San Jose Sharks get blown out in Toronto by the Maple Leafs to start road trip
By Conor Power
As the San Jose Sharks embark on a trip to the east coast, it could not have gotten off to a much worse start. Walking into Scotiabank Arena, the team in teal couldn't contend with the high-powered offense of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and saw themselves blown out of the water. It's a twelfth straight loss for the Sharks as they lose 7-1 to the Toronto Maple Leafs and get absolutely decimated in Ontario.
Toronto grabbed the lead when William Nylander grabbed hold of a bouncing puck towards the blueline. He found Morgan Rielly walking in behind Fabian Zetterlund and just snipes the puck home past Kaapo Kahkonen, and the Sharks were behind in the first period. With three minutes left to go in the opening frame, there was an uphill task for the Sharks if they were going to stop this from being another defeat.
Toronto made it two before the intermission. Nylander send a pass across the blueline to John Tavares before getting it back. Nylander then found Rielly coming back up towards the point. Nylander got it back and fed it over to Auston Matthews who was left all alone in the left circle. When you give him that much time, he's not going to miss, and it was 2-0 San Jose with two minutes left as the Leafs powerplay struck.
Mitchell Marner would take the puck into the offensive zone, dishing it to Matthew Knies. His shot was denied, but Matthews picked up the rebound. Timothy Lilegren got the puck at the point before giving it over to Jake McCabe. His shot from the blueline was tipped by Marner in front, and the Sharks were 3-0 down early in the second as this squeaked through the padding of Kahkonen.
Alexander Barabanov turned the puck over in the offensive zone to David Kampf. Kampf carried the puck up the ice before getting it to Pontus Holmberg. Holmberg then proceeds to drive the net and put Kyle Burroughs on his shoulder, and flick a one-handed shot over the padding of Kahkonen. This would be the end of the night for the Finnish netminder, and the Sharks were down 4-0.
Anthony Duclair and Mikael Granlund swapped places on the right wing. Granlund took the puck and drove towards the net on the powerplay before giving it back to Duclair at the point. Duclair gave it back to Granlund who found Henry Thrun alone in the slot. Thrun sniped it home for his first NHL goal, and the promising young defenseman had given Sharks fans something to celebrate in an otherwise dark night.
Unfortunately, the Leafs didn't enjoy giving up a goal to the Sharks, and after winning a faceoff, got the puck back to the point. Marner then received the puck and played it through the slot over to Jake McCabe, and he fired it home past Mackenzie Blackwood, and the Sharks were now 5-1 down, and the Leafs were in a bad mood after the Thrun goal. It was not going to get easier for the Sharks.
In the third, Nylander took the puck at the point. He played catch with Matthews before getting it back and giving it to Rielly. He threw it at the net and Tavares tipped it. Blackwood was equal to it, but the rebound was sitting loose in the slot, and it was a simple finish for Marner. It was now 6-1 and the Sharks were going to lose their twelfth game in a row. With just three points in their last 14 games, this streak is now ugly.
Toronto added a seventh, but do you really care? Nick Robertson got the puck back to the point for McCabe to eventually load up and fire wide. Knies retrieved the puck and got it back to Robertson who fired it through Blackwood's five hole to make it 7-1. Thankfully, the Sharks stopped the bleeding there before giving up 10 goals for the third time this season, but it was another defeat in Toronto.
Losing 12 in a row, the Sharks do not have time to lick their wounds. Next up on the docket for the Sharks is a trip to the Bell Center in Montreal. That Canadiens team has proven difficult to beat for some of the leagues elite, and this Sharks team hasn't won a game since the Reagan administration. Being a Sharks fan right now is just pain and suffering, so settle in as we continue our journey on this barf mobile.