November 21st 2024.
The San Jose Sharks had a tough game on Wednesday against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center. Falling behind by two goals in the second period, they struggled to catch up and ultimately suffered a 5-2 loss. Even though the game was tied 1-1 at one point, the Sharks were unable to maintain their momentum and allowed a goal by Stars' forward Wyatt Johnston just 56 seconds into the second period.
The Stars took advantage of a Sharks turnover in their own end 10 minutes later, as Logan Stankoven slid a pass to Jamie Benn who beat San Jose goalie Mackenzie Blackwood for a 3-1 lead. Despite Blackwood's 26 saves and a goal by Jake Walman, the Sharks were unable to fully recover and lost in regulation time for only the second time in six games.
Mikael Granlund also had a goal and an assist for the Sharks, with his assist on Walman's goal marking his 400th assist in his NHL career. The Sharks have a tough schedule ahead, with a game against the St. Louis Blues on Thursday followed by a four-game homestand starting with the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.
Saturday's game will also be a special one for the Sharks as they officially retire Joe Thornton's No.19 and raise it to the rafters at SAP Center. The ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m. before the game against the Sabres at 5 p.m. Meanwhile, in Thursday's game against the Stars, the Sharks took three penalties in the first period but managed to stay tied 1-1 after 20 minutes.
Despite allowing a goal to Jason Robertson and a high-sticking penalty called on defenseman Henry Thrun, the Sharks were able to capitalize on a Stars turnover and score a shorthanded goal. William Eklund chipped the puck to Mikael Granlund who fought off a check from Roope Hintz and scored with a backhand to forehand move. This was only the second shorthanded goal for the Sharks this season and extended Granlund's point streak to three games and Eklund's to five games.
Looking ahead to Thursday's game in St. Louis, the Sharks might have rookie goalie Yaroslav Askarov make his debut. With Vitek Vanecek still day-to-day due to an upper-body injury, Askarov has been backing up Blackwood for the past two games and could potentially start against the Blues. Head coach David Warsofsky did not confirm this, but it is unlikely to start the same goalie on back-to-back nights or to play Vanecek if he is not fully recovered.
Regardless of who starts, the Sharks are focused on taking it one game at a time and making the best decisions for their team. As Warsofsky stated, "Vitek's day-to-day here, and we'll play it as we go."
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