San Jose Sharks edge closer to Macklin Celebrini with a defeat to the Minnesota Wild
By Conor Power
Still just two wins since the all-star break, the Sharks are just trying to kill the final few games of the season and get away from here. They were defeated by the Minnesota Wild again, and this team doesn't look right. They didn't show up for the first period, played well in the second, but then couldn't score enough in the third as they come up short in St Paul. Not a fun night for the team in teal.
We start in the first when the Wild would break the deadlock. Blackwood would have to stand on his head early and the Wild would break him eventually. With a little more than 4 minutes to go in the opening frame, Zach Bogosian would move the puck up the ice to Matt Boldy. Boldy would find Kirill Kaprizov cruising through the center of the ice. Kaprizov puts the puck on the blade of Joel Eriksson Ek at the back post, and Blackwood had no chance, 1-0 Wild.
San Jose would get it back in the second when Jan Rutta would send the puck off the boards and onto the stick of Mikael Granlund. Granlund drove tot the net aganst his former team, but his initial attempted to pass the puck across the slot was stopped. The rebound would fall to Granlund again who would bury it to tie the game up at one, and give the Sharks some life.
Early in the third, the Wild would break the tie. Off the opening faceoff, the Wild would get it in deep. Boldy would win the board battle and get it back to the front of the net for Kaprizov. Blackwood and Kyle Burroughs do enough to make sure the shot doesn't get through, but the rebound falls to Boldy who cannot miss. He tucks it home to restore the Sharks lead 18 seconds into the final frame.
San Jose would push and push, but would come up empty. Ryan Hartman would hit the empty net to ice it and the Sharks drop another game. It had been a difficult night and the Sharks come up empty. Now, they have to move on and focus on the next one. But this team does not look like they're going to be getting another win before the new season starts in October.