Sharks shock Capitals with Eklund's overtime goal

The San Jose Sharks will play the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday during their ongoing road trip in the NHL.

December 4th 2024.

Sharks shock Capitals with Eklund's overtime goal
Last season, the San Jose Sharks had a bit of a slow start, taking three months and 42 games to reach their 10th win of the season. However, this year seems to be a different story. In just under eight weeks, the Sharks have already reached that milestone, with their most impressive victory of the season so far.

On Tuesday, the Sharks faced off against the Washington Capitals, who were known as the highest-scoring team in the NHL. Despite this, the Sharks managed to come out on top with a 2-1 road win. William Eklund, a rookie forward, scored the game-winning goal just 39 seconds into overtime on a power-play, with a pass from Mikael Granlund. Eklund's quick shot past Capitals goalie Logan Thompson marked his fifth goal of the season.

In an interview after the game, Eklund shared his thoughts on the intense moment, "We just tried to stay calm and focused during the 4-on-3 power play. And then, it just went in!" This win also marked the fifth consecutive game that Sharks' forward Macklin Celebrini had recorded a point, as he assisted on Eklund's goal.

The Sharks' victory over the Capitals continued their recent streak of strong play, with a record of 4-1-0 since their loss to the Buffalo Sabres on November 23rd. This season, they seem to be a much more connected and cohesive team, as coach Ryan Warsofsky pointed out, "When we play connected, we're a really good hockey team."

The Sharks had a 1-0 lead after the first period, with a goal from Tyler Toffoli. Despite a solid performance from Capitals' goalie, Mackenzie Blackwood, Toffoli managed to score his 10th goal of the season. This ended his seven-game goal drought and gave the Sharks the lead.

However, the Capitals managed to tie the game in the second period, with a goal from Nic Dowd. The Sharks had lost sight of Dowd, who took advantage of the opportunity and scored his seventh goal of the season.

Blackwood, who had 16 saves in the first period, continued his strong performance throughout the game. He had previously recorded a solid 36-save game against the Seattle Kraken, helping the Sharks secure their third win in four games. In his last 11 games, Blackwood has a record of 5-5-1 with a .907 save percentage.

The Capitals came into the game as the highest-scoring team in the NHL, with an average of 4.21 goals per game. On the other hand, the Sharks had only scored 22 goals in their last four games, with an average of 2.89 goals per game.

For coach Warsofsky, this game was especially meaningful as he faced off against his former colleague, Spencer Carbery, as an NHL head coach for the first time. Warsofsky and Carbery had previously coached together for three years in the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays.

The Sharks made one lineup change for the game, with veteran forward Carl Grundstrom dressing in place of rookie Ethan Cardwell. Grundstrom had gone five games without a point before being a healthy scratch for the Sharks' last two games against the Kraken. Cardwell, who had been called up from the Barracuda, had scored his first NHL goal in Friday's game against the Kraken.

Warsofsky also provided an update on defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who is nearing a return from an upper-body injury. Vlasic, who has been skating regularly with the Sharks, is expected to be available to play by the end of the team's six-game road trip.

All in all, the Sharks' victory over the Capitals was a significant milestone for the team, as they continue to show improvement and strong play this season. Let's see what the rest of the road trip has in store for them.

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