San Jose Sharks
Sharks Blow 3-Goal Lead, Celebrini-Smith Era Begins With 5-4 OT Loss
The San Jose Sharks welcome the St. Louis Blues into SAP Center for the season opener.
It’s Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith’s NHL debuts!
Celebrini and Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zetterlund and Barclay Goodrow scored, but the Sharks lost 5-4 in OT.
Period 1
5 in: Granlund flubs a golden chance, off Smith pass.
Blackwood has been besieged, shades of last year. San Jose Sharks not killing plays, making exit passes, or forechecking with any facility so far. Hopefully just nerves, but this looks like last year so far.
Celebrini goal: But hey, you don’t need to kill plays when you get bounces like that. Celebrini spin-o-rama pass to Eklund goes off Kessel, past Hofer.
Buchnevich goal: Celebrini falls high, a 2-on-1 the other way. Ugly hockey all around so far. Blues 11-3 shots, hopefully, Sharks have so good hockey at some point.
9 in: Thrun answers by skating it up himself, then nice stretch pass to Dellandrea. Attaboy, Sharks need more of that, just good plays.
8 left: Good defensive stick by Smith. Then pass to empty point, but that’s not his fault, he’s made some plays to start.
7 left: San Jose Sharks accepting too much rush. Making it easy for the Blues, gotta rewatch, but I bet high turnovers.
6 left: Celebrini careless with the puck in the NZ a couple times. Wonder if the pace is finally getting to him, he had consistently been making the right plays in lower competition. But the NHL is another beast, I wonder if he’s finally rushing a bit.
5 left: Smith picks up a loose puck in OZ, time and space, feints one way, gets D to bite, then gives it to Granlund behind goal line. Been better than I expected to start. Still weak on the puck, but that’s probably not going to change until next year. But high-end smarts and poise are showing.
Toffoli goal: Whoa! Exceptional play by Celebrini. Beaut entry by Celebrini and Eklund. Behind the net, Celebrini goes one way, then reverses hard to Toffoli in front, slips pass under Leddy, easy goal for a guy like Toffoli.
Blues 22-9 shots…I know what the score is, but that’s unacceptable. Let’s see if San Jose can play better in the next two periods, Blackwood and Celebrini keeping it passable.
Period 2
1 in: Love that Smith entry. He fakes a dump-in and just keeps going. Easy entry, leads to a good third line shift. He is, I think, getting better.
5 in: Gushchin does a good job on an island with Kyrou, but then Kunin with an ugly exit pass giveaway. Sharks recover but that could’ve been a backbreaker.
6 in: Sturm backcheck produces turnover and Dellandrea powers his way into zone, Eklund gets a shot. San Jose Sharks have appeared to stabilize a bit here, they have only four shots in the period so far.
7 in: Fourth line providing energy, Sturm drives the center lane, Dellandrea finds Gushchin, penalty drawn.
Zetterlund goal: Granlund has a slow start to the game, like the rest of the San Jose Sharks, but exceptional on this power play. Great shot-pass to Toffoli for dangerous deflection, then finds Zetterlund from corner to front for a slam dunk shot. Great hands by Zetterlund too.
9 in: Granlund takes a faceoff for Smith weakside in OZ. That has to happen, Smith getting killed in circle. Smith getting his strong side draws.
8 left: Again Smith negotiates his way into zone with relative ease and comfort on PP entry. This is the best that he’s looked with the puck in the NHL. Gotta keep it up, but he’s been good in the OZ, disruptive on forecheck to a noticeable degree. Weak on puck and faceoffs, but we knew that already. I’ve liked what I’ve seen tonight, really something to build on.
Sturm-Dellandrea-Ferraro-Rutta over boards for PK.
Goodrow goal: Kunin-Goodrow follow on PK. Crafty putback by Goodrow off initial save…okay replay, he got lucky. BUT that was a Goodrow-created chance. Stepped up on Thomas, it looked like, who was trying to break in the zone. Yup, just sticked it away. Fantastic PK’ing.
Sharks outshot Blues 17-8 in the middle frame. Impressive responsive period after an overwhelmed first period. Let’s see if they can go in for the kill in the third period. That doesn’t mean burying a Blues team that should be hungry, more playing defensively sound and stifling St. Louis.
Period 3
Faksa goal: Looked like a rough shift for Benning, granted his first game in a while. But can’t corral Blackwood pass, turnover, then he ends up on Sturm’s man. Think he was trying to kill the play there, but couldn’t. He looks a half-step slow, if I recall him at his best. Then Faksa just jams it, beats Blackwood one-on-one.
Suter goal: Uh oh. Gushchin actually does a great job winning puck one-on-one against the (much) bigger Toropchenko in NZ, gives it back to Thrun in DZ. I haven’t disliked Thrun today, but that’s a giveaway, can’t do that.
Who’s going to turn momentum around for the San Jose Sharks? Last year, they had no answer for this unless Blackwood was lights out.
Gushchin penalty: Big moment coming up. Gushchin defending hard, I give him credit, but looks like stick got high on Schenn.
Granlund-Eklund-Walman-Rutta to start this PK. Then Goodrow-Kunin-Ferraro-Rutta. Big block by Goodrow, then battle win by Rutta. Love to see that, that’s great hockey.
5 left: Great forecheck shift by Granlund and Dellandrea, winning hockey.
4 left: Toffoli got away with a dicey exit pass there.
I’ve been, however, impressed by how San Jose Sharks have killed time after the Suter goal. But now, the hair-raising 6-on-5. Pretty good puck management, disruptive forecheck, hard defending.
2 left: Good tracking by Wennberg on wall after Walman missed clear.
Faulk goal: Blackwood may want that back. San Jose Sharks, after last year, really could’ve used a clean regulation win there. Clean the scar tissue.
OT
Celebrini-Eklund-Walman to start.