mid-body injury Sunday. The Sharks again had seven defensemen in the game and 11 forwards.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in Boston against the Bruins at 4:00 PM PT.