Over the past two October's, the Sharks are a
combined 0-13-3 after they dropped a frustrating 3-1 decision to the Anaheim
Ducks on Tuesday night. San Jose lost all 9 games in the opening month of play
last year, and have started their current campaign with a 7th consecutive
defeat. That bad news is magnified by the fact that the latest loss came to a
team that isn't expected to make any noise in the Pacific Division this season.
Granted, the Ducks are ahead of the Sharks in their rebuild, but San
Jose has scored a single goal in two games against Anaheim this season. The
offense is absent and San Jose's inability to stay out of the penalty box has
become almost comical. The Sharks took 6 penalties on Tuesday night.
Anaheim converted 2 of those chances on Tuesday. San Jose has surrendered 9
goals off penalties in their last four games.
Danil Gushchin appeared
to have his 3rd career NHL goal after putting a shot on Lukas Dostal from the
left side early in the contest. Gushchin's shot hit the underside of the
crossbar, then deflected off the right post before skipping along the goal
line.
Luke Kunin clanked a shot off the cross bar near the midway mark
as the Sharks were killing their second penalty of the game. Will Smith had a
chance to crack the score sheet for the first time in his career with 7 minutes
to play in the period when he tried jamming a chance home, but Dostal came up
with a huge save on the play.
Anaheim entered the game having gone
0-for 16 on the power play to start the season. San Jose added to those woes by
taking and killing 3 penalties through the first 20 minutes of the game. They
would help the ducks end their drought on a 4th chance 7 minutes into the 2nd
period after rookie Will Smith took a tripping penalty.
Troy Terry
wound up from the high slot on the man advantage, cranking a shot past
Mackenzie Blackwood for the 1-0 lead. The shot had some mustard on it, but it
beat the Sharks goaltender above the waist.
If not for Blackwood, the
Ducks lead may have been more pronounced. He made several saves in tight
quarters including a big one on Alex Killorn with 4 minutes left in the frame.
The Sharks would bounce another puck off iron, this time hitting the
right post in the final minute of the period. Ty Dellandrea saw the puck
perched behind Dostal, but Mason McTavish deftly squeezed the Shark forward's
stick to prevent an easy put back goal.
Brian Dumolin was sent off for hooking at 3:52,
which gave the Sharks the crack they needed to finally solve Dostal. San Jose
converted on the ensuing power play when Mikael Granlund fired a puck in on net
from the high slot. The puck clipped Brett Leason on the way in, beating Dostal
for his 1st of the season.
Smith was sent off for his second costly
tripping penalty 10 seconds after the Wennberg goal. Anaheim used 31 seconds to
reclaim the lead when Leo Carlsson punched home a puck that Blackwood stopped
but could not control.
The Sharks called their timeout with 2:20 to
play, then pulled Blackwood before play resumed but that setup and empty netter
with 1:51 to play.
Game Notes: * After playing in the
last 5 games and recording a single assist along the way, Carl Grundstrom was
scratched on Tuesday night. Matt Benning and Givani Smith were also scratches.
* Rookie defenseman Jack Thompson was credited with the secondary
assist on Mikael Granlund's goal for his first NHL point.
* Mikael
GRanlund led all Sharsk with 5 shots on goal in the contest. San Jose was
out-shot 41-28 overall which was a reflection of the penalty disparity and a
lack of offensive punch.
* Both of Will Smith's penalties resulted in
Ducks goals. The rookie has struggled this season and simply unable to compete
physically. The Sharks have stated that the AHL is not in Smith's plans, but
perhaps his development would be better served in learning how to play against
men while physically maturing.
* Anaheim blocked 26 shots in the game.
In contrast, San Jose only blocked 14 Duck shots. It's not as if there was no
rubber being directed at Mackenzie Blackwood, who made 37 saves.
