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What we learned as Sharks, without injured Celebrini, shut out by Ducks initially appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN JOSE — Taking part in with out star rookie Macklin Celebrini, the Sharks could not discover any type of offensive rhythm Saturday night time and have been blanked 2-0 by the Pacific Division rival Anaheim Geese at SAP Heart.
Celebrini, who made an excellent NHL debut Thursday, was placed on injured reserve hours earlier than the sport with a reported hip injury. The damage would not seem too important, though Celebrini will miss at the least one week earlier than being eligible to return.
Till he comes again, the Sharks must do an entire lot extra offensively than they did in opposition to the Geese. They took 30 pictures on objective however did not sneak any of them previous Anaheim goalie Lukas Dostal.
Fabian Zetterlund appeared to attain a first-period power-play objective for the Sharks, however it was waved off when the younger winger was referred to as for offside after the Geese challenged the play. That set a irritating tone that carried all through the sport for San Jose, which flailed on quite a few possibilities in entrance of Anaheim’s web within the second and third durations.
The missed alternatives finally got here again to chew the Sharks within the fin when Isac Lundestrom fired a shot over the left shoulder of San Jose goalie Vitek Vanecek 11 minutes into the third interval. The Geese added Trevor Zegras’ empty-net objective with 1:35 left at hand the Sharks their first regulation lack of the 2024-25 NHL season.
Listed here are the takeaways from Saturday’s recreation, as San Jose fell to 0-1-1:
Goalie change in Sport No. 2
Vanecek began at goalie in favor of Mackenzie Blackwood and performed extraordinarily properly till the top, stopping 28 of 29 Anaheim pictures.
Vanecek, acquired from the Devils in a March commerce that despatched Kaapo Kahkonen to New Jersey, repeatedly turned the Geese away and made two point-blank saves within the first interval. He stopped 10 pictures within the opening body, 10 extra within the second and was on his option to a shutout earlier than he gave up Lundestrom’s objective.
Blackwood began the season opener Thursday and likewise performed pretty properly till the third interval, when he allowed the St. Louis Blues to attain three objectives, then the additional time winner.
To be honest, the Sharks’ protection regarded way more clear and crisp in entrance of Vanecek than it was for Blackwood two days earlier.
Brief-handed stops
One of many silver linings within the loss was the Sharks’ penalty-kill unit, which denied all 5 Geese power-play alternatives.
That is an encouraging signal for a group that should closely depend on its protection till the offense finds itself.
The Sharks have been one of many worst groups at stopping opponents’ energy performs final season, permitting 62 objectives on 252 makes an attempt after they have been short-handed. That 75.4 % cease price was sixth lowest within the NHL.
Smith nonetheless looking out
The Sharks nonetheless are ready for his or her different prized rookie to seek out his groove.
Will Smith, the No. 4 general decide in the 2023 NHL Draft, began in Celebrini’s absence and took the primary shift at middle, however he wasn’t a lot of an element.
Smith took just one shot in 13 minutes and 5 seconds of ice time in opposition to the Geese, dedicated a second-period hooking penalty and stays with out a level as a professional. He was 0-for-2 on pictures in 13:41 of ice time Thursday in opposition to the Blues.
