San Jose Sharks Drop Preseason Opener In Vancouver
The San Jose Sharks kicked off the preseason on Monday night with a tilt against the Vancouver Canucks in Colwood, British Columbia as part of the NHL’s Kraft Hockeyville promotion. It wasn’t the most entertaining or thrilling game as each team only registered 19 shots on goal and there weren’t many chances on each way.
However, the Canucks scored the lone goal of the game as Adam Cracknell fired a wrist shot from the high slot past Sharks goaltender Aaron Dell 1:39 into overtime to give Vancouver the 1-0 victory. San Jose was able to get their first taste of the new 3-on-3 overtime format and the amount of open ice afforded to both teams. The NHL might get their wish in wanting to cut down on the number of shootouts as there should be plenty goals with the new format.
Despite the defeat, new head coach Peter DeBoer was pleased with the experience as a whole with the Hockeyville event (via Kevin Woodley of NHL.com):
"“It was sloppy, but overall I was happy and real happy with the experience and glad we were a part of it. I’m really glad we were invited to be a part of it. Nothing but a positive experience across the board, other than I would have liked to win that game in overtime.”"
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DeBoer decided to go with a young Sharks lineup in the opener as many of San Jose’s familiar faces – Joe Thornton, Joe Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, Logan Couture, Brent Burns – didn’t feature last night. The opportunity was given to some of the San Jose Sharks top prospects and recent draft picks such as Nikolay Goldobin, Timo Meier and Jeremy Roy. Meier and Goldobin, playing on the same line, created some nice chances, but there wasn’t a whole lot of offense on either end in this one.
Troy Grosenick got the start for the San Jose Sharks and looked solid during the first half of the game, before being relieved by Dell who had no chance on the game-winner. Both goaltenders are expected to compete for the starting position with the San Jose Barracuda this fall.
The San Jose Sharks get right back at it tonight as they will visit the Canucks for their second game of the preseason at Rogers Arena, the regular home of Vancouver. You can probably expect a few more of San Jose’s regulars in this one as preparations continue for the upcoming season.
Next: Sharks Trim Training Camp Roster By 14 Players