Tag: William Eklund

Sharks Beat Red Wings 6-3 end 3 game skid, Wings end 7 game win streak, SJ scores 4 in third period

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The San Jose Sharks defenseman Cody Ceci and defenseman Jan Rutta (84) celebrate a first period goal that put the Sharks up on the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit on Tue Jan 14, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Detroit Red Wings 6-3 on Tuesday. Jan Rutta, Nico Sturm, William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, Tyler Toffoli and Mario Ferraro scored for the Sharks. Alexandar Georgiev made 25 saves for the win. Vladimir Tarasenko and Lucas Raymond scored for the Red Wings. Ville Husso made 18 saves in the loss.

The Sharks have given up the lead in the third period in several recent games. After the game, Jan Rutta said: “We’ve been in this situation more than a few times this year. So, we got the job done today. Hopefully that’s just a sign of us taking steps in the right direction and that when we have the lead we can play like tonight.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky talked about Georgiev’s performance in the win: “He was tracking pucks, he was locked in, made some huge saves for us, so… You can see his game it’s been trending in the right direction. So happy that he got rewarded tonight with the win for sure.”

The Sharks took an early lead with a goal from Jan Rutta at 1:45. Alexander Wennberg stole the puck away from Detroit below the goal line, then centered it for Will Smith. Smith took the shot and then caught his own rebound. He passed it up to Rutta above the faceoff circles. Rutta took the shot from high in the slot through some traffic. Assists went to Smith and Wennberg.

The Sharks added to their lead with a short-handed goal at 17:41. William Eklund broke away into the neutral zone then lost the puck before he got to the Detroit blue line. He gathered the puck back up and passed it to Nico Sturm on the blue line. Sturm carried the puck in and took the shot from just above the goal line. Assists went to Eklund and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The Sharks were badly outshot in the first period, 12-6 by the Red Wings. The Sharks took the only first period penalty. Their penalty kill allowed two shots but also took two shots and scored once.

Vladimir Tarasenko got the Red Wings on the board at 1:28 of the second period, catching a rebound from Simon Edvinsson’s shot for a snap shot. Assists went to Edvinsson and Jonatan Berggren.

The Sharks outshot the Red Wings in the second, 9-6. The Sharks also took the only second period penalty. The penalty kill got one short handed shot and did not allow any shots against.

William Eklund made it 3-1 28 seconds into the third period. Eklund passed the puck behind the net to Celebrini, who then passed it back through the blue paint to Eklund, who knocked it into the net. Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli got the assists.

Tarasenko trimmed the Sharks’ lead again, with his second of the night. Erik Gustafsson shot the puck off the backboards so that it centered just as Tarasenko arrived at the net to shoot it in. Gustafsson and Joe Veleno got the assists.

The Sharks took back their two goal lead at 7:43 with a power play goal. Mikael Granlund caught a pass from Macklin Celebrini at the top of the faceoff circle. Granlund carried the puck almost past the net before scoring with a backhand shot.

Lucas Raymond got one back for Detroit at 9:56 with a wrist shot. Going right to the net after a faceoff, he caught the pass from faceoff winner Dylan Larkin.

Tyler Toffoli made it 5-3 at 10:57. William Eklund gathered up a loose puck in front of the net and passed it ahead to Toffoli, who shot it in from a bad angle.

Mario Ferraro scored an empty net goal at 18:22 with a shot from just above the Sharks’ goal line.

The shots were almost even at 10-9 Sharks in the third period. The Red Wings took their first penalty of the game and the only one called in the third. The Sharks power play got two shots on goal and scored.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at 4:00 PM PT in Columbus against the Blue Jackets.

Sharks Fall 4-3 to Canucks, Demko 12-0 Against Sharks

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Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko (35) puts the stop on a shot by the San Jose Sharks in the first period at Rogers Center in Vancouver on Mon Dec 23, 2024 (Canadian Press via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-3 to the Vancouver Canucks Monday in the last game before Christmas. Brock Boeser, Kiefer Sherwood and Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks, with Pettersson scoring twice. Thatcher Demko made 26 saves for the win. William Eklund, Cody Ceci and Luke Kunin scored for the Sharks. Yaroslav Askarov made 20 saves in the loss.

