Postgame Notes #54: Chekhovich Gets 1st Point, Sharks Lose 5-2

Period 1

2 in: Soderstrom bites when he shouldn’t in NZ, Sharks enjoy clear-cut 2-on-1. Pasichnuk jumps up there.

Chekhovich breakaway: Not sure what in the world Fischer is doing. Burns has puck, Fischer should be covering for pinching RHD Demers, instead Fischer forechecks Burns who’s coming up opposite lane and where Arizona’s LHD is. On other side, Chekhovich is beating Demers up ice with ease – not Demers’s fault. Lucky for them, Chekhovich can’t handle pass clean.

Karlsson goal: Karlsson pass to Hertl to spring easy entry a reminder that Karlsson’s hands still there. Perfect pass, hard enough to beat forecheck, soft enough for Hertl to handle – also, the pass needs to be where Hertl can handle it in stride. Obviously, Hertl’s skill catching it matters here too. That pass will go unnoticed, but it’s good stuff.

8 in: Nice job by Barabanov to take it off Soderstrom’s stick on forecheck. Deceptive strength there, it looks like. Rough start for 2019 first-rounder Soderstrom.

4 left: Gregor negates icing with his feet. Good work.

San Jose Sharks should be up more than a goal: 6-2 Slot Shots, 5-0 Scoring Chances Off the Rush in All Situations, according to SPORTLOGiQ.

Period 2

1 in: Good skating pop by Karlsson there.

3 in: Good board battle win by True. That’s where he can make his living in the NHL. Then Chekhovich beats flat-footed Demers off wall, lasers a pass to Meier, 3-on-1 for San Jose Sharks, good job playing fast by the rook.

Chekhovich's first NHL point!

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) May 8, 2021

Soderstrom goal: Ragged on him earlier, but what a shot. Beats Balcers up top, Balcers has to defend better there, not cede that space up the middle.

5 in: Poor recognition by Gregor. Ferraro is following Jenik to the wall, playing man to man, Gregor watching Jenik too, lets Brassard behind him.

Then Ferraro area pass to Chekovich, but the feet aren’t quite there yet to get to it first. I’ll say though, night and day difference in performance for Chekhovich tonight, he’s noticeable.

10 left: Good patience by Ferraro killing 3-on-5, stops up rim-around, then waits for Coyotes forechecker to pass him before reversing it out. Not easy to be that calm when you’re down two men.

7 left: Rookie nerves maybe on display there as Chekhovich ices it after overhandling puck. Good hard trackback by him though after Vlasic’s pinch, and Arizona has a brief 2-on-1. Pasichnuk with the break-up there too.

Really liked this Hertl play: Puck incoming, Hertl lifts Demers's stick, lets puck get ahead of him, Demers way behind him. That's using your smarts, strength & reach to create space. Pass just misses Barabanov, but terrific work from Hertl. pic.twitter.com/lS6KwSa9Eo

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) May 8, 2021

Period 3

How does Kessel get behind you like that? Not sure where Karlsson was there, I know Knyzhov had just fired a point shot. Big save from Korenar.

But then, Kessel gets behind the San Jose Sharks defense again. Again, Karlsson? This time, Kessel makes no mistake.

If Kessel scores 1 more goal vs #SJSharks either later this game or tomorrow he will join Leon Draisaitl (10 vs Ottawa this season) and Jonathan Cheechoo (10 vs Ana in 2005-06) as the only players w/ 10 goals vs 1 team in a season since start of the 1993-94 season https://t.co/zmaUHUz5K6

— Josh Dubow (@JoshDubowAP) May 8, 2021

Playing #SJSharks have been open arms for old snipers: 9 of Kessel's 19 goals this year have been against SJS, 4 of Parise's 7

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) May 8, 2021

Would’ve been a tough save, but there’s an opportune time for one. Kane’s stick breaks up top, both San Jose Sharks defensemen are creeping down wall. Really nobody’s fault there. But it’s a 2-on-1 for Arizona, Kane has to play it without a stick and Bunting does the rest.

10 left: Active shift from Gregor there. Defense you can teach, that feet and shot, not as much.

9 left: Not much of a shot from Gambrell all alone in the slot after a nice pass from Burns. Feel like Gambrell’s game has dropped a little since coming back from injury, don’t know if he’s banged up a bit.

6 left: Chaput looking skyward after Burns pulls and drags it through his legs and fires it.

Think they really want to get Kessel to 20, if there’s an empty net, bet he’s out there for a while, especially with a two-goal lead.