October 23rd 2024.
The San Jose Sharks have been struggling with penalties in the first two weeks of the regular season, and it's becoming quite ridiculous. In their recent game against the Anaheim Ducks, they ended up taking two costly penalties that resulted in power-play goals for their opponents.
One of these penalties was served by Will Smith for tripping, allowing Cutter Gauthier to get a shot on goal that was saved by goalie Mackenzie Blackwood. However, Leo Carlsson was able to scoop up the rebound and score, giving the Ducks the lead and ultimately the win. This goal came just 41 seconds after the Sharks' own power-play goal by Mikael Granlund, who was assisted by rookie William Eklund and defenseman Jack Thompson.
The Sharks' struggles with penalties were evident throughout the game, as they were shorthanded six times and have now been down a man or more a whopping 35 times this season. This is the most in the NHL so far this season, and the most the Sharks have seen through seven games since 2009-10. It's clear that they need to work on staying out of the penalty box in order to have a chance at winning.
Aside from Granlund's goal, it was a frustrating offensive night for the Sharks. They had several close calls, with Danil Gushchin and Luke Kunin both hitting the crossbar and Will Smith being denied his first NHL goal by an incredible toe save from Ducks' goalie Lukas Dostal. Barclay Goodrow also had a tipped shot that slid through the blue paint and hit the post, adding to the Sharks' frustration.
In the end, the Sharks were unable to come back from their penalty troubles and ended up losing to the Ducks with a final score of 3-1. This loss marks their seventh consecutive game without a win, making them the only winless team left in the NHL. They will have to regroup and refocus as they continue their four-game road trip against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday, followed by games in Las Vegas and Utah.
It's clear that the Sharks have a lot of work to do, both in staying out of the penalty box and finding their offensive stride. With rookie center Macklin Celebrini out with a hip injury, the Sharks have only been able to score 12 goals in seven games and eight goals in their last six games. However, with talented players like Eklund, Thompson, and Gushchin, there is still hope for the Sharks to turn their season around and start racking up some wins.
[This article has been trending online recently and has been generated with AI. Your feed is customized.]
[Generative AI is experimental.]
