LetsGoSharks.com - Inside San Jose Sharks Hockey
Support this community by becoming a Sponsor
  
Big penalty sinks Sharks in goal fest
San Jose scores 5 times, but loses 5th straight
1/23/2025 - By Mike Lee

After gagging up a 5-1 lead against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night, the Sharks needed to put together a bounce back. They responded by falling behind 3-0, before battling back to tie the game 5-5 by the end of the 2nd period. Then they showed their immaturity by taking undisciplined penalties in a pivotal 3rd period that would lead to a 6-5 demise at SAP Center on Thursday night.

Some good things, some bad things in a game that wasn't as hard to swallow as the implosion the Sharks suffered in Nashville. The Predators opened up a gaping wound in San Jose's special team's by scoring three times on the power play. The all important game winner came via a penalty of poor judgment when the Sharks needed to be disciplined.

The Sharks decided they would show everyone that Tuesday night's meltdown was an anomaly by going on the penalty kill in the first two minutes of the game. Fabian Zetterlund was the offender guilty of tripping.

Nashville promptly out a puck past Yaroslav Askarov when former Shark Gus Nyquist lifted a rebound chance into the Sharks net from the left side. Askarov was forced to move to the top of the crease to defend a Brady Skjei chance, which opened up the net behind him.

The Predators lead doubled just 54 seconds later when Tommy Novak pumped home a shot from the left side after the Sharks defense got caught standing around and watching the puck. It wasn't the start that Askarov had hoped for against his former team, but his teammates did little to support any notion of a payback win.

Filip Forsberg added to the Sharks misery by bagging his 17th of the season at 6:53. Askarov didn't do himself any favors by allowing an ultra-soft goal to push the Predators lead to 3-0. Forsberg was skating away from the net and reached the right dot when a Justin Barron pass came at him from the right point. Forsberg got a stick blade on the puck, redirecting it from the dot which then split Askarov's pads.

That marked 9 consecutive goals by Nashville against the Sharks in 47 minutes of hockey.

In one of the odder wake up calls, three different Sharks engaged with Predators with fistcuffs. Luke Kunin locked up with Cole Smith at 6:54, Barclay Goodrow with Michael McCarron at 6:56 and Ty Dellandrea with Zachary L'Heureux at 6:58 to fill the penalty box.

It provided some momentary motivation. Newly acquired forward Walker Duehr was credited with his first goal as a Shark at 8:12, when a Mario Ferraro shot pin-balled of Nikolai Kovalenko before deflecting off him and past goaltender Justus Annunen.

Mario Ferraro made it a 3-2 game with 3:26 remaining in the period by snapping a shot from the inside of the left circle. The defenseman collected a Mikael Granlund feed as he skated toward the net before lifting a shot that tucked under the crossbar for his 5th goal of the season.

Forsberg opened the 2nd period by putting his 18th of the season past Askarov just 1:38 in. The Sharks had 4 defenders around the net, but all of them stood motionless as the Predators forward skated the puck out of the right corner then wrapped the puck around the left post.

A Granlund hooking penalty at 6:49 setup the Predators 5th goal of the night. Steven Stamkos converted on the ensuing power play on a shot from the right side to make it a perfect 2-for-2 on the man advantage for Nashville.

Henry Thrun potted his 1st goal of the season and 4th of his career at 12:39 with a shot from the high slot. Alexander Wennberg moved the puck out of the left side

Fabian Zetterlund made it a 1-goal game once again 75 seconds later. Granlund and Will Smith stormed up ice on a 2-on-2 chance. Smith tried to return the puck to Granlund from the right side, but the puck hit a skate as Nick Blankenburg was checking the Finnish forward into Annunen. Zetterlund was trailing on the play and easily lifted the puck into the wide open net.

Things got nasty with just under 6 minutes remaining in the period. Smith took exception to a hit in front of the Predators bench, so he took out his frustration on Dellandrea with a check to the Shark forwards head. Dellandrea never saw Smith and was knocked out of the game by the head shot.

That earned Smith a trip to the showers for the match penalty and the Sharks then skated on a 5-min power play.

San Jose tied the game when Macklin Celebrini fired a shot from the slot that beat Annunen for his 15th of the season. The Sharks worked the puck over to the left side when Granlund sent a pass to Celebrini who moved between of the circles.

Timothy Liljegren just missed putting the Sharks in front as the match penalty expired. The defenseman's shot hit the crossbar, preserving the 5-5 tie.

