Sheng Peng
We got some insight into what the San Jose Sharks talked about between periods on Tuesday night.
Up 3-1 after 40 minutes against the Arizona Coyotes, alternate captain Nick Bonino shared some of the positive reinforcement that the Sharks received from David Quinn and the coaching staff for the Nico Sturm goal that gave the home side a two-goal lead. This strike would prove to be the game-winner.
“On Sturmy’s goal, we talked about it in the room, [Logan Couture] instead of trying to force a play, dumps it in. We get it back on the forecheck, Sturmey gets the rebound. Little things like that go a long way,” the two-time Stanley Cup champ shared. “The little plays like dumping it when maybe we forced passes at bluelines [before].”
We’ve talked plenty about the consequences that the San Jose Sharks have faced because of forced passes, most recently, yesterday.
That’s not what Couture does here:
Couture (39) pressures Lawson Crouse (67) into a turnover. On gaining the zone, the centerman has two passing options.
But credit the San Jose Sharks captain, at the end of a minute-long shift, for avoiding a play that he’s not sure about. A turnover here could mean a Coyotes chance the other way, especially with a gassed Couture trying to backcheck.
“Logan gets a puck, late in the shift, he gets the blue line, pulls up five feet inside the blue line, instead of forcing a play, just chips it in,” Quinn said. “We ended up sustaining zone time.”
Sturm (7) jumps on the ice for Couture. Bonino (13) beelines toward J.J. Moser (90), who perhaps hurries a pass because of the incoming forecheck. The rim skips over Nick Bjugstad’s (17) blade, and Sturm claims it. He tries to get it back down low, but the 6-foot-6 Coyotes center squeezes the wall.
It’s now a loose puck, but Sturm will not be denied. Sturm lifts Bjugstad’s stick and establishes body position, and hands it off the Radim Simek (51) at the blueline. Simek distributes it to partner Scott Harrington (4), who times a point shot for a crashing Sturm to cash in on.
Like Bonino said, the little things go a long way.
2022 Stanley Cup champ Sturm, of course, has a knack for those little things.
“Those are the things that I think we’re really starting to understand,” Quinn hoped, “which is going to put ourselves in a position to win hockey games.”