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Preseason opens with OT
thriller
Sharks tie game late, then win in extra
session
The longest summer on record in San Jose is
officially over. Hockey is back. Considering the way things finished on SAP
Center ice, everyone in the south bay wants to get things moving, so Tuesday
night's preseason opener popped the top off the 2016-17 NHL season. It was only
a preseason game, but the Sharks got off to a winning start by taking a 3-2
decision in overtime over the visiting Vancouver Canucks.
Kevin Labanc
sent the home crowd home happy by firing a rebound past Canucks goaltender
Michael Garteig 1:05 into the extra period to turn what is typically mundane
preseason hockey into a bit of a thriller.
The Sharks overcame a 2-1
deficit late in the 3rd period, when Tommy Wingels punched home a rebound with
22.8 seconds left in regulation. New Sharks defenseman David Schlmemko setup
the goal with a shot from the blueline that wove through traffic, deflecting
off of Garteig.
Yes, it was a preseason game. Yes, it was two lineups
filed with prospects. It was still a nice way to kickoff a season. San Jose
raised the bar last season, so more should be expected of those prospects. San
Jose is trying to establish a consistently successful mindset within their
organization, so even preseason games should be taken seriously.
Labanc, along with a slew of other young hopefuls turned in a gritty comeback
after staking the Canucks to a pair of leads in the game.
Markus
Sorensen emerged as a player to keep an eye on. He was consistently in the mix
early in the contest. Centerman Ryan Carpenter earned the game's second star
with a nice two way game all night.
Nikolay Goldobin got off to a nice
start in the opening period, flashing his offensive skills with a trio of
scoring chances. Goldobin seemed to fade in the latter periods, which is
exactly what led to his demotion last season. The young Russian needs to bring
more intensity and consistency if he wants to land a spot on this season's
roster. There's simply too much competition.
Fans didn't even get a
chance to see Goldobin's competition, which includes former first round draft
pick Timo Meier.
In addition to Wingels, the only regulars in the
Sharks lineup include Matt Nieto, Brenden Dillon and Chris Tierney. Schlemko is
a lock to make the Sharks defensive corps, so throw him into the pool of
everyday players that saw the ice on Tuesday night.
With so few roster spots available with the big club,
it was an opportunity to some of San Jose's young hopefuls to make an
impression. Forwards Barclay Goodrow and John McCarthy did little to make the
grand statement that would lead to much beyond spot filler duty this season.
Defenseman Mirco Mueller is the guy everyone hopes will emerge as a
defensive option for San Jose, but his game looks much the same as it has the
past two seasons. The clock is ticking on Mueller's opportunity, so he needs to
more of a shutdown defenseman that's eluded his repertoire.
Goaltender
Troy Grosenick turned in a reasonable performance, but his replaceemtn Mantas
Armanis has some work to do. Armanis looked a but lost in net, and was
overwhelmed by the pace of the game.
Grosenick fooled everyone into
believing that he was injured toward the end of his 35 minute stint in net,
when he was pushed back across the goal line and got his helmet stuck in the
netting. As he flailed around trying to free himself, it looked as if he was
writing in pain. Grosenick got a chuckle out of the trainer that was halfway to
the net by the time he pried himself out of the net.
One other point
to call out was the Sharks perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. San Jose did
misfire on three power play chances of their own.
Ticket
Jam
The unveiled some of their Sharks 365 program for season ticket
holders, which included early entry, and concession credits. The credit varies
by the cost of the ticket, ranging from $5 to $15 dollars. The lower end credit
is good for about 80% of the cost of a drink.
The other big change
this season is the elimination of printed tickets. Season ticket holders can
access games via barcodes accessible from a mobile device, or tickets printed
at home. The jury is still out on how well the new program will work.
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think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| VAN |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
2 |
| SJ |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
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| 1st period - 1, VAN,
Horvat 1 (Virtanen), 2:06. |
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| 2nd period - 2, SJ,
Goodrow 1 (Labanc, Carpenter), 14:00. |
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| 3rd period - 3, VAN,
Baertschi 1 (Sautner, Subban), 8:24. 4, SJ, Wingels 1 (Schlemko, Tierney),
19:37. |
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| Overtime - 5, SJ, Labanc
1 (Nieto, Schlemko), 1:05. |
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| 1st period - Virtanen,
VAN (interference), 8:55; Billins, VAN (holding the stick), 12:45; Billins, VAN
(holding the stick), 15:26; Wingels, SJ (holding the stick), 16:26. |
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| 2nd period - Sorensen,
SJ (holding), 9:13; Haley, SJ (interference), 14:49. |
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| 3rd period - Goodrow, SJ
(hooking), 4:47; Nieto, SJ (high sticking), 9:45. |
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Shots |
Saves |
| VAN - Bachman |
20 |
20 |
| VAN - Garteig |
13 |
10 |
| SJ - Grosenick |
8 |
7 |
| SJ - Armalis |
7 |
6 |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
OT |
T |
| VAN |
4 |
6 |
4 |
1 |
15 |
| SJ |
15 |
11 |
6 |
1 |
33 |
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| Referees: Leggo,
Brenk. Linesmen: Gawryletz, Heyer. |
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