When the Sharks became the first team in NHL
history to open a season winless through their first 9 games in consecutive
seasons, it was easy to throw in the towel. When they went down 4-1 to the Utah
Hockey Club on Monday night it was almost a given that the streak would reach
10 games. San Jose surprised everyone in Salt Lake City with an improbable
comeback that included 3 goals in a span of 110 seconds late in the contest,
followed by a game-winning goal in overtime to take a 5-4 decision.
Speaking of records, the game mapped out like a broken one as San Jose fell
behind early, then had nothing in terms of a response. Turnovers, defensive
miscues and a lack of any offense was the story of the night. If not for their
late game heroics, this one would have played out like the prior 9 losses this
season.
The Sharks had a prime opportunity to grab early control of
the game when Dylan Guenther was called for interference 4:20 into the contest.
The Sharks had a couple of nice looks at the Utah net, but goaltender Connor
Ingram denied San Jose.
Guenther would bite the Sharks at the 11
minute mark when he ripped a shot from the to of the left circle that clipped
the left post before finding twine. Defenseman Cody Ceci was late to get in
front of Guenther's shooting lane and Mackenzie Blackwood could not seal off
that side of the net.
The Sharks promptly went down a man after Tyler
Toffoli was sent off for interference 35 seconds after the Guenther goal. It
was more momentum killing play that denied San Jose the opportunity to try and
counter the game's fist goal.
The tally marked the 8th time in 10
games that San Jose has surrendered the game's first goal. They would allow the
games 2nd goal a 6th time in 10 games at 16:24 when Matia Maccelli scored for
Utah.
Ian Cole ripped a shot that Blackwood had to stop with his
blocker, but the puck deflected right out front where Maccelli was Johnny on
the spot to poke it past the Sharks goaltender. It was another example of the
Sharks being a step behind a forward in front of their own net and they paid
for it.
The Sharks would out-shoot Utah 17-8 in the 2nd period, but
the hosts would extend their lead.
Fabian Zetterlund gave the Sharks
some life at 9:12 of the 2nd period when he took a Danil Gushchin feed and
drove to the right post before flipping the puck past Ingram. The goal was the
4th of the season for the Sharks forward.
The euphoria of cutting in
to the Utah lead was short lived. San Jose turned the puck over in their own
zone before Cole found Maccelli left unattended in front of the net for an easy
goal from the doorstep. The Sharks committed to gaffs on the play by coughing
it up and then falling asleep on their defensive assignments.
Mikhail
Sergachev stung the Sharks with 23.7 seconds left in the period when he threw a
puck at the net that found its way around Blackwood for his 1st goal of the
season.
Alexander Wennberg raced up ice on a breakaway chance early in
the 3rd period, but his shot missed stick side. The clock was winding down
towards a 10th straight loss, but then something shifted.
Zetterlund
scored his 2nd of the night with a goal at 15:53. Mikael Granlund threw a shot
at the net from the top of the left circle. Ingram made the initial save, but
the puck landed right on Zetterlund's stick for the put back chance.
Granlund got in on the act 23 seconds later with a
shot from the left point. After the Sharks won the faceoff in the Utah zone,
Jake Wallman moved the puck to William Eklund on the right point. He then moved
it along the blueline to Granlund for the shot that would cut the lead to a
single goal.
Toffoli tied the game with 2:42 left in regulation when
he gathered a deflection as he skated backwards through the left circle and
fired a shot that beat Ingram to the near post.
With new found life,
the Sharks kept the pressure on in the overtime period. Granlund made a feed to
Eklund as he was cutting toward the net, forcing Michael Kesselring to hook the
young Shark to put the Sharks on their 4th power play of the night.
On
the ensuing faceoff, the Sharks won the draw before Granlund fired a shot on
net from the point. Ingram got a piece of the shot but it skipped past him and
deflected off the end glass. The rebound then skipped out to the left post
where Wennberg was able to punch it past Ingram for the game winner.
Game Notes: * Givani Smith made is way back to the lineup and
promptly used the opportunity to drop the gloves with Liam O'Brien. The two
have history as Smith took exception to a knee that O'Brien extended last
season. The two were seen chatting during the pre-game skate and it was
described as anything but cordial.
* Ty Dellandrea and Will Smith
joined Jack Thomson in the press box. Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky probably
wanted to bench more guys after San Jose's 7-3 loss on Saturday.
*
Jake Wallman matched a career high 3-point night. Alexander Wennberg had a goal
and an assist.
* Mikael Granlund extended his goal scoring streak to 4
consecutive games. He also extended his point scoring streak to 7 games. His
goal and 2 assists give him 5 goals and 7 assists over that span.
*
The assists by Danil Gushcin and Henry Thrun were their first points of the
season.
