The 2023-24 NHL season has mercifully come to
an end for the San Jose Sharks. With a full scale rebuild in progress, the
Sharks limped through the majority of the year armed with little talent and
even less motivation to compete in the Pacific Division and Western Conference.
They closed out the year with one final whipping, this time at the hands of the
Calgary Flames who pummeled the Sharks 5-1 at the Scotiabank Saddledome on
Thursday night.
Without any star power, the Sharks trudged through
this final game, much like the regular season: trailing from the start,
allowing their young prospects to cut their teeth against more talented and
motivated NHLers, succumbing to better teams that feasted on them from start to
finish.
The lopsided loss was a microcosm of the Sharks season.
The Sharks had a prime chance to start things off on the right foot in
the first minute of the game when Fabian Zetterlund found himself with the puck
while staged 10 feet out from the Flames goal. His prime scoring chance ended
up sailing wide past Gilroy native Dustin Wolf in net. The wasted opportunity
was just the start of a rough opening period for San Jose.
Adam Klapka
made his 6th career NHL start a memorable one by scoring his 1st NHL goal at
12:13 after the Sharks failed to convert on a power play chance. Klapka
gathered a loose puck near the inside edge of the left circle, then snapped a
shot that sailed over Devin Cooley's right shoulder.
A high sticking penalty to Marc-Edouard Vlasic
helped the Flames pot a 2nd goal 2:27 after Klapka's goal. Blake Coleman scored
one of the easier goals in his career with a tap in from the right post after
Connor Zary sent a pass over form the left side. Mario Ferraro let Coleman park
on the post and was late to try and defend the shot.
Oliver Kylington
kept things rolling for Calgary early in the 2nd period when he used a Andrei
Kuzmenko screen to loop a shot past Cooley for his 3rd of the year. The goal
came at 3:53 of the frame.
Kevin Rooney pushed the Flames lead to 4-0
just 2 minutes later. Kevin Rooney uncorked a quick wrist shot from the high
slot that split Jack Studnicka's skates. Cooley was late to pick up the
wrister.
The public address announcer didn't even have time to
announce Rooney's goal before Mackenzie Weegar scored at 6:56. Cooley's night
was done after he surrendered the 5th goal on 23 Calgary shots.
The
Sharks finally solved Wolf with 8.9 seconds in the contest after Martin
Pospisil was sent off for slashing late. Fabian Zetterlund ripped a shot from
the high slot, beating Wolf over teh right shoulder. The goal was Zetterlund's
24th of the season.
Game Notes: * Fabian Zetterlund was
the only Sharks to play in all 82 games this season. He finished as the only
Sharks to eclipse the 20 goal mark. Zetterlund's 24 tallies led the team.
* Filip Zadina will end the season with the worst plus/minus for San
Jose with a -44 in 72 games played.
* With the primary assist on
Zetterlund's goal, Mikael Granlund extended his point scoring streak to 13
games.
* Zetterlund, Henry Thrun, Calen Addison and William Eklund all
finished the game with -3 plus minus. The Sharks were a combined -25 for the
contest.
* Finally, we'll finish on a positive. The Sharks were 23 of
40 from on draws, compiling a 53% win percentage.