The win was Thatcher Demko’s 12th against the Sharks, maintaining a perfect record against San Jose. While the Sharks improved their third period performance, a brief collapse in the second period was the difference in the game. After the game, Barclay Goodrow talked about that collapse:

“A couple pucks we didn’t get deep, I failed to get behind their D, they turn it up, it’s in the back of our net. That created momentum for their team and next thing you know they’ve scored three. Obviously if we don’t have that little stretch in the game it might be a different outcome.”

Shortly after being hit hard into the boards by Tyler Myers, William Eklund scored the first goal of the game. On a five-on-three power play, Eklund took the shot from the faceoff circle through traffic. Assists went to Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini. The goal was scored at 11:36 of the first period.

Brock Boeser tied the game at 14:10. Skating to the net, he tipped in a shot from Quinn Hughes. An assist also went to Vincent Desharmais.

Though Eklund played through the period, he did not return after the first intermission.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 10-6 in the first period. Each team took two penalties and a fighting major.

Kiefer Sherwood gave the Canucks a lead at 16:42 of the second period. Sherwood skated into the Sharks zone and shot around Henry Thrun. Assists went to Teddy Blueger and Nils Hoglander.

Elias Pettersson scored Vancouver’s third goal of the game at 17:08 of the period. The Sharks challenged the goal for goaltender interference. While Connor Garland made some contact with Askarov, the NHL upheld the call on the ice, putting the Sharks on the penalty kill.

The Canucks made it 4-1 on that power play. Elias Pettersson Had too much time to pick his shot and he used it to put the puck in the top corner. Assists went to J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes.

Vancouver outshot the Sharks 14-6 in the second period. Early in the third period, Henry Thrun took a shot to the face and had to leave the ice for repairs. He did return to the game with a gash on hi8s forehead. Elias Pettersson took one shift in the third period and then left the game.

Cody Ceci made it 4-2 with a shot from the point at 4:21 of the third period. Demko almost stopped it but it trickled through. An assist went to Fabian Zetterlund.

With just under 2:30 to go, the Sharks pulled Askarov for an extra skater. With six seconds left in the game, Luke Kunin caught a rebound and shot it in from a tight angle. Assists went to Celebrini and Toffoli.

The Sharks outshot the Canucks 14-4 in the third period.

The Sharks next play on Friday at 7:30 PM PT in San Jose against the Vegas Golden Knights.

Sharks Lose 3-2 to Hurricanes, Kunin Scores Twice

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San Jose Sharks Barclay Goodrow (32) can’t control the puck against the Carolina Hurricanes Sean Walker (26) and Shane Gostisbehere (4) at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh NC on Tue Dec 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday. Shayne Gostisbehere, Brent Burns and Jalen Chatfield scored for the Hurricanes. Pyotr Kochetkov made 21 saves for the win. Luke Kunin scored twice for the Sharks and Vitek Vanecek made 25 saves in the loss.

This was the Sharks first game after the trade of Mackenzide Blackwood to the Colorado Avalanche on Monday. Vitek Vancecek was in net, with his last appearance being in the first period in Tampa Bay two games ago. After Tuesday’s game, Luke Kunin said, of Vanecek: “He was great, he’s been great for us all year. Kept us in that one early. Yeah, our goaltending’s been phenomenal.”

William Eklund also credited Vanecek with keeping them in the game despite the team’s regrettable third period: “It’s just, obviously we’ve had good third periods this year. That’s been our thing I felt like. And today it wasn’t our thing. We shoot ourselves in the foot a little bit.”

Shayne Gostisbehere scored the first goal of the game at 4:26. As Gostisbehere skated in from the blue line, he caught a pass from Wiliam Carrier in the slot and snapped the puck past Vanecek. Assists went to Carrier and Jack Roslovic.

Luke Kunin tied the game at 18:51. Macklin Celebrini brought the puck in and then found Kunin with a pass to the slot. Kunin snapped it by Kochetkov. Assists went to Celebrini and Cody Ceci.

There were no penalties called in the first period. The Hurricanes outshot the Sharks 11-9.

Kunin scored again to give the Sharks a lead at 11:44 of the second period. William Eklund took the puck below the goal line and behind the net before sending it back up to Kunin. Kunin was just arriving by the net and tapped it past the goaltender.

The teams were very close in shots during the second period, 8-7 Hurricanes. The Sharks took three penalties and the Hurricanes took two.

Brent Burns tied the game back up at 4:11 of the third period. A turnover at the Hurricanes blue line sent the home team racing the other way. Sebastian Aho’s pass found Brent Burns approaching the Sharks net with Vanecek unable to get across. Assists wet to Aho and Martin Necas.

