Penalties doom Sharks in loss to New Jersey Devils
The Sharks spent all kinds of time killing penalties Thursday night and the New Jersey Devils, after four failed power-play opportunities, finally made them pay.
With Mario Ferraro serving a delay- of- game penalty, P.K. Subban’s goal at the 2:56 mark of the third period proved to be the difference as the host Devils topped the Sharks 2-1 on Thursday.
Jesper Bratt also scored for the Devils on a breakaway after a mix-up on a change among the Sharks’ defensemen, and San Jose could only muster a first period goal by Tim Heed as it lost away from home for the first time in five games.
The Devils finished the game with six power-play opportunities, including four in the first two periods. In the last five games, the Sharks (26-30- 4) have been shorthanded 22 times and managed just 11 goals.
“I think we probably took too many penalties and we put a lot of pressure on ourselves that way,” Sharks interim coach Bob Boughner said. “Those are the games you see that lack of offense,
that lack of skill that’s out of our lineup really ( have an) effect.”
The game was the Sharks’ first since they traded defenseman Brenden Dillon on Tuesday to the Washington Capitals. The Sharks are also having to play without defenseman Erik Karlsson and forward Tomas Hertl, who have both been lost to season-ending injuries, and captain Logan Couture and leading goal-scorer Evander Kane.
Couture, out since Jan. 7 with a small fracture in his left ankle, might be able to rejoin the Sharks once they return from the road Feb. 27. Kane will play Saturday as the three-game suspension he was given by the NHL on Feb. 15 has come to an end. The Sharks went 1-2-0 without Kane, who has 21 goals in 54 games this year.
The Sharks went 0 for 3 on the power play Thursday and are now 1 for 13 with the man advantage over their last four games.
“You can get by some nights if you get a powerplay goal, or you get a couple bounces, you get some puck luck,” Boughner said.
“But on nights like this, you don’t have a Karlsson, you don’t have a (Couture), you don’t have Hertl, you don’t have Kane. Those are the guys that chip in those extra one or two pucks a night.”
Subban’s shot from inside the blue line got past screened goalie Martin Jones, who had an otherwise solid night with 23 saves.
Making his second start in three games, Jones made 16 saves in the first two periods, including a acrobatic stop in the second period on Devils winger Nikita Gusev while the Sharks were killing a Devils’ two-man advantage.
“Just got stuck on the post a little it with the play out of the corner,” Jones said. “Just a little bit of desperation, threw a stick up there and got lucky.”
Heed’s goal at the 7:22 mark of the first period was his first since Feb. 24 of last season, ending a 45game drought.
Alexander True and Jacob Middleton assisted on the goal, with True winning a faceoff in the Devils’ zone to help set up the shot, which went off a body in front of the New Jersey net before it got past goalie MacKenzie Blackwood.
Blackwood made 36 saves against the Sharks.
“I thought we played pretty well, top to bottom. Just probably needed to find a little bit more action at the ( Devils) net,” Jones said. “Make it a little tougher (on Blackwood).”
After Saturday, the trip ends with games against the New York Islanders on Sunday and the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. In between comes the NHL trade deadline, as general manager Doug Wilson, who was in attendance Thursday, has said he will continue to work the phones between now and Monday’s noon cutoff.