The new look Sharks returned to SAP Center on
Saturday night, but by the end of their homecoming game, the scoreboard looked
all too familiar. After out-playing the New York Islanders through the first 10
minutes of the game, their flurry of shots were nothing more than a statistic
after the Islanders deposited 4 pucks in the Sharks net to take a 4-1 win at
SAP Center.
The pieces the Sharks picked up earlier this week were
primarily draft picks and prospects, so the new faces in teal aren't really
expected to make a difference this season. They didn't matter on Saturday
night.
Hockey doesn't always make sense. The Sharks out-shot the
Islanders 15-2, but the second Islanders shot made its way past Sharks
goaltender Alexandar Georgiev courtesy of an Anthony Duclair power play goal.
The Islanders were skating on the man advantage courtesy of a Henry Thrun
tripping penalty. Duclair swept a Simon Holmstrom feed from the top of the
right circle past Georgiev for his 6th goal of the season.
The goal
seemed to light a fire under the Islanders, who were really on their heels for
a majority of the period. That would result in a Jean-Gabriel Pageau goal with
39 seconds remaining in the period. The Islanders were on top of Georgiev when
Pageau launched a one-time chance from the left side.
San Jose held a
20-8 advantage in shots at the first break but trailed 2-0. Such is hockey.
The Sharks halved the Islanders lead 6:27 into the 2nd period after
Anders Lee was sent off for holding. Nikolai Kovalenko tipped a Shakir
Mukhamadullin shot while parked in the slot. The puck redirected past Islanders
goaltender Ilya Sorokin for Kovalenko's 6th goal of the season.
The
closest the Sharks would come to scoring the remainder of the period was a
Mario Ferraro shot that rang off the post with 7 minutes left in the frame.
Anders Lee scored 1:13 into the 3rd period to essentially seal the
game. The Islanders forward muscled Klim Kostin off the puck then spun 180
degrees to face Georgiev and whip a shot over the netminder's glove hand.
San Jose didn't do themselves any favors when Kovalenko took one of
the NHL's new hooking penalties at the 2-minute mark. Adam Boqvist converted on
the ensuing power play to make it a 4-1 lead and the Islanders were off to the
races.
Kovalenko didn't learn much from his first trip to
the penalty box, because he was called for the same infraction with 4:31
remaining in regulation. The Islanders didn't score on the power play, but it
was just another example of the NHL revised rules confusing everyone on the
ice.
Will Smith converted the Sharks 2nd power play goal of the game
after Boqvist was sent off for holding. The Sharks rookie fired a Macklin
Celebrini to convert his 12th of the season.
Game Notes:
* The newest Sharks injected into the lineup following their
flurry of trades were Vincent Desharnais (#5) and Patrick Giles (#54). Noah
Gregor (#9) was a scratch.
* Now former Shark defenseman Jake Walman
recorded an assist in his Edmonton Oilers debut. He also rocked Mikko Rantanen
with an open-ice hip check to win the favor of the Edmonton faithful. Vitek
Vanecek earned a shutout in his debut for the Florida Panthers on Saturday
night.
* Macklin Celebrini extends his point streak to three games.
That helps him hold even with Matvei Michkov at 47 points this season. Both
trail Lane Hutson by two points for the rookie scoring lead.
*
Celebrini led all skaters with 10 shots on goal in the game.
* Former
Secretary of State and Stanford Provost Condaleeza Rice was in attendance.