Jalen Chatfield scored the game winner at 17:21 of the third period. He intercepted a failed clearing attempt and sent it back to the net through traffic.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Beat Capitals 2-1 in OT, Win Streak at Three

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San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini (71) takes a shot on goal in front of the Washington Capitals center Lars Eller (20) in the second period at the Capital Center in DC on Tue Dec 3, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in overtime on Tuesday. The win capped the Sharks’ second three-game win streak of the season,. It qualifies as an upset since the Capitals are currently ranked third in the League and first in the Eastern Conference.

Tyler Toffoli and William Eklund scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves for the win. Nic Dowd scored for the Capitals and Logan Thompson made 29 saves in the loss.

The Sharks took the lead at the end of the first period. With just a minute left, Tyler Toffoli intercepted a pass I the neutral zone, carried the puck the other way and scored from just over the blue line.

The Capitals outshot the Sharks 16-8 I the first period. The Sharks took two penalties in the first half of the period, and the Capitals took one in the second half of the period.

Nic Dowd tied the game at 13:02 of the second period. Martin Fehervary sent the puck across the ice to Dowd in front of the net. Dowd shot as he dropped to one knee and beat Blackwood on the stick side. Assists went to Fehervary and Ivan Miroshnechenko.

The Sharks took the only penalty in the second period. The Capitals again outshot the Sharks, but by a much smaller margin, 9-7.

The Sharks pressed during the third period, outshooting the Capitals 13-4. They balanced the shot count but could not score, even with two power plays.

One of those power plays was a double minor at the end of the period, carrying 1:43 into overtime. That was Tom Wilson, high-sticking Macklin Celebrini. It was during that overtime power play that the Sharks scored.

39 seconds into overtime, Mikael Granlund’s pass found William Eklund in the faceoff circle. Eklund used a slap shot to put the game away. An assist also went to Macklin Celebrini.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at 4:00 PM PT in Tampa Bay against the Lightning.

Sharks Lose 5-2 to Dallas, Give Up 2 Empty Net Goals

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San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) deflects a shot by the Dallas Stars center Logan Stankoven (11) as defenseman Mario Ferrero (38) looks on in the first period at the American Airlines Center in Dallas on Wed Nov 20, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were defeated by the Dallas Stars 5-2 on Wednesday. Jason Robertson, Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn, Roope Hintz and Evgenii Dadonov scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for the win. Mikael Granlund and Jake Walman scored for the Sharks. Mackenzie Blackwood made 26 saves in the loss.

After the game, Jake Walman described the Sharks game as being close despite small problems: “For the most part we’re doing the right things but it’s just those little parts in the game. We got to hold each other accountable.” William Eklund also sounded like he thinks the team is close to finding a new level: “Turnovers cost us a little bit, some mistakes cost us a little bit today. We still find a way to keep it tight, keep it close.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said:

“We shoot ourselves in the foot in goals that we give up that are completely preventable. Until we learn how to play in the National Hockey League against really good second period teams, which are most teams that know how to transition in the second period, we’re going to be fighting this uphill battle in games.”

Jason Robertson opened the scoring at 15:33 of the first period. Mathew Dumba made a pass from the blue line and found Robertson as he entered the slot. Robertson spun and shot, beating Blackwood on the short side. Assists went to Dumba and Thomas Harley.

Mikael Granlund tied the game at 18:44. Short-handed, he broke away and skated almost to the blue paint before taking his shot. An assist went to William Eklund.

Dallas outshot San Jose 14-9 in the first period. The Sharks took three penalties and had one power play. They had two shots on their power play and gave up seven shots while short-handed.

Wyatt Johnston made it 2-1 for Dallas 56 seconds into the second period. Johnston and Roope Hintz skated into the Sharks zone two on one. Hintz put the puck behind the Sharks defender for Johnston to gather up and shoot in. Assists went to Hintz and Jason Robertson.

Jamie Benn made it 3-1 at 10:56 of the second. Benn was lurking beside the Sharks net while Sharks chased Logan Stankoven behind the net. Stankoven got the puck out to Benn for a shot.

The shots were much closer in the second period, 8-6 Dallas. The Sharks took no penalties in the second and they had one power play. They had one shot on goal during that power play.