San Jose decided that the 3rd period would be the best tie to start playing with fire while soaked in koresene. First Henry Thrun was sent off for holding the stick 48 seconds in to the period, then Barclay Goodrow took an poor cross checking penalty at 6:36.

It was Goodrow's penalty that mattered as Fedor Svechkov converted the 3rd power play goal of the game at 8:16.

A wild flurry in front of the Predators net with 5:40 to play kept the Sharks from potting the equalizer because Annunen shut the door and Blankenburg denied a chance by dropping to his knees and stopping a shot with his chest after his goaltender was caught out of position.

San Jose pulled Askarov with 1:48 to play.

Game Notes:

* Tyler Toffoli returned to the lineup after missing the last 3 games with an injury. Nico Sturm was moved to the injured reserve.

* The Sharks made two acquisitions on Wednesday and one paid immediate dividends. Walker Duehr was claimed off waivers from the Calgary Flames and he contributed with his first goal in teal (technically in black). Duehr scored 9 goals and 10 assists in 84 career NHL games, all with Calgary.

* San Jose also traded forward Justin Bailey to the Anaheim Ducks for forward Pavol Regenda. Regenda has 1 goal and 2 assists in 19 NHL games. Regenda was assigned to the San Jose Barracuda.

* Macklin Celebrini tied Jeff Friesen's team record for goals by an 18-year-old. Celebrini has 29 games to move ahead of Friesen.

* Will Smith, Fabian Zetterlund and Mikael Granlund extend their point scoring streaks to 3 games. Granlund had 3 assists in the contest. Mario Ferraro recorded a goal and an assist.


SHARE THIS STORY:



What did you think of this article? Post your comments on the Feeder Forums

 
What did you think of this story? Post your comments on the
Feeder Forums
Scoring
1 2 3 T
NSH 3 2 1 6
SJ 2 3 0 5
1st period - 1, NSH, Nyquist 8 (Novak, Skjei), 3:58, (pp). 2, NSH, Novak 7 (L'Heureux, Svechkov), 4:52. 3, NSH, Forsberg 17 (Barron), 6:53. 4, SJ, Duehr 1 (Kovalenko, Ferraro), 8:12. 5, SJ, Ferraro 5 (Granlund, Liljegren), 16:34.
2nd period - 6, NSH, Forsberg 18 (Sisson, Skjei), 1:38. 7, NSH, Stamkos 17 (Marchessault, Josi), 7:07, (pp). 8, SJ, Thrun 1 (Wennberg), 12:39. 9, SJ, Zetterlund 14 (Smith, Granlund), 13:54. 10, SJ, Celebrini 15 (Granlund, Eklund), 15:21, (pp).
3rd period - 11, NSH, Svechkov 6 (Skjei, L'Heureux), 8:16, (pp).
Penalties
1st period - Zetterlund, SJ (tripping), 2:09; Smith, NSH (fighting major), 6:54; Kunin, SJ (fighting major), 6:54; Mccarron, NSH (fighting major), 6:56; Goodrow, SJ (fighting major), 6:56; L'Heureux, NSH (fighting major), 6:58; Dellandrea, SJ (fighting major), 6:58.
2nd period - Granlund, SJ (hooking), 6:49; Stamkos, NSH (slashing), 10:17; Smith, NSH (match penalty - check to the head), 14:13; McCarron, NSH (roughing), 14:13; Liljegren, SJ (roughing), 14:13.
3rd period - Thrun, SJ (holding the stick), 0:48; Goodrow, SJ (cross checking), 6:36; Rutta, SJ (delay of game - puck over glass), 11:23; Stamkos, NSH (slashing), 12:24.
Goaltending
Shots Saves
NSH - Annunen 35 30
SJ - Askarov 38 32
Shots On Goal
1 2 3 T
NSH 12 11 15 38
SJ 11 11 13 35
Power Play Conversion
NSH 3 of 5
SJ 1 of 4
3 Stars of the Game
Filip Forsberg
Mikael Granlund
Justus Annunen
Attendance
SAP Center - 11,292
Officials
Referees: #24 Graham Skilliter, #10 Kyle Rehman. Linesmen: #79 Kiel Murchison, #58 Ryan Gibbons.





Privacy Statement   |   Contact Us   |   Advertise
Copyright 1997-2022 LetsGoSharks.com. All rights reserved.
This website is an unofficial and independently operated source of news
and information not affiliated with the San Jose Sharks, any team, or league.