After giving up 10 goals to the Vancouver
Canucks on Thursday night, the San Jose Sharks surrendered another 10 tallies
to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins at SAP Center on Saturday night, falling
10-2. Erik Karlsson made his return to San Jose after being traded to
Pittsburgh over the summer and put up a paltry 2-point night against his former
employer, both assists. The Sharks have given up a combined 20 goals in the
last 48 hours, and are now averaging 4.91 goals per game.
The last
time an NHL team gave up 10 goals in consecutive games was December of 1965.
That feat has only happened 4 times in NHL history.
The Sharks learned
nothing from Nico Sturm's early penalty against Vancouver on Thursday, when
Anthony Duclair took a roughing penalty just 49 seconds into the game.
Pittsburgh took advantage, scoring on the power play when Reilly Smith snapped
a shot from the inside of the left circle. Jake Guentzel screened goaltender
MacKenzie Blackwood on the shot, giving the Penguins the quick 1-0 lead.
Smith struck again 12 minutes later after the Sharks Mike Hoffman
missed on a golden scoring chance in the Penguins zone. Pittsburgh moved the
puck up ice and seemed to confuse the defensive coverage by moving the puck
with a series of passes that ended with Marcus Pettersson sliding it to the
right post where Smith was parked for the easy deposit.
Guentzel took
a slashing penalty on William Eklund at 16:10, then Petterson tripped Duclair
to setup 51 seconds of 5-on-3 power play time for the Sharks. San Jose would
squander the opportunity, generating only a single shot on goal.
Guentzel made it a 3-0 game 3:21 into the 2nd period when he and Bryan Rust bum
rushed the San Jose defense, scoring on a quick shot that Blackwood missed.
Vinnie Hinostroza scored 65 seconds later. The centerman was skating
near the left corner when a Sharks clearing attempt landed on his stick. He
simply flicked it at Blackwood from the end line, bounding it off the Shark
goaltender's skate an into the net.
The Sharks finally got on the
board at 8:34 after Sydney Crosby was whistled for hooking. Tomas Hertl setup
Duclair's goal by skating the puck out of the left corner and faking a shot,
before sliding it over to the right side for the one-timer.
San Jose
answered that by napping and allowing Pittsburgh to score a pair of quick
goals. The first came on the shift following the Duclair goal when Evgeni
Malkin pushed a shot past Blackwood.
Kris Letang scored on a tap in
from the left side after Crosby setup him up with a pretty feed at 9:27. Crosby
drew two defenders to the right side, before dropping the puck in the slot to
the Penguins defenseman who was cutting toward the left post.
Blackwood's night was done after the Letang goal. Sharks head coach inserted
rookie Magnus Chrona, who made his NHL debut after being called up on Friday to
replace the injured Kaapo Kahkonen.
Chrona didn't fare any better than
Blackwood. Former Shark Matt Nieto scored his 1st goal for the Penguins at
11:53. Nieto raced up ice on a 2-on-1 chance, sliding a pass to his right for
Noel Acciari. The centerman put the puck on Chrona, who gave up a fat rebound
that landed on Nieto's stick for the easy put back.
Bryan Rust got in on the action 49 seconds in to the
3rd period when he grabbed a puck off the end boards, then used a Crosby screen
before backhanding a shot past Chrona from the top of the crease.
Jacob MacDonald scored the Sharsk 2nd goal of the game
Malkin added
his 2nd goal of the night at 11:02 on the Penguins 4th power play of the night
after Luke Kunin was sent off for slashing in the offensive zone. Smith setup
the tap in goal with a slick pass through a Shark defender's skates and the
crease to Malkin on the right post.
Game Notes: * Erik
Karlsson, Bryan Rust and Marcus Pettersson led the Penguins by each recording
+5 nights. The Penguins were a collective +40 for the game.
* Jacob
MacDonald, Tomas Hertl, Nikita Okhotiuk and Jan Rutta were all a -4. The Sharks
were a collective -40.
* Rookie goaltender Magnus Chrona's NHL debut
was a baptism by molten lava. He finished with 30:13 of ice time, giving up 4
goals on 17 shots.
* David Quinn was merciful on MacKenzie Blackwood,
pulling him after 29 minutes of pain. Blackwood surrendered 6 goals on 18
shots.
* Pittsburgh scored their 10 goals on only 35 shots. 17 of
those came in the 2nd period alone. San Jose actually out-shot the Penguins 9-8
in the opening period.