Jake Walman made it 3-2 at 13:25 of the third period. Granlund carried the puck into the zone, then made a pass from the boards that caught Walman as he skated in. Walman took his shot from just inside the faceoff circle. Granlund and Cody Ceci got the assists.

With the Sharks net empty, Roope Hintz scored to make it 4-2. Johnston and Robertson got assists. Two Sharks collided with an official in the corner and went down, helping Johnston take control of the puck for that play.

Evgenii Dadonov also scored and empty net goal to make it 5-2. An assist went to Oskar Bäck.

With a little more than two minutes left, Granlund was called off the ice after he took a hit to the head from Ilya Lyubushkin. No penalty was called but the Sharks were without Granlund for the final minutes. There were no updates about his condition right after the game.

The Sharks next play on Thursday in St. Louis against the Blues at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 4-1 to Avalanche, Eklund Scores in Return

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) and San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) settle their issues on the ice in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Oct 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta and Cale Makar scored for Colorado. Justus Annunen made 25 saves for the win. William Eklund scored for San Jose. Vitek Vanacek made 18 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro talked about what the message was after the 8-3 loss to Winnipeg on Friday:

“We came off of who we are as a team and I think we just got a little lazy. So, that was kind of the message to go out there today and get back to the way that we need to play in order to win games and we were closer. We’ve still got some steps to take.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky showed cautious optimism, saying: “Definitely a step in the right, well, better than Winnipeg. Still got to find a way to create more offense, win a hockey game.”

Ross Colton gave the Avalanche the lead with a power play goal at 6:23 of the first period. Nathan MacKinnon sent the puck to him in the slot for a wrist shot. Assists went to MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Colton scored his second goal at 16:37. With a series of quick passes, the Avalanche moved up the ice and sent Colton into the zone at speed with the puck. Another wrist shot made it 2-0. Assists went to Mikko Rantanen and Makar.

William Eklund cut the lead in half with a power play goal at 18:25. Mikael Granlund found Eklund near the post for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Tyler Toffoli.

At the end of the first, the Sharks had been outscored 2-0 and out-shot 12-6. They were also short-handed twice while Colorado was only short-handed once.

In the second period, the Sharks had two overlapping penalties to kill, but the Avalanche had three penalties, two overlapping to give the Sharks some five-on-three time. Despite all of those, neither team scored in the second period. The Sharks did out-shoot the Avalanche in the period, 13-6.

The next goal went to the Avalanche, at 9:57 of the third period. Josh Manson sent the puck to the net where Joel Kiviranta caught it and then backhanded it around Vanacek. Assists went to Manson and John Ludvig.

The Sharks pulled Vanacek for the extra skater with just under four minutes left in the game. They did get some chances after but Cale Makar scored into the empty net at 18:23. Assists went to MacKinnon and Samuel Girard.

The Sharks finished the third period with seven shots to Colorado’s four.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Anaheim against the Ducks. At 7:15 PM PT.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa Walsh: Sharks Eklund, Granlund, and Benning listed day to day with injuries; plus more news

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San Jose Sharks William Eklund (72) seen here scoring against the St Louis Blues on Sat Apr 6, 2024 at SAP Center in San Jose. Eklund is one of three Sharks players in camp that are day to day as reported on Fri Sep 27, 2024 (AP file photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks have some minor injuries they incurred after their pre season game against the Anaheim last Tuesday in San Jose. William Eklund, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Benning are all day to day.

#2 Sharks rookie Macklin Celebrini’s words ring like it was spoken by a veteran said that the Sharks should hate to lose games even if it’s pre season and that losing is not acceptable.

#3 Celebrini it should be noted that he’s the last player off the off after a practice. One of the reasons why he’s the number one NHL draft pick. Celebrini comes to work even in practice as the old saying goes practice makes perfect and he puts in the extra work.

#4 Mikael Gralund who is nursing an injury is day to day talked about what it’s been like in camp saying he could feel the energy and see the Sharks going somewhere this season. Granlund said having someone like Celebrini around is exciting and he brings a positive dimension to the team.

#5 The Sharks Barclay Goodrow said it’s exciting to be back in San Jose and he had a lot of good memories. Goodrow said he’s also excited about the new season coming up. Goodrow broke in with the Sharks in the 2014-15 season and left in 2019-20 and returned for this 2024-25 season and said he’s happy to be back in San Jose.

