Karlsson Scores 4 Points in 5-2 Sharks Rout

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Minnesota Wild at SAP Center for the last game before the holiday break. Erik Karlsson and Noah Gregor gave the Sharks a first period lead, and Timo Meier and Oskar Lindblom and Kevin Labanc added to it in a four-point night for Karlsson and a 5-2 San Jose victory.

Period 1

Wild have given up 6 goals in their last 6 games, but not with defense like that. Megna hits Karlsson with a D-to-D pass BELOW the hash marks for a slam dunk

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 23, 2022

Hartman was watching Karlsson, who was down low, but for whatever reason, Hartman thought Wild were going to exit, even though they never had possession, and he left Karlsson. Barabanov made a clever pass up high to Megna, who just found the open man.

Eriksson Ek goal: San Jose Sharks have had a talent for showing something, then just fumbling that momentum in an instant. Svechnikov was covering for a pinching Benning, no problem, but it looks like he doesn’t appreciate the step that Eriksson Ek had. Not to be the reminder of bad tidings, but not the first time that Svechnikov’s lack of foot speed has been exposed at this level.

3 in: Barabanov does a nice job covering for pinching D, NZ stand-up leads to good Meier chance, Couture pass to the front. Barabanov actually got in the way of Middleton, who was trying to lead the rush and had got by the pinching d-man. Nice work by AB.

6 in: Hartman does a great job of walling off Ferraro from puck up high, good one on one battle win.

Great work by Bonino on two-man disadvantage, pressured Zuccarello (granted that could’ve been called), big block, then a clear when two-man done.

Bonino, by the way, just clocked 1:27 on that PK, the entire Wild 2-man advantage and more, had a big block and a clutch clear. Outstanding work

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 23, 2022

Gregor goal: Liked Labanc play to begin all that. It’s small, but he’s flagging down loose puck, Wild FC hot and heavy behind him, and instead of trying to make a play and turn it up, Labanc acknowledges pressure and just slaps it to other side, trusts his teammate to get it. Harrington does. Entering zone, Karlsson as he so often does, scrambles the coverage, fake shot freezes three Wild, he hits Lorentz down low, and Minnesota is all over the place after that, leading to a wide-open Gregor for rebound.

1 left: Barabanov NZ turnover, as good as he’s been tonight, don’t like that. That’s losing hockey, the kind that loses your lead. Trying to advance forward with a lead backhand to either Couture or Ferraro? Leads to Minnesota momentum. Anyway, San Jose Sharks escape.

Period 2

2 in: Vlasic on top of Steel there, like.

3 in: Lorentz down low finds Meier high, second time tonight he’s made a nice low-to-high find (Gregor goal to Benning).

5 in: Big save by Reimer on Kaprizov, rare clean royal road pass to get through San Jose Sharks PK. If anything though, maybe that almost wall to wall pass traveled too far, gave Reimer a little more time to get set.

6 in: Good break-up by Harrington, leads to Lorentz rush, Lindblom chance

8 in: Good read by Ferraro, looks up with puck, sees a forward playing defense (Zuccarello), attacks, chance off wing.

Wild have looked like Sharks tonight, careless with the puck, but it's on San Jose to take advantage of one of these turnovers to lengthen lead

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 23, 2022

Nieto looks OK (just came back from injury after big Dahlin hit) after getting crushed by Dumba. First look, looked clean

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 23, 2022

Looks like Karlsson gave him a bit of a suicide pass. Good for Megna to stand up for his teammate.

Mason Shaw knees Evgeny Svechnikov.
5 min major and a game misconduct. pic.twitter.com/PHIMJQUbay

— JD Young (Notable?) (@MyFryHole) December 23, 2022

My first thought: Shaw is on straight line to finish his check. On other hand, I think he has some chance to pull up with puck gone and Svechnikov’s knee vulnerable. I know knee not head, but that’s a very vulnerable area, and I thought he was careless. Think the major and game misconduct deserved. I understand that it’s against hockey nature to ask players to not finish checks, but they’re also being taught not to be so careless on vulnerable areas too.

Lindblom goal: A Karlsson masterpiece tonight. You could even see it on the major, the franticness in which Meier and Barabanov played, a little out of control, but everything from Karlsson was precise, unhurried, purposeful.

Period 3

Shaw Ejected After Another Questionable Hit on Sharks Player

Svechnikov here to start third period, great news.

5 left: Reimer side to side, swallows up Spurgeon one-timer. Wild have had attempts, but really, nothing too dangerous. San Jose has done a good job smothering them.

4 left: Awful sequence by Wild, just emblematic of their carelessness with the puck tonight.

In just 35 games too, 2018-19 was in 53 games https://t.co/53yM2ixyJN

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) December 23, 2022