Thrun Nets Two, Sharks Topple Golden Knights in Preseason Opener 5-2

Welcome back, San Jose Sharks!

The Sharks opened the pre-season with a bang, rolling the Vegas Golden Knights 5-2.

Henry Thrun (twice), Tomas Hertl, Nathan Todd, and Kyle Burroughs scored.

Period 1

Thrun goal: Thrun point shot finds daylight. Might be the high point of the San Jose Sharks season! Just joking. Zadina provides the screen, good to see him go to dirty area.

4 in: Bordeleau skates it out under duress, makes safe play and gets it deep. He’s gotta do that from time to time, can’t always skill it up.

5 in: Gushchin gets down for the block.

7 in: Bordeleau-Barabanov-Wiesblatt-Duclair-Rutta first power play unit over boards. Followed by Hoffman-Hertl-Zadina-Gushchin-Thrun.

Hertl goal: Thrun great fake shot-pass, fools everyone, Hertl off to side has a gimme.

Todd goal: Okay, this really might be the high point of the season haha. Broken play, Todd right man, right place.

10 in: Don’t love that soft diagonal exit pass from Gushchin to Robins, easily intercepted. Too easy.

7 left: Furlong draws penalty, but a little bit of a welcome to the NHL moment there. Beat wide, then interfered with, knoxcked on his butt, by big Mason Geertsen.

6 left: Net front/side of the net Hertl finds Hoffman at right flank, Hoffman can still wire it, whoa. Big save by Patera. Interesting that they’re trying Zadina in bumper role, didn’t look comfortable there last year.

5 left: Long bounce stretch pass by Laroque. Good pass. We’ve seen, in Rookie Faceoff and scrimmages, real puck-moving ability from Laroque. Still have questions about his movement post-double hip surgery though.

Barbashev goal: Looks like Furlong gets caught in no man’s land, chasing pass coming from other side of net. Zadina, who made the play a second ago, can’t get back in time, toggling from point to middle of slot.

Thrun goal: Gushchin’s hard left flank seam pass to Hertl in right flank opens up space. That’s a great pass through multiple penalty killers.

Period 2

Another San Jose Sharks power play, good workout for that unit. They seem to be leaning toward lefty Duclair on the right flank one-timer, Barabanov bumper.

Burroughs goal: Nice find by Barabanov. 5-1 Sharks, good day for the Griers.

10 in: Falling down, Bordeleau hits Duclair across the neutral zone, good job. Then he appears to get inside on Sedoff, maybe deflects it? But then outmuscled behind the net by Sedoff. But Bordeleau tracks back hard to break up play.

7 left: Bordeleau stays with Demek, causes turnover.

Howden goal: Tire fire after Cassels can’t move it forward along wall.

4 left: Zadina with vision, spots Thrun walking down.

3 left: Burroughs crushed Comtois in open ice. Sent to box, but that’s the spirit. Todd-Cassels-Thrun-Rutta to start PK. Saw Wiesblatt, Robins, Zadina, Okhotiuk getting looks too.

2 left: Kahkonen hasn’t been heavily tested but has look good. Glove on Demek in slot just now.

Period 3

Opening shift, Duclair flashes his speed, creating turnover on forecheck.

7 in: On entry, Wiesblatt sneaks a pass under Vegas stick to Smith. Good little play.

9 in: Sweet pass by Laroque under pressure to spring Barabanov. Like.

9 left: Don’t like Gushchin up high, cut off by Quinney, weak pass along wall that’s easily picked off.

3 left: Kahkonen started out with a light load, but he’s made a lot of good saves in this period. Promising beginning after a tough season last year.