Hertl itching for a Game 7: ‘It’s not over’
SAN JOSE >> Tomas Hertl remains confident that if the Sharks play the way they are capable of Sunday in Game 6 against the Vegas Golden Knights, there will be a seventh and deciding game in the second round playoff series.
Asked after the Sharks’ 5-3 loss to Vegas in Game 5 about the slow starts the team has had in the series, Hertl said, “I don’t what is the issue, but we have to be ready. It’s not over yet. We have a home game now and we have to take it and start right away, and I believe we come back for Game 7.”
Asked Saturday to clarify what sounded like a guarantee, perhaps reminiscent of Mark Messier’s in 1994, Hertl toned down his remarks to a certain degree.
“I was reading something about Mark Messier. I’m not saying that. I just believe in the team and how strong it is,” Hertl said. “I believe we would for sure be coming back because it’s not over yet. I think we’ve played pretty good hockey all postseason and I believe if we play our hockey and what we’re good at, we come back to Vegas.”
Hertl’s main points were that the Sharks need to start on time and that everybody needs to be involved.
“I think Tomas speaks for our group in that we feel confident in our game and we feel like we’ve done it all year,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’ve shown up and played our best in tough situations. I think that’s all he’s expecting, and I think that’s what we all expect.”
Evander Kane is certainly looking to bounce back after what was arguably his least-effective performance of the postseason in Game 5. Kane had just two shots on goal in 18:05 of ice time, part of a forgettable night for he and linemates Joe Pavelski and Joonas Donskoi. “We weren’t fast enough, we weren’t quick, we didn’t get on the forecheck, we didn’t hold pucks, I could go on forever,” Kane said. “We didn’t do a lot of good things. A lot of that had to do with me. I will definitely be ready to go tomorrow night.”
Kane, who was suspended for Game 2 of the
series, has one goal in four games against the Golden Knights after he registered three goals and an assist in the Sharks’ first round sweep of the Anaheim Ducks.
“I think it’s natural that good players get extra attention, but he’s not getting any more attention than Brent Burns or Joe Pavelski, or Logan Couture,” DeBoer said. “He’s not alone in that burden. I think everybody
in that room feels like they want to do a little bit more or we wouldn’t be in the spot we’re in.”
Couture said it was an issue with his skate that led him to come off the ice in an awkward manner in the late stages of Game 5. Couture had carried the puck across the Vegas blue line with less than two minutes to go and the Sharks trailing 4-3 when he turned around to protect the puck.
He was then run over by Nate Schmidt.
Seconds later, Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault gained possession — collecting a rebound after Dylan DeMelo’s shot attempt was blocked — and fired a long shot into the Sharks’ empty net with 1:21 to go in the third period after goalie Aaron Dell had been pulled.
”My skate blade came out. It popped out,” Couture said. “Just bad timing for it to break the trigger in the skate blade holder, so my skate blade fell out. I just couldn’t move for a good 5-10 seconds, which sucks.”
DeBoer said he did talk to an NHL officials supervisor about what he believed to be a phantom call on Hertl early in the second period of Game 5. Hertl was whistled for interference on Golden Knights defenseman Colin Miller after Pavelski won a offensive zone draw. Alex Tuch scored on the ensuing power play to give Vegas a 2-0 lead.
“I had a discussion with their supervisor about it, but that’s in the rear view mirror,” DeBoer said. “There’s nothing we can do about it now. Whether they agreed that it isn’t a penalty, doesn’t help me sleep tonight.”
With a late afternoon start Sunday and no morning skate planned, the Sharks went through a brisk half-hour practice Saturday. The forward lines and defense pairs remained the same as they were in Game 5. Joe Thornton, who hasn’t played since Jan. 23 when he suffered a serious knee injury, practiced in an orange ‘fifth line’ jersey.