Thornton-less Sharks offense breaks through
PHILADELPHIA — Joe Pavelski insists that the Sharks have more than enough forward depth to absorb Joe Thornton’s short-term loss.
He and his teammates backed up the claim Tuesday night, deflating the Philadelphia Flyers home opener with an 8-2 win.
After producing just four regulation goals in their first nine periods of play, the Sharks responded to head coach Pete DeBoer’s lineup shuffle Tuesday by breaking through with a eight-goal offensive onslaught as the face of the franchise recovers from an infection in his surgically-repaired right knee.
Pavelski and Evander Kane both scored twice while the team’s leading-goal scorer from last season, Logan Couture, record his first of the season. Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier scored their second goals of the season. Erik Karlsson chipped in with two assists, Barclay Goodrow scored a short-handed goal and the team produced 48 shots on goal.
With four goals in four games, Kane has now scored 13 goals and collected 18 points in 21 regular-season games with the Sharks since he joined the team in a trade with the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline last season.
Kane’s first goal marked the Sharks first power-play goal of the season, ending the team’s 0-for-11 draught at 16:42 of the opening period. Hertl added a second power-play goal at 3:27 of the third as the Sharks went 2-for-5 with the extra man.
On a night where the Flyers introduced their whacky-celebrity mascot, Gritty, to the fans at Wells Fargo Center, it was the Sharks who brought all the grit early on. With a new lineup that featured Pavelski, Kane and Kevin Labanc on the first line and Hertl, Couture and Meier on the second line, the Sharks smothered the Flyers in the early going, scoring four first-period goals while outshooting the Flyers 23-11 in the frame. The Sharks first two goals, from Couture and Pavelski, came just 11 seconds apart.
Aaron Dell put together a solid game in his first start of the season, making 31 saves on 33 shots. His lone blemishes came when Shayne Gostisbehere scored a power-play goal at 4:56 of the second and Wayne Simmonds scored in garbage time at 18:29 of the third.