After the dismal performance in Columbus on
Thursday night, the Sharks had a chance to right the ship against a New York
Islanders team that has struggled on home ice. They didn't. A combination of
turnovers and a lack of execution led to a 2nd straight loss for San Jose as
they hit the midway mark of their current 5-game road trip. A 3-goal 2nd period
would help pace the Islanders to a 4-1 victory at UBS Arena in Elmont.
The Sharks performance was almost a carbon copy of their flat output only 48
hours earlier. San Jose continues to try and generate any semblance of an
offense after falling flat in Ohio. They would muster 4, 7 and 8 shots in each
period, which did little to help put goals on the board.
San Jose
continued to struggle generating much offense and would only generate a paltry
4 shots on Islanders rookie goaltender Marcus Hogberg in the opening period.
The general rule of thumb against a young goaltender is to try and overwhelm
him. The compete level just wasn't up to snuff.
The flow of the
contest was off from the start.
An apparent Islanders goal was waved
off immediately after it was ruled that Sharks goaltender Alexandar Georgiev
was interfered with.
A Ty Dellandrea holding penalty gave New York the
only man advantage opportunity for either team, but the Islanders 32nd ranked
power play showed why they put little pressure on Georgiev. The Islanders have
only scored 13 power play goals this season. The Sharks in contrast have almost
double that goal count in 138 opportunities this season.
A Ryan Pulock
interference penalty 3:29 into the 2nd period setup the Sharks with their first
power play of the game. The Sharks got a crack at the 32nd ranked penalty kill
in the league, but they couldn't generate a single shot on Hogberg.
That opportunity was magnified by the fact that there were only two penalties
called in the game. Failing to face the league's worst penalty kill was a
massive missed opportunity.
New York finally cracked the score sheet 8:47 into
the middle period. Mathew Barzal scored his 6th goal of the season after Jake
Walman coughed the puck up in the Islanders zone. Barzal scooped up the
turnover and raced up the right wing before cuttingacross the top of the crease
over Cody Ceci and sliding the puck around Georgiev's pad for the game's first
score.
Barclay Goodrow tied the game less than 2 minutes later with a
simple shot on net from the right wing boards. The Sharks forward had just
gained the zone with the puck and stopped outside the right circle to scan the
situation. His attempt evaded Hogberg, who appeared to wave at the shot with
his blocker but Noah Dobson may have partially screened the shot.
The
tie lasted all of 40 seconds after New York scored again. This time Brock
Nelson took a feed from Kyle Palmieri as the pair crossed the blueline. Nelson
lifted a shot that slipped past Georgiev for his 13th tally of the season.
New York would close out the period with a goal with 27 seconds left
in the frame. Noah Dobson fired a shot from the right point, but the puck hit
both Alexander Wennberg and Henry Thrun, pin-balling past Georgiev for the 3-1
lead.
The Sharks opened the 3rd period with a burst of energy in an
attempt to climb back into the game, but Georgiev either didn't see Ryan Pulock
shot from the right point or he simply whiffed on the chance. Whatever the
reason the Sharks dug themselves into a hole that they would not find a way out
of.
The remaining 19 minutes was more flat offense that never
challenged the rookie Hogberg.
Game Notes: * Former New
York Islanders captain Brent Sutter was honored before the game in a ceremony
inducting him into the Islanders Ring-of-Fame. Sutter played 11 seasons for the
Islanders.
* Tyler Toffoli was game time scratch after taking the ice
for pre-game warm-ups. Toffoli suffered a lower body injury in Columbus.
Timothy Liljegren was also scratched.
* Alexandar Georgiev made hi 3rd
straight start for the Sharks. The team has had a flu bug circulating and
goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is dealing with that bug.
* Former Shark
forward Anthony Duclair looked like a different person since he was traded to
the Islanders last season. Duclair was sporting a clean cut look, all in
compliance with GM Lou Lamoriello's personal appearance policy.
* The
Sharks travel to Boston, where they will play in a Martin Luther King Jr
Holiday matinee game on Monday.