Join Mary Lisa for the San Jose Sharks podcasts Saturdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Eklund’s Hat Trick Secures 3-2 Victory For San Jose Sharks Over St. Louis Blues

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San Jose Sharks left winger William Ecklund (72) wearing the Hat Trick hat is surrounded by his happy teammates at SAP Center in San Jose for defeating the St Louis Blues on Sat Apr 6, 2024 (AP News photo)

Saturday, April 6th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE– The St. Louis Blues faced off in the Tank against the San Jose Sharks in this weekend showdown. The Sharks defeated the Blues to end a nine game win streak back on Sat Mar 30. The Sharks once again who had lost 11 of their last 12 defeated the Blues 3-2 at SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday.

Game recap: The first period was scoreless, but it was an even time seemingly in possession. The Sharks pressured the Blues as much as possible. 

The Sharks in the second period took the lead in the second period, thanks to “Slippery Pete” himself, William Eklund. Eklund scored two goals, both of them in power plays. He at this point had 14 goals on the season and the Sharks themselves had the most dangerous lead in hockey, a two goal lead. 

The wheels came off for San Jose in the third as the Sharks let two goals sneak past them. First one from Jordan Kyrou on a power play early in the third period, 2-1 with the Sharks still up. Later in the period, Brayden Schenn scored his 18th goal of the season and the tying goal of the game. 2-2 and we would see overtime. 

Overtime went all the way down to the final minute, but Eklund would make a moment in his career he would never forget as he would score his third goal of the night, securing a hat trick, 15 goals on the season, and a win for San Jose. 3-2 Sharks. 

Post game notes: Last game the LA Kings beat San Jose 2-1 in the SAP Center on Thursday night, Klim Kostin (1g, 0a) lit the lamp for the second consecutive game and third time in the last five contests. Mikael Granlund (0g, 1a) extended his scoring streak to six games (2g, 5a), tying his seasonlong. William Eklund (0g, 1a) pushed his home point streak to nine games, three shy of the Sharks’ team record. Jack Studnicka played in his 100th career NHL game.

Next game for the Sharks is Sunday Apr 7th against the Arizona Coyotes a 3:00pm PDT matinee and the second of back to back games at SAP Center. Coach Quinn can be proud of his young sniper, WIlliam Eklund for a big win.

Sharks Fall 3-2 in a Shootout with the Stars

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender Magnus Chrona (30) gets a stick on the puck for a save as the Dallas Stars Ty Dellandrea looks on at American Airlines Arena in Dallas on Sat Mar 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 in a shootout to the Dallas Stars on Saturday. Stars goals came from Radek Faksa and Jason Robertson. Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn scored in the shootout. Jake Oettinger made 21 saves for the win.

Sharks goals came from William Eklund and Filip Zadina. Anthony Duclair scored in the shootout. Magnus Chrona made 36 saves in the loss. This is the Sharks’ sixth loss in a row, though they did get a point against the top team in the Central Division.

With Mackenzie Blackwood on IR, Chrona is bound to see a few more starts before the end of the season. His last start for the Sharks was on December 28, when he was pulled after giving up four goals in the first period. Saturday, his performance was better, giving up just two goals on 38 shots. After the game, Sharks forward Luke Kunin said, of the young goaltender:

“He was great tonight. Some huge saves for us, really kept us in that game. I thought we had a pretty good game for the most part but those stretches where we were giving up a lot, he was there to back us up. Great performance by him tonight.”

Of the Sharks game outside the net, Sharks Head Coach David Quinn said: “The faceoffs killed us. I think they won almost 70% of their faceoffs. You’re chasing the game a lot when you’re losing that many faceoffs. But I thought overall we played a good hockey game.” The Stars did win 67.2% of the faceoffs.

The Sharks scored first at 4:39 of the first period. William Eklund and Luke Kunin entered the zone two-on-one and Eklund took a shot that Oettinger kicked back out. Eklund was ready to catch the rebound and scored with a quick wrist shot. Assists went to Kunin and Jan Rutta.

The Stars tied it at 3:08 of the second period. Sam Steel deflected Craig Smith’s shot from the boards. The puck trickled through Chrona but still needed an extra push from Radek Faksa to cross the line.

The Sharks took the lead back with a goal at 17:08 of the second. Filip Zadina spun around in the faceoff circle and took his shot. The puck bounced up over Oettinger and hit the post before a Star swept it out of the net. An official review determined that the puck did cross the line. Luke Kunin got an assist.

