Coyotes’ Hall presents unexpected challenge
SAN JOSE >> Coach Bob Boughner is as familiar with Taylor Hall as anyone in the Sharks organization.
The two won Memorial Cup championships together in 2009 and 2010 when Boughner was the coach of the Windsor Spitfires and Hall was an elite talent about to become the NHL’s No. 1 overall draft pick.
“He’s a guy that if you give him space, he’s going to make you pay with his speed,” Boughner said. “It’s all about working above, good gap by our defensemen and just taking that space away in the neutral zone.
“Because if he gets free, he’s a straight line player. He goes to the net as hard as any forward in the league.
Tough to defend against that way.”
The Sharks got their chance Tuesday against Hall and the Arizona Coyotes. “Hall, the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s most valuable player, entered Tuesday with 25 points in 30 games this season.”
Until Monday there was no reason for the Sharks to think they’d be dealing with Hall. But on Monday, Hall and Blake Speers were acquired by the Coyotes from the New Jersey Devils for Arizona’s 2020 firstround draft choice (conditional), Arizona’s 2021 third-round draft choice (conditional), forwards Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr and defenseman Kevin Bahl.
“Arizona’s obviously a team that’s picked up a pretty good player and have one of the best road records in the NHL,” Boughner said before Tuesday’s game.
Hall’s addition bolsters a Coyotes team that entered Tuesday tied with the Edmonton Oilers atop the Pacific Division with 42 points, eight more than the Sharks.
“He’s a good player, but at the same time, we’re confident in our group and the players we have in here,” Sharks forward Barclay Goodrow said when asked for his reaction to the trade. “Doesn’t matter what other teams are doing. We believe in ourselves in here and hopefully we can get the job done.”
“We’ve got a lot to focus on in this dressing room,” Sharks captain Logan Couture said, “so what other teams do really, shouldn’t affect us right now. You see (the trade) and you realize you’re going to play against the guy a little more. He’s a very good player and is probably going to make them better.
“But we’ve got a lot of to focus on in this room.”
• Defenseman Mario Ferraro was unexpectedly scratched for Tuesday’s game. According to a team spokesman, Ferraro is dealing with a minor upper body injury. With Ferraro out, Jacob Middleton, recalled from the Barracuda earlier in the day, played alongside Tim Heed on the Sharks’ third defense pair. Ferraro, a rookie, had five assists and was averaging 15:44 of ice time in 32 games this season.
Center Antti Suomela returned after he had missed the past eight games with an upper body injury. Suomela began the game on the fourth line with Dylan Gambrell and Melker Karlsson. With Suomela coming off injured reserve, Joachim Blichfeld was reassigned to the Barracuda. Blichfeld did not have a point in two games with the Sharks.