Old Look, Same Old Results: Sharks Lose 4-2 to Kraken

The San Jose Sharks welcome the Seattle Kraken to SAP Center.

They’re back in teal, after two months at home in Cali Fin.

Fabian Zetterlund and Klim Kostin scored, but the Kraken doubled up the Sharks 4-2.

Period 1

Great moment captured by @hockeyshots: Devin Cooley and Joey Daccord met when both were teenagers with Muskegon in the USHL in 2015-16.

Joey would invite Cooley to his dad Brian Daccord's goaltending school, and Cooley has been going every summer since. pic.twitter.com/8ScZegmJv2

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 2, 2024

Beniers goal: Zetterlund and Burroughs fiddle around with the puck on exit i.e. lose it, Beniers picks up loose change and he rockets it past Blackwood. Something something puck management.

Addison penalty: He bobbles trying to come out from behind net, forecheck on him, hurries him into delay of game.

5 minutes in, Kraken up 5-0 shots and at least a couple Grade-A’s.

6 in: Eklund has a Grade-A off Granlund feed, all alone, steps in front of Grubauer, but think he misses, like completely.

8 in: Eklund has a pretty entry, but then Bailey fires a missile of a low to high pass to Addison. Gotta have a little more touch there.

Bjorkstrand goal: That’s a pretty perfect shot there.

Zetterlund goal: Eklund along wall fakes like he’s moving high, but then he goes low, Gourde looks puzzled. Kraken PK was a step slow there. Zetterlund with the one-timer blast.

5 left: Not sure if Rutta should pinch there, very aggressive, but Eklund tracks back hard to negate a potential 2-on-1. Then offsides.

A different kind of slow start for the San Jose Sharks tonight, think Kraken buzzed out to 8-0 shots start, 8-1 Sharks since.

Wright goal: But then? Bad 200-foot defense. Bordeleau beat at center ice. Then Burroughs reaches when I don’t think he should — he wasn’t getting that, then there’s 2-on-1. I don’t think Ferraro plays it great, Wright smartly drags his stick back to find the soft spot. In Ferraro’s defense, guess that’s a pretty good pass and he did take away Wright’s wheelhouse, Wright forced to accept the pass from behind his own body a little bit.

This is what the score looks like when Blackwood isn’t bailing you out.

Period 2

4 in: Bordeleau can’t advance that Carpenter exit, San Jose Sharks need to get it out. Need to re-watch. Quinn says Bordeleau’s next step is consistency, which is every young player’s battle.

Kostin goal: Granlund fought off Larsson to gain zone, then Kostin got his stick free on Larsson. But really loved Granlund’s work there, another where would the Sharks be without him guys? Also, Kostin’s fourth goal in 12 games with the Sharks, after three in 33 with the Wings.

7 in: Some actually good San Jose Sharks hockey there, almost. Vlasic exits, pretty backhand to Granlund, just perfect pass under duress. Granlund carries it up the middle, Zetterlund skates wide. Zetterlund is open, Granlund kicks it to him. Kostin has joined rush, he’s cutting hard to middle and looks open in slot…but Zetterlund pass just misses. But an actual skill shift there.

10 in: Sturm just closes on Oleksiak at point. That’s an NHL close-out by Sturm. Sharks get it out shortly after.

6 left: Zetterlund disappointed that he doesn’t make a better play on potential 2-on-1 with Granlund. Not a criticism…you like a young player having expectations. Gotta keep a standard.

Hard trackback by Bailey on Tanev. That speed and reach combo is an asset there.

2 left: That’s a gorgeous high-to-low pass from Labanc to Rutta. Then Hoffman gets a high bid that Grubauer gloves. Good shift for both. Five years ago, how good did you think your team was if you had Kevin Labanc and Mike Hoffman on your fourth line?

One thought looking at these SPORTLOGiQ stats, through two periods: Maybe this is why Eklund and Granlund make sense apart, who else would hold on to the puck on their lines but these two? Nobody protects the puck better on their lines pic.twitter.com/ir2MlgMAFl

— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) April 2, 2024

Period 3

3 in: Sturm just erases Eberle, exit.

5 in: Labanc does pretty job dancing with puck along blueline. Through multiple Kraken sticks. High-skill play.

Good shift by Bailey, almost connects with Eklund in the slot for a Grade-A.

6 in: Understand what Bordeleau is trying to do there, but that’s the area where he can’t make a turnover. Center ice, he’s trying to hit I think Zadina flying up wing, Kraken on top of Bordeleau intercepts it at center ice. It happens. But not Bordeleau’s best game tonight.

9 in: Puck hard off end boards, bounces near Blackwood, looks like Thrun goes down and tries to scoop it? Not entirely sure what the plan was there. Leads to extended Kraken shift.

6 left: Kostin shows Tanev what’s what in a puck battle. Tanev, of course, willing, but he just bounces off a tank there.

4 left: Good shift by Sturm line, Zadina has been around the puck a lot tonight, feels like.

3 left: Zetterlund shoots, NBA-style, crashes net and almost gets his own rebound. He’s had a pretty good game.