Fabian Zetterlund blocked a shot with his ankle in the final minutes of the period. He had to be helped off the ice and back to the dressing room.

The Stars tied it again at 4:08 of the third period with a power play goal just 3 seconds into that power play. Jason Robertson took a shot from the top of the faceoff circle, putting the puck into the side of the net. Assists went to Miro Heiskanen and Jamie Benn.

Early in the third period, Nico Sturm returned to the bench with an injury, possibly an elbow or a stick to the neck.

At the end of regulation, the Stars had outshot the Sharks 36 to 20. Dallas took a penalty about half way through overtime but the Sharks could not take advantage of that. The Sharks had three shots in overtime and the Stars had two.

The shootout went to seven rounds. Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars. Benn scored the winner while falling to the ice after tripping over Chrona’s stick.

Jake Oettinger stopped shots from Filip Zetterlund, William Eklund, Kyle Granlund, Filip Zadina, Mike Hoffman and Luke Kunin. Anthony Duclair scored for the Sharks. Magnus Chrona stopped shots from Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston, Logan Stankoven and Joe Pavelski.

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 4:00 PM PT in St. Paul, Minnesota, against the Wild.

San Jose Sharks Win In A Shutout 2-0 Game Against The Seattle Kraken; SJ’s Blackwood stops 32 shots to blank Kraken

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) looks on as Shark defenseman Nikita Okhotiuk (83) reaches out for the puck in the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Jan 30, 2024 (AP News photo)

Tuesday, January 30th, 2024

By Troy Ewers

SAN JOSE, CA – In the “Shark Tank”, the SAP Center the San Jose Sharks host the Seattle Kraken. Logan Couture’s impact has been felt since his return, logging his first assist of the season in his first game back (Jan. 20 vs. ANA) and posting the game-deciding goal in a shootout in the following game against the Los Angeles Kings (Jan. 22).

The Sharks’ centerman lead the team in numerous categories, Hertl in scoring with 15 goals, Granlund in assists with 24 and Sturm in faceoff win percentage with 61.3% (min. 100 faceoffs). Starting in net for San Jose is Mackenzie Blackwood and for Seattle, Joey Daccord. Blackwood stopped 32 shots by the Kraken for the 2-0 shutout.

Slow first period for both teams and it was both defenses jousting for position. Shakir Mukhamadullin got a minor for tripping and even though the penalty was killed off, it came with a close call where fans and even players thought the puck crossed the line, but it was waved off as play continued.

The period was scoreless, Blackwood stopping 13 shots on goal, the Sharks only getting three shots on goal. The Kraken had as many shots on goal as the Sharks had in attempts in the first period. 0-0 at first intermission, but Sharks showed no sign of energy in the first period. 

The second period was an even slower period, but that’s because of this high defensive output from both squads. In that period the shots on goal total for both teams was ten (Seattle with six and San Jose with four) and it stayed scoreless after another 20 minutes.

Other than shot attempts where the Kraken out-shot the Sharks by double, the stats on paper seemingly were as even as they could be for this close contest. At the second intermission the score was 0-0 and now the game was a battle of composure, who can stay level headed, because each team had one penalty that was killed off, so another mistake could shake up this whole game.

The third period was the literal game changer for the Sharks. Luke Kunin and Will Borgen got into a fight early in the period and the hands they were throwing put a battery in the San Jose crowd. Almost four minutes later the Sharks took advantage of this hype crowd and the energy they gave them.

William Eklund got some oohs and ahhs from the crowd with his stick handling and it led to an opening in the Seattle defense where Marc-Edouard Vlasic (his fourth goal) was able to hit a wrist shot from the blue line, 1-0 Sharks. The goal was assisted by Ty Emberson, his eighth and William Eklund, his 14th.

The rest of the period was the Sharks holding off the Kraken and after Jan Rutta hit an empty net goal, the period ended 2-0 and the Sharks get a shutout victory and Blackwood was awarded the first star of the game.

This win for the Sharks is a big victory, their 14th win on the season, but they get less than 24 hours to enjoy this win, because they go to Anaheim to face the Ducks January 31st (tomorrow) and then it’s the All-Star break where they won’t have a game until Valentine’s Day.

The Sharks may not be in the hunt for a cup this year, but one thing is clear is they won’t go without a fight and especially against teams with winning records.