San Jose Sharks Frustrated In Shutout Loss To Devils

San Jose dropped to 12-15-3 at SAP Center following their latest loss to New Jersey.

Whelp, that’s how hockey goes sometimes. The San Jose Sharks stole two points from the Calgary Flames last week, but tonight, it was the New Jersey Devils who would snatch a victory from San Jose.

Despite dominating for long stretches of the game, San Jose couldn’t find a way to beat Devils netminder Keith Kinkaid who made 30 saves in a 3-0 shutout victory over the Sharks.

This was a very frustrating night of hockey as New Jersey did a great job of capitalizing on the few chances they were able to create, while playing stingy defensive hockey. The Devils blocked 25 shots in this one, and the ones that were able to get through, Kinkaid was there to make the save.

It was a very pedestrian first period as the two teams found very little time or space in the opening frame. While the Devils aren’t an offensive team by any stretch of the imagination, they are very good at blocking shots and limiting quality opportunities.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, New Jersey would strike first as Devante Smith-Pelly fired home his ninth goal of the season past a screened Martin Jones to give the Devils a 1-0 lead at the 3:14 mark of the second.

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From that point on, it was all Sharks as they held New Jersey without a shot over the final 16:46 of the middle frame as San Jose poured on the pressure. Team teal would outshoot the Devils by a 16-3 margin in the second, but they were unable to find a way past Kinkaid who was very sharp in this one.

The Sharks had numerous chances on a couple power play opportunities in the second, but Kinkaid was there to thwart them at every turn.

San Jose’s inability to capitalize on those scoring chances came back to haunt them early in the third as Travis Zajac wristed one that deflected in past Jones who was just unable to keep the puck out of the net with his glove as the Sharks found themselves down by two 95 seconds into the final 20 minutes of play.

To highlight the kind of night it was for San Jose, New Jersey went more than 18 minutes between shots on goal, but those two shots they did take found the back of the net.

The frustration would only continue to mount as the night wore on for the Sharks, epitomized by Brent Burns missing an open net on the power play with less than five minutes remaining. Zajac would seal the deal with his second goal of the night into the empty net as San Jose would drop their second consecutive home game.

There’s not much else to say about this contest except the fact that Kinkaid earned this victory for New Jersey. The Sharks will surely take the effort, but they must bear down on their chances with the postseason approaching.

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San Jose will look to put this game behind them on Saturday night as they continue their three-game home stand when they welcome the Washington Capitals to SAP Center. This will be a big test for the Sharks as it should have a playoff-feel as we see how team teal stacks up against the NHL’s best team.