Flat Response to Kings Sweep, but Dominate the Wild

Coming into Arizona for a 2-game, back-to-back series against the Arizona Coyotes, inquiring minds wanted to know precisely how the San Jose Sharks would follow up their series sweep of the LA Kings, and the answer couldn't be any more than what one expected, flat.  In game one, we saw the Sharks come away with a 5-2 loss, Arizona, who had their third-string netminder in, and were quick to score early and often, extinguished any confidence Martin Jones had built up with the past couple wins.  Kurtis Gabriel, who still seems to remain in Coach Boughner's doghouse, presence was noticeably lost as the Sharks struggled to establish themselves in the game flow, particularly with regards to Nick Schmaltz's hit on Radim Simek

In game two of the series, we saw more of the same with an uninspired, lackluster 4-0 loss to the Arizona Coyotes where Arizona was the benefactor of six power plays with Phil Kessel scoring a hat trick. The sharks yet again for the second night in as many chances fall to Arizona's third-string goaltender Aiden Hill, this time with a shutout performance. I'll go out on a limb and say the highlight of the game was Kurtis Gabriel being assessed a major penalty with an interference and game misconduct call in his first game back in action since being reprimanded for his pregame antics last week against the LA Kings. 

One of the most surprising stories of the NHL season, the Minnesota Wild, come into the Shark Tank for a two-game series. Jeffery Viel, making his NHL debut, quickly introduces himself to the league with a dust-up with Minnesota's Luke Johnson, throwing both hands; if he's not careful, Kurtis Gabriel might soon find himself back on the Barracuda. Marcus Johansson makes with 1-0 Wild with a strike with 7 minutes left in the first. Sharks then add a goal of their own with Radim Simek one-timer from the blue line with 3 minutes left, but not before the Wild go up 2-1 with a minute left in the period. Come the second period, Erik Karlsson ties the game five minutes in when he finds the back of the net on a beautiful feed from Kane. With 4 minutes left in the second, Ryan Donato from behind the net finds Karlsson at the blueline for a one-timer into the back of the net for the 3-2 lead. The wild tie the game at three apiece in the 3rd to force the extra frame and shootout where Erk Karlsson wins the game on the 8th round of the shoot out where Logan Couture also added a goal for the 4-3 win where Jones had 25 saves.

In the second game of the series, the Sharks dictated the pace of play from the onset. After an uneventful first period for either teal, the Sharks kick off the scoring 5 minutes into the second with a beautiful cross-seam pass from Hertl to Balcers, who roofs it for the 1-0 lead. Halfway through the period, on the power play, Brent Burns feeds a blue line pass to Ryan Donato in front of the net, who fights a blue-collar puck into the back of the net for the 2-0 score. In the third, the Wild finally get on the board almost halfway through the third from way out off the bar and into the net. A little over 2 minutes later, Karlsson finds Kynzhov at the face-off circle who scores his first career NHL goal, 3-1 Sharks. Wild score a garbage-time goal with 12 seconds left in regulation but not before Evander Kane finds the puck for the empty-net goal to seal the deal for a 4-2 Sharks win.