SAN JOSE – The Sharks needed a major improvement over their last performance if they wanted to start out their six-game homestand on the right foot. Sunday night, they did just that.
A day after pointing out their defense in front of their goalie needed to be better, San Jose put a tougher, more determined product out on the ice. Paired with a strong showing in net from Martin Jones, the Sharks extinguished the Calgary Flames, 3-1.
Here are three takeaways from Sunday’s game:
Kane, Donskoi, Flames-stoppers: You may recall that Sharks winger Evander Kane scored four goals against Calgary last season, tallying six goals overall in two games. Fellow forward Joonas Donskoi, for his part, entered Sunday’s contest with five goals of his own against the Flames. While on a line together, the two created some of the Sharks’ best chances.
Kane’s game-opening goal, which was set up by center Joe Pavelski and Donskoi, was impressive enough. What was even better was the way Kane set Donskoi up for the second goal of the contest. No.9 held the puck patiently behind Calgary’s net as Donskoi got into position. Mikael Backlund and Noah Hanifin had Donskoi bookended, but they were no match for the Finnish winger’s quick one-timer.
Defensive effort was better: The big talk after the Sharks’ 4-0 loss to the Blues on Friday was that the team’s collective defense wasn’t up to snuff. In talking to the team at practice on Saturday, they identified playing a better all-around defensive game as their key focus.
They were undeniably better Sunday, which achieved another goal they identified ahead of the game – taking pressure off their goalie. Jones for his part made some very important saves to keep the Flames from tying things up, particularly late in the final frame.
On that note … The third period belonged to Martin Jones
The Sharks’ third period had the potential to set the tone for the rest of their homestand. Although they skated into the final frame with a 2-1 lead, their ability to keep the Flames from knotting up the score was crucial.
Calgary was able to creep up on the shot clock and create some chances, but Jones saved some of his best stuff for those final 20 minutes. Perhaps his best saves came on a flurry of shots from Johnny Gaudreau and Mark Jankowski with a little other seven minutes to go in regulation, as he stretched out his legs in both directions in order to keep a wrap-around attempt and a subsequent rebound attempt from finding the back of the net.
Photo Credit: Associated Press
Source: NBC Bay Area
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