The Sharks could not hold onto a three-goal
lead Thursday night and ended up losing in OT to the Saint Lous Blues in the
season opener. Still, a great time was had by the fans in the stands, for the
most part. At least that’s how I saw it, despite the Shars wilting late in
the game.
For starters, it was certainly disappointing to see the Blues
keep the puck in Sharks’ end of the ice pretty much the entire third
period. It was no fun to give up the tying goal with 47 seconds left in the
game, never get a serious chance to put the puck in the Blues’ empty net
late in the game, and then never get puck possession in the OT. The Sharks lost
5-4.
This was a game the Sharks could have and should have won. But
hey, we got a point out of it. And we all got a first look at Macklin
Celebrini. It became obvious pretty fast why this young player was drafted
first overall. Other teams are going to dread playing against him. He had a
goal and an assist in this game. Welcome to the Sharks, Macklin.
And
Will Smith, too. (Smith was kept off the scoreboard in his first official NHL
game.) These guys are both very young and are going to need some time to get
accustomed to playing in the world’s greatest hockey league, against
much-older, much-more-experienced players.
For me, this was my first Sharks game I’d
attended in nearly two years, with a pesky medical condition keeping me away
from the arena all last season. Despite the loss, I really enjoyed the evening.
This game reminded me how fabulous it is to watch the game of hockey,
especially in person.
The big, boisterous crowd really got into the
game, a sharp contrast from what seemed like an empty building most of last
year. We can now hope the Sharks are only going to get better from here and the
city of San Jose will restore its reputation as a first-rate NHL city. Go
Sharks!
