The Sharks fell short on Saturday night, losing to the Seattle Kraken, and having dropped their last two games, find themselves back at .500 on the season. Still, there were a lot of positives to take away from the game.
The Sharks looked like the better team on the ice for the majority of the game, outshooting the Kraken and controlling play throughout the night. Unfortunately, that didn't translate on the scoreboard, due to a mix of puck luck, strong goaltending, and questionable calls from the refs. It was one of those nights for the San Jose Sharks, where nothing seemed to bounce their way.
With the game at 1-1, Will Smith put the puck in the net off his skate after the initial chance was stopped. The refs called it a distinct kicking motion on the ice, and maintained that stance after a review. This was a massive blow to the Sharks, who would have taken a 2-1 lead and altered how both teams approached the rest of the game. Warsofsky had this to say about the call, "If you asked 100 people, 50 would say it was a kick, 50 would say it was a goal. I thought it was a goal." I would have to agree with Warsofsky, while the puck did go off Smith’s skate, at no point did Smith angle his skate or change its direction to push the puck in the net. The puck went off his skate as he was searching for it following the breakaway.
It dampened what was a banner night for Smith; despite not getting on the scoresheet, Smith looked excellent against the Kraken, as he was assertive, engaged, and all over the puck, registering 5 of the Sharks' shots on goal. This is the type of performance Sharks fans want to see more from Smith, yes, he can make a brilliant play out of nothing, a couple times a game, but he is not necessarily known for being the most noticeable player on the ice shift to shift, that has slowly been changing this season, as he has seemingly taken another step forward in his development. This is supported not only by the eye test but also by his numbers, with 17 points in 19 games. Suitable for a 73-point pace for the 20-year-old 2nd year forward.
Loss aside, the Sharks seemingly bounced back from a dreadful performance against the Flames and will look to turn their fortunes around Tuesday night against the Mammoth.