The Sharks are playing Utah tonight in their preseason finale. I will be providing analysis from period to period throughout the game.
Macklin Celebrini is making his season debut tonight. He was expected to get in at least one pre-season game after dealing with an illness during camp. He will be centering Will Smith and Philippe Kurashev, a line that could be the Sharks' top line come the season opener. A notable addition to tonight's lineup is Ethan Cardwell. After scoring a hat trick last night, Cardwell has been given an additional chance to secure a spot on the Sharks' opening night roster.
The full lineup can be seen here.
Period 1
Sharks heading to the power play early, let's see if they can get on the board early.
After the penalty expires, Utah breaks on a 2 on 0, and Askarov makes a nice save. Going back the other way, Gaudette makes a nice power move to the net and puts home a beautiful backhand goal. 1-0 Sharks!
Utah gets one back, Sergachev sneaks a point wrister past Askarov. Askarov wants that one back. 1-1
Sharks are going to the box as Deshairnais takes a tripping penalty. Sharks need a kill.
Almost immediately into the power play, Guenther fires a one-timer past Askarov, 2-1 Utah.
There have been four shots combined between the two teams and three goals so far in the first period.
Former Shark Andrew Agozzino gets on the board for Utah, putting home a juicy Askarov rebound, crashing the net. 3-1 Utah.
A rough period for Askarov, with three goals on six shots, two of which he simply needs to be better on.
Utah continues the onslaught, as Cole finds Yamamoto in front for the tip-in. 4-1 Utah
The Sharks need to settle things down and compete after a good start; they look shell-shocked right now.
The period ends, the Sharks have a goal on just 2 shots, while Utah has 4 on 7 shots. About as bad a start as you could have for the Sharks, but there is still time to make it interesting; it's pre-season, so the result is secondary to how they respond to the adversity.
Period 2
Smith misses a wide-open net high on a backhand. Celebrini gathers the puck and nearly finds Smith on the backdoor. The Sharks are going to need their top stars to keep making plays to get back in this one.
The very next shift, Toffoli wires one past Vejmelka, a nice keep-in by Toffoli leads to his scoring chance after Wennberg finds him with a backhand pass. 4-2 Utah.
Let's see if this can shift the momentum of this game for the Sharks.
Gaudette and Goodrow combine to create an excellent 2 on 1 rush. And Goodrow puts it in the back of the net. 4-3 Utah.
Still 15 minutes to go in the period, Sharks are back in the game and have three goals on just six shots. Not a good day for goaltending.
Smith denied by the pad on another breakaway, on the same shift, Celebrini gets a chance in the slot but misses high, then strips the puck and gets another opportunity.
The Sharks are going on the power play after Peterka takes a slashing penalty; momentum has shifted in the Sharks' favor. Let's see if they can keep it going.
Celebrini finds Smith on the backdoor past two mammoth defenders for an easy tap-in. We have a tie game, 4-4!
Celebrini and Smith have taken over this game in the 2nd. It's exciting to think about what they can do together over a full season this year.
Askarov denies McBain in the slot with the pad, first time really being tested this period.
The period has come to an end. After falling down 4-1 in the first, the Sharks responded as best as they could, scoring three goals in the second and evening things up 4-4. We have a game going into the 3rd.
Period 3
Deshairnais going to the box on the first shift of the period for elbowing, Sharks are going on the kill.
Good kill by the Sharks, let's see if they can keep their foot on the gas after coming on in the 2nd.
Keller fires a one-timer through traffic, it goes off Muhkamahdulin’s knee and past Askarov, tough break for the Sharks. 5-4 Utah. Askarov had no chance on the redirection.
Right after giving up a goal, the Sharks are going to the box, bad discipline by the Sharks. Need another big kill.
Askarov makes an incredible post-to-post stop to keep the game within 1 goal. Been an up and down night, but if the Sharks come back, that save will be a big reason why.
Askarov makes another big stop, denying Stenlund on a breakaway. The Sharks have slowed down and need to get their feet going again, nearly halfway through the period.
Sharks turn the puck over on the blue line, and Brandon Tanev scores on the breakaway, a result of a bad turnover; Utah leads 6-4.
Utah is going to the box for slashing. The Sharks need a goal here.
Bad defensive coverage by Dickinson leads to a Guenther breakaway, Askarov shuts the door, not a good start to the power play.
Utah kills the penalty; the Sharks have just three shots in 15 minutes this period.
After coming back in the 2nd after a bad first, the Sharks have reverted mainly back to their form in the first; they are not showing much compete or pushback right now.
Sharks go out with a whimper, fall 6-4 to the Utah Mammoth.
Post Game
This was a chaotic game. The Sharks got off to a good start, scoring on their first shift, but fell flat for the remainder of the period, giving up four goals as Askarov struggled. In the 2nd, they turned things around and dominated play, scoring three goals in the process. Before once again falling flat in the 3rd and dropping the game 6-4. It was nice seeing the Sharks bounce back after a tough start, but they took their foot off the gas, negating the comeback effort. Overall, it was a tough way to end the pre-season.
The biggest positive to take away was the play of Celebrini and Smith; they were dynamic offensively tonight and were responsible for most of the Sharks' extended pressure in the offensive zone. The duo is expected to be a key fixture on the Sharks' top line this season, and they looked the part tonight. Regardless of the results this season, getting to watch Smith and Celebrini continue to grow together should make this season a fun one.
The Sharks will open the season against Vegas on October 9th, marking the end of the preseason hockey.