San Jose Sharks Face Off Against Florida; Shutdown Erik Karlsson
The San Jose Sharks head to Sunrise, Florida for a contest against a struggling Panthers team. Team Teal is coming off a 3 – 6 loss to the Lightning. The injuries that have been plaguing the San Jose Sharks follow them into BB&T Arena.
The San Jose Sharks went without two of their top 4 defenders during their last game with the absences of both Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Erik Karlsson from the starting line up. The void they left showed with Tampa Bay being able to set up some highly danger opportunities and convert them.
Team Teal dominated in the possession and shot share metrics, but were ultimately no match for the skill of the Lightning roster. They pounced on every San Jose Sharks mistake and made them pay dearly for it. Martin Jones at a difficult night in net, but made some pretty key saves early that kept the San Jose Sharks within reach until halfway through the second. That’s when the Lightning put them away with a game winning power play goal from Victor Hedman.
Tonight it seems that we might see blue liner Marc-Edouard Vlasic come off IR and get on the ice. According to the Mercury New’s Paul Gackle, MEV is participating in morning skate alongside partner Justin Braun.
Coach Pete DeBoer confirmed today that the San Jose Sharks were shutting down Erik Karlsson until after the All Star break. We all assumed that this was going to be the case, but DeBoer confirmed it after Monday’s morning skate.
The San Jose Sharks are looking to build some momentum with the All Star Break fast approaching. They’ve dropped 2 of 3 games after a 7 game win streak. Pay attention to these members of Team Teal to help right the ship before it’s too late.
Sharks Shining In the Sunshine State
Most of the San Jose Sharks forward group stepped up in the absence of EK65 who generates a bulk of their offense. Evander Kane scored 2 goals and generated 5 shots on net in Saturday’s loss. Timo Meier remains effective but still remained scoreless in his 17th straight game. He’s due for one and it’s only a matter of time until he’s rewarded with a big game.
Brent Burns continues to power through this Norris caliber season. He was the second most effective skater behind EK9 during Saturday’s loss. He made some defensive blunders, but was a monster in the offensive zone generating 7 shots on goal. Since December 1st, 2018 he leads the San Jose Sharks by a mile in shot generation with 99. Keep an eye for him to continue to drive play from the blue line, especially without EK65 in the lineup.
Prowling Panthers
Florida Panthers have gone 3 – 5 -2 in their last 10 and are coming off a 4 – 2 win against Nashville. Panthers centermen Vincent Trocheck returned to the line up 2 games ago after a 2 month hiatus on injured reserve. He’s compiled 3 points during that span; his presence is a breath of fresh air for a floundering Panthers squad. They are hoping that his return will spark this talented yet under performing team in the second half.
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Puck drop for tonight’s game is at 4:00 PM PT at the BB&T Arena in Sunrise, Florida. The game will be broadcasted on NBCSNC, and also streamed via the Sharks app courtesy of 98.5 KFOX.