The Sharks entered play on life support as
their playoff aspirations continue to fade late in the season. With the Los
Angeles Kings and Nashville Predators both winning on Saturday, the equations
that would help San Jose. San Jose had it's best chance late to secure 2 points
in the standing with a date against the last place Vancouver Canucks, but the
Sharks would not capitalize. Linus Karlsson scored in the 6th round of a
shootout to fall 4-3 to the doormat Canucks.
It's clear that San Jose
is out of gas. Macklin Celebrini added 2 points on a pair of assists on Igor
Chernyshov goals, but the Sharks played all night absent of the fire required
to qualify for the playoffs late in a season.
They simply flamed out
when it counted, both in the game and in the season.
San Jose is
mathematically alive, but the deficit they must overcome isn't going to happen.
The season is essentially over for the Sharks.
The opening 10 minutes
were marred with a lack of energy from many skaters on the ice. Vancover held a
10-9 advantage in shots, but nothing seemed to challenge either Yaroslav
Askarov or Kevin Lankinen.
Igor Chernyshov decided to take matters
into his own hands with 3:41 remaining in the opening frame. The Sharks rookie
won a faceoff, then grabbed the puck outside the right post, before cutting
toward the net and lifting a backhand chance past Lankinen for his 6th goal of
the season.
San Jose would come close 2 minutes later when Michael
Misa drove the net, only to be denied by the Canucks netminder. Collin Graf
trailed on the play and had follow up chance that Lankinen was forced to
smother in his crease.
The Canucks tied the game 5:56 into the 2nd period
on a odd play. Vancouver dumped the puck into the Sharks zone and Askarov tried
to pursue it behind his net, but he chose the wrong path to pursue it. When it
became clear that Marco Rossi was going to beat Askarov to the puck, the Sharks
netminder tried to get back in front of his net but he got tied up on the right
post. The Sharks netminder than pulled on the goal to dislodge it, but Rossi
was credited with the goal after firing it as Askarov was tipping it completely
over.
San Jose answered 3 minutes later when Tyler Toffoli snapped a
shot from outside the left circle, beat Lankinen to the glove side. Toffoli
took a drop pass from Sam Dickinson that used his defensive teammate as a
screen, launching the long shot that Lankinen was late to pick up.
Vancouver tied the game with 2:23 remaining in the period after Dmitry Orlov
put them on the power play for tripping Drew O'Connor. Jake DeBrusk punched
home a rebound off Askarov from the doorstep after Filip Hronek bounced a shot
off the Sharks goaltender.
Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky felt
Askarov was impeded, so he challenged the play only to put his team back on the
penalty kill after a review determined that Askarov was unimpeded.
Chernyshov gave the Sharks the 3-2 lead at 12:44 after gathering a Celebrini
feed as he skated through the slot. The young Russian squared his shoulders to
the net and snapped a shot that slipped between Lankinen and the right post.
Vincent Desharnais was called for hooking Nils Hoglander, even though
the Canucks forward was holding the Shark defenseman's stick as he skate around
the right wing boards and on beyond the back of the net. The phantom infraction
would cost the Sharks.
San Jose looked as if they would snuff out the
Canucks 3rd power play of the night, but Teddy Blueger converted with 1 second
left on Desharnais' penalty to tie up the game at 3-3.
In the
overtime, Vancouver controlled the puck for the first 3 minutes, until DeBrusk
was called for tripping to setup a 4-on-3 power play for San Jose.
The
Sharks would not convert and William Eklund was called for interference with 13
seconds left in the man advantage but time ran out.
In the shootout,
Celebrini was the only Shark to score. Chernyshov, Collin Graf, Will Smith,
Adam Gaudette and William Eklund all missed.
Jake DeBrusk scored in
the 2nd round, then Linus Karlsson ended it in the 6th round.
Game
Notes: * From the "you don't see that everyday" file, Brock Boeser
pulled Yaroslav Askarov's right leg pad off after he got a skate between the
pad and the goaltender's leg.
* Sharks prospect Eric Pohlkamp helped
Denver University win an NCAA NAtional Championship on Saturday. Pohlkamp was
also a Hobey Baker finalist, which was awarded to Minnesota Duluth forward Max
Plante. Pohlkamp was drafted by the Sharks in 2023 (5th round, 132nd overall).
* Pohlkamp was also announced as the Sharks Prospect of the Year.
* Yaroslav Askarov was named the Sharks Rookie of the Year.
*
In a voting upset, Macklin Celebrini was named Sharks Player of the Year.
