SJ ends skid as Eklund yells, Blackwood shines
Finally, the 20232024 edition of the San Jose Sharks has a blueprint for winning games.
They need to have each other's back for 60 minutes, get timely contributions from their special teams, grab an early lead, play with some desperation.
Above all, get a standout performance from their starting goalie.
The Sharks saw it all Tuesday and lifted a huge weight off their shoulders – sidestepping NHL history in the process -- with a 2-1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers that ended a season-opening 11game losing streak.
Anthony Duclair and William Eklund both scored, and goalie Mackenzie Blackwood looked calm and in control as he stopped 38 shots, including 15 in the third period.
“It's a lot of relief in here,” Blackwood said. “Everyone's happy. It's been a long time coming and now we can take a breath and start to try and put some more together.”
At the very least, the Sharks (1-10-1) won't be known as the first NHL team to start a regular season with 12 straight losses.
That in and of itself was cause for celebration, as postgame music emanated from the Sharks' dressing room at SAP Center for the first time in months. Their last home victory came on March 30, when they beat the Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in overtime.
“There's just so many things that went into tonight and at some point, you say, `Enough's enough,'” Sharks coach David Quinn said after the game. “And I give a ton of credit to our leaders
and our older players. I thought they really stepped up tonight.”
Now San Jose's attention turns to today's game against the similarly struggling Edmonton Oilers, as they hope to put as much distance between themselves and their dismal start as possible, including those back-to-back stinkers last week against the Vancouver Canucks and Pittsburgh Penguins.
“We know what it takes for us to win,” Sharks center Tomas Hertl said, “and we have to do this every night.”
The Sharks should have defenseman Calen Addison available to them tonight after they acquired the puckmoving defenseman from the Minnesota Wild for AHL winger Adam Raska and a 2026 fifth-round draft pick.
Addison, 23, had been on Minnesota's top power-play unit up until recently and projects to have the same role in San Jose. He had five assists in 12 games for the Wild this season and has five goals and 38 points in 92
career NHL games, all with Minnesota. A second-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2018, Addison was averaging just under 17 minutes of ice time per game this season.
Addison signed a oneyear, $825,000 contract with the Wild in September and per CapFriendly, will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next year.
While Addison might be in San Jose's lineup, it would be a surprise to see Quinn tonight not go right back to Blackwood, arguably the Sharks' best player so far this season.
Although it was hardly all his fault, Blackwood had back-to-back rough outings last week against the Canucks and Penguins, allowing 10 goals on 32 shots. Tuesday, Blackwood was in control, giving Quinn some peace of mind even as the Sharks were clinging to a one-goal lead for the entire third period.
“I think you're seeing a guy that can be an elite goalie in this league,” Quinn
said of the 6-foot-5 Blackwood, who came to the Sharks this season after five years in New Jersey. “I am so impressed with him. A lot of goalies have started their careers at the age of 26 years. Built like he is, his demeanor his athleticism, you've got a chance to be special in this league. Our guys have a lot of confidence in him.”
After giving his team a tongue-lashing Monday, general manager Mike Grier wanted to see how they would compete against the Flyers, how many puck battles they won, and how they would respond if they faced adversity.
Eklund's goal was the winner. And after he scored at the 16:18 mark of the second period, giving the Sharks their first two-goal lead of the season, Eklund stood two dozen feet away from the Flyers net and let out a roar, a release of sorts after three-plus weeks of frustration.
“It was a big relief,” Eklund said.
NOTES: The recalled forward Oskar Lindblom from the Barracuda on Wednesday and placed defenseman/forward Jacob MacDonald on injured reserve. ... Raska, 22, was a seventh-round draft pick by the Sharks in 2020 and was in his third full season of pro hockey. The hard-nosed winger played in eight NHL games in his first two seasons, including three late last season. He had 25 points and 178 penalty minutes in 110 AHL games with the Barracuda.