After Friday’s (Nov. 29) gonzo match in San Jose, in which the Sharks bested the Seattle Kraken 8-5, the Pacific Division foes went toe-to-toe again on Saturday (Nov. 30), this time in Seattle. By now the Kraken are probably done with playing the Sharks, although the latter are having the time of their lives, as San Jose skated to a 4-2 win. Two-day sweep complete.
Sharks Feast on Kraken Errors
Although this latest contest wasn’t as high-flying as its predecessor, the recipe for success for head coach Ryan Warsofsky’s group was similar: cause turnovers, put pressure on the opposition, and strike quickly.
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And so it went on Saturday. Mario Ferraro was the only goal scorer in the opening 20 minutes. The defenseman lit the lamp at 16:54. He made good on passes from Timothy Liljegren and Mikael Granlund that zoomed around Seattle’s zone before landing on his stick near the slot for a shot through traffic.
Luke Kunin doubled the visitors’ advantage early in the second period moments after serving time in the penalty box. The Sharks raced out from a defensive posture after an errant Seattle pass, with Ty Dellandrea leaving the disc for Kunin with a soft back pass. Kunin’s wrist shot trickled past Joey Daccord.
Cody Cedi made it 3-0 at 8:59 of the second by pouncing on a puck that bounced off the backboard behind the Kraken net. With Seattle’s goalie sprawled and in no position to recover, Ceci blasted his shot from the netminder’s right. Credit to Jake Walman for making an athletic and skillful play at the blue line to keep his team’s puck possession alive.
The Sharks smelled blood and wanted more. Seattle’s inability to keep the puck in San Jose’s zone yet again sent Granlund racing out from the left for a two-on-one. He fed Will Smith, who sent the puck home to make it 4-0 at 9:45.
Kraken Attempt a Response but Sink
The hosts attempted to make a game of it. Jaden Schwartz benefitted from a fortuitous bounce off the end board that had the puck land on his stick. He deftly sniped it top shelf past Mackenzie Blackwood at 10:17 of the middle frame to cut the deficit to 4-1.
In the third period, Jared McCann gave the home fans something to applaud at 6:27. He accepted a pass from Ryker Evans, stepped into the top of the left faceoff circle and torched a shot over Blackwood’s shoulder. Seattle huffed and puffed late to inch closer to their opponents, but the Sharks would have none of it.
In stark contrast to Friday’s match, it could be argued that a goalie was the game’s hero. Blackwood was stellar, making 36 saves in a victorious cause.
The Sharks are off the Washington to face the Capitals on Tuesday (Dec. 3). The Kraken also head out east. They’ll be in Carolina to face the Hurricanes on Tuesday as well.
