Sharks win the battle of the sea with a 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken
It's another win for Devin Cooley and the San Jose Sharks. Cooley, this time, grabbed his first road win over the Seattle Kraken as the San Jose Sharks defeated the NHL's newest organization by a score of 3-1. It could be a more convincing result, but a victory in a season where they have been few and far between. Another two points in an attempt to avoid a historically bad season.
San Jose would open the scoring when Luke Kunin won an offensive zone faceoff and returned it to Klim Kostin. Kostin sent it back to Henry Thrun at the point, and Thun let it fire. Thrun has been in a bit of goal-scoring form recently, so the shot was able to find a way in after it deflected off of Luke Kunin on the way through. It's an early Sharks lead.
Before the end of the first, Seattle would get back into it. San Jose couldn't deny the zone entry as Jordan Eberle carried the puck into the Sharks zone. Dragging a defenseman out created a soft spot between the circle, which Brian Dumoulin could find jumping in from the point. Eberle got the puck to him, and Cooley could not stop that one as it sailed past and in to tie the game up.
San Jose would restore its lead in the second when William Eklund flew the zone early. Eklund was behind the defense, forcing the Kraken into a full-scale retreat. This allowed a soft area for the jumping defenseman, Kyle Burroughs, and Eklund was able to find him. Burroughs had enough room to work with to find the corner of the net with the shot, and San Jose's lead was restored on a rush. Eklund continued his outstanding season, and the blue line was the driving factor again.
The Sharks would strike again soon after to compile the pain. William Eklund won a race to the puck, which he could chip behind the net for Mikael Granlund. Granlund has all the time and space in the world to pick out Fabian Zetterlund, who was cruising through the slot, and the Lund line strikes again to push the Sharks into a commanding position in the game.
From then on, there would be no more scoring. San Jose and Devin Cooley shut the door for the remainder of the game, and despite the Kraken's best efforts, there was nothing there. They won on a night when the Sharks could have solidified the last overall place in the standings. Some fans may not be happy with this, but we all enjoy the Sharks winning games and seeing the young players continue to thrive.