Sharks open NHL season.
Kane, Hertl are lone highlights in opening loss to Ducks
SAN JOSE >> A season opener that saw Joe Thornton’s return to regular-season game action and the formal introduction of Erik Karlsson to the SAP Center fans was spoiled by the Anaheim Ducks on Wednesday.
The Sharks allowed goals by Brandon Montour and Adam Henrique midway through the third period as the Ducks, who were swept by San Jose in the first round of last year’s playoffs, skated away with a 5-2 win.
Evander Kane and Tomas Hertl both scored nifty goals for the Sharks, who did an admirable job of suppressing Anaheim chances. But goalie Martin Jones, not to mention the Sharks’ power play, had an off night, as he allowed the Ducks’ four goals on just 14 shots.
San Jose’s power play finished 0 for 3 with just one shot on goal in 4:05 of man advantage time.
The Sharks start a five-game road trip Friday in Los Angeles against the Kings.
“The power play’s about confidence, and obviously we struggled in preseason and didn’t look sharp,” DeBoer said.
“We’ve got to get some practice time, we’ve got to spend a little time on video. but special teams and goaltending are huge parts of the game and we lost those two battles.
“When that happens, you’re probably not going to win a lot of games.”
The loudest cheers during the Sharks’ glitzy pregame show Wednesday night when each player was individually introduced were saved for Thornton and Karlsson.
Thornton was returning to the SAP Center ice for the first time in eight months. Karlsson was playing in his first game of significance for the Sharks three weeks after he first donned a teal sweater for a team practice.
“I think as the game went on, just like everybody else, it felt a little more comfortable,” Karlsson said. “A little bit shaky in the beginning, pucks were bouncing here and there and you’re overthinking stuff, but (as) the game went along, I think not only me but everybody else started to feel a little bit more comfortable.”
Once the Sharks’ game with the Ducks started, though, Kane and Hertl were the only San Jose players who brought the crowd out of their seats.
With the game tied 1-1, Hertl gave the Sharks the lead with a nifty individual effort that started with him breaking up a Ducks pass at the Sharks’ blue line and later controlling the puck in the Anaheim end.
Hertl then put the puck between defenseman Cow Fowler’s legs along the boards, carried it toward the middle of the ice and beat Ducks goalie John Gibson on the short side for a shorthanded goal at the 17:14 mark of the second.
The first period had some disjointed moments, and a pair of neutral zone turnovers led to the game’s first two goals.
In the first minute, Brent Burns attempted diagonal pass into the Ducks zone that instead went off the leg of Jakob Silfverberg. Henrique tapped the puck ahead to Comtois, who beat Jones with a low wrist shot on a breakaway just 49 seconds into the first period.
The Sharks took advantage of a Ducks miscue to score their first goal of the season.
Anaheim lost control of the puck in the neutral zone and defenseman Justin Braun chipped it ahead to Kane, who came across Anaheim’s blue line, put the puck between Josh Manson’s legs, and fired a wrist shot past Gibson to tie the game 1-1 at the 7:51 mark of the first.
Thornton was playing in his first regular season game since Jan. 23 when he suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee against Winnipeg.
He started Wednesday’s game on a line with Joe Pavelski and Timo Meier and finished the night with 17:42 of ice time.
“That’s the best I’ve seen him moving since training camp and exhibition,” DeBoer said. “I thought tonight he had some decent legs.”
Hertl, Logan Couture and Kevin Labanc comprised the second line and while Barclay Goodrow centered the fourth line with Marcus Sorensen and Melker Karlsson on his wings.
Kane was on the third line with Antti Suomela, who was making his first NHL regular season start, at center and Joonas Donskoi on the other win. The trio finished with 11 shots on goal.
“I thought we played really well, to be honest,” Kane said. “(Suomela) for his first NHL game and first time in the U.S. played really, really well. I was really impressed. I thought we did a lot of good things in the first two periods and worked well together.
“We could have had a couple more goals if the bounces went our way.”
Kane finished the opener with a team-leading five shots on goal in 18:03 of ice time.
“Kane I thought was probably our best forward tonight, him and Tommy Hertl,” DeBoer said. “I thought he was backing people off all night with his speed. He could have had another couple goals. I thought he had a great game for us.”