SAN JOSESAN JOSE – The Sharks allowed a breakaway objective to Andrei Kuzmenko on the 1:12 mark of time beyond regulation in a 4-3 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday.
J.T. Miller took benefit of a nasty Sharks change as he despatched a 100-foot move up the center to Kuzmenko, who beat goalie Kaapo Kahkonen low glove aspect for his tenth objective of the season.
Erik Karlsson assisted on third-period targets by Logan Couture and Luke Kunin, with Kunin’s objective, his second of the sport, tying the sport 3-3 with 5:15 left in regulation time.
Along with his two assists, Karlsson grew to become the primary defenseman in Sharks historical past to register a 20-point month. He got here into Sunday with 5 targets and 14 assists in 12 November video games.
Nonetheless, the Sharks’ total file is now 7-13-4, and the eight factors they’ve collected at dwelling, with a mark of 2-8-4, represents their slowest begin inside their very own enviornment in over a quarter-century.
Moreover the 4 time beyond regulation or shootout losses, the Sharks have additionally misplaced 4 video games in regulation time at dwelling by one objective.
“I don’t suppose we’ve performed poorly at dwelling, we simply haven’t gained video games, as loopy as that sounds,” Sharks coach David Quinn stated. “There’s been a whole lot of video games we’ve misplaced the place we’ve all stood right here and thought we performed fairly effectively, we simply don’t do sufficient to win, and there’s an enormous distinction.”
The final time the Sharks amassed eight or fewer factors at dwelling after 14 video games was throughout the 1995-96 season after they started the 12 months with a 3-9-2 file at what was then nonetheless referred to as San Jose Enviornment.
“It is a constructing that I do know after I was a visiting participant, I hated coming to,” Sharks middle Nick Bonino stated. “There have been stretches the place we’ve been powerful to play towards right here, however it's essential play the entire recreation towards groups on this league. And I believe we’re constructing in direction of that.”
The Sharks now hit the highway for a four-game journey that begins Tuesday in Montreal. San Jose additionally has video games in Toronto, Ottawa, and Buffalo.
The Sharks should play these video games with out defenseman Mario Ferraro, who is not going to be on the highway journey after was positioned on injured reserve Saturday with a lower-body ailment, probably the results of a blocked shot in Friday’s recreation towards the Los Angeles Kings.
Quinn stated the crew was awaiting the outcomes of X-rays on Ferraro, who was seen leaving the world Sunday with a noticeable limp. For now, Nick Cicek has taken Ferraro’s spot within the lineup.
“It’s subsequent man up,” Kahkonen stated. “Cicek has been taking part in rather well for us, and now we have (Radim Simek) again. Whoever goes out there may be going to do their greatest to assist the crew win.”
Kahkonen received the beginning Sunday as James Reimer was as soon as once more unavailable with what’s been described as a lower-body harm. The Sharks recalled Aaron Dell from the Barracuda of the AHL on Saturday, and he backed up Kahkonen towards the Canucks.
Quinn stated Sunday evening he wasn’t positive if Reimer would be capable of make the journey, and there seems to be an opportunity that Reimer could possibly be positioned on injured reserve. Nico Sturm could possibly be nearing a return, and the Sharks may must release a spot on the 23-man roster to activate him from IR.
Sturm has spent over every week on injured reserve with an upper-body ailment.
Couture gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead on an influence play objective on the 7:05 mark of the third interval. Tomas Hertl gained a faceoff and received the puck again to Karlsson, who fed Couture throughout the blue line for a one-timer that deflected off a Canucks’ participant’s stick and previous Demko.
The Canucks responded with targets from Ilya Mikheyev and Elias Pettersson 2:30 aside, with Pettersson’s objective on the 10:44 mark giving his crew a 3-2 lead.
The Sharks caught a break late within the second interval to tie the sport 1-1.
Sharks defenseman Matt Benning despatched a shot towards the Canucks internet that Bonino redirected towards the web. The puck glanced off Kunin on its means up and landed behind Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko. The objective was Kunin’s fourth of the season and represented Bonino’s second level of the 12 months.
“I knew it hit one thing. Selfishly proper now, I hoped possibly it hit their man,” Bonino stated with a half-smile. “However (Kunin) was in the precise place going to the web and clearly, I’m simply completely satisfied we scored.”
Kahkonen’s evening started in a shaky vogue. A Kyle Burroughs shot, which didn't seem like screened, from simply contained in the blue line received previous Kahkonen for a 1-0 Canucks lead simply 7:26 into the primary interval.
Kahkonen settled down after the objective, although, as he stopped the following 12 photographs confronted till the tip of the second interval.
Kahkonen’s play had been up and down of late. He made 37 saves in a 5-1 Sharks win over the Ottawa Senators on Nov. 21, however in a wide-open recreation towards the Seattle Kraken two nights later, allowed seven targets on 26 photographs.
In November, Kahkonen got here into Sunday with a 1-2-1 file and a .879 save proportion in 4 video games.