The San Jose Sharks hosted the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday night (Jan. 4) as they looked to end their nine-game losing streak. Mackenzie Blackwood was in between the pipes for the Sharks, while his teammates tried to get the puck past Connor Hellebuyck, who they were facing for the first time this season. It ended up being a goaltending battle, as both Blackwood and Hellebuyck made some incredible saves. Ultimately it ended up being Hellebuyck’s Jets walking away with a 2-1 victory.
Blackwood’s Return to the Net
Blackwood had been out of action due to illness since his appearance against the Vancouver Canucks on Dec. 23. Kaapo Kahkonen played phenomenally in his absence despite the team continuing to struggle, however, it’s always nice to have two NHL-caliber goaltenders healthy and ready to go. Blackwood got tested right out of the gate, as the Jets controlled possession during the first period and had plenty of offensive zone time which led to some big saves from the returning netminder. He faced ten shots in the first period, and kept all of them out of the net.
Blackwood got beat by a deflection from Morgan Barron in the second period off of a Neal Pionk shot. The Sharks gave up their second goal of the night in the third period on the penalty kill. Overall, Blackwood played well in his return but the team in front of him didn’t make it an easy night.
Barabanov Refinding His Game
Alexander Barabanov seemed invisible for most of the season, however he’s taken a major step forward in the last two games. He scored against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday (Jan. 2) and scored again against the Jets. He gave the Sharks a 1-0 lead following a strong power play performance which led to a few high-quality scoring opportunities for the team in teal. Although they weren’t able to convert on the man advantage, it didn’t take Barabanov long to find the back of the net after the penalty expired. Ironically, he scored his 100th career point in the NHL on Tuesday, then this goal, which was his very next point was his 100th as a Shark. David Quinn rewarded him immediately as he started the third period on the first line alongside Tomas Hertl and William Eklund.
As one of the Sharks’ key players, and potentially most valuable trade chips at this year’s trade deadline, they certainly needed him to elevate his game. He’s starting to find his rhythm which can be a game-changer for the Sharks in multiple different ways.
Penalty Kill Continues to Struggle
The Sharks’ penalty kill entered the night sitting 28th in the league at 73.5%. Although the Jets didn’t get their first power play until the third period when Filip Zadina went to the penalty box for hooking Adam Lowry, they capitalized quickly. Gabriel Vilardi’s eighth goal of the season gave the Jets a 2-1 lead, just over a minute into the power play. Even though the Sharks did a good job of staying out of the penalty box most of the night, it ended up not making much of a difference. Even though the Sharks are consistently getting solid goaltending performances, it doesn’t mean much if the penalty killers aren’t able to do their part.
Related: Sharks’ Tomas Hertl Named 2024 NHL All-Star
For the second game in a row, the Sharks played the right way and overall played very well against a better opponent. Unfortunately, just like against the Detroit Red Wings, a few key mistakes led to another loss and now the Sharks have had a losing streak reach double digits for the second time this season. Things don’t get much easier either, as they now have two games against the Toronto Maple Leafs and their high-powered offense coming up next on the schedule.
