In a back-and-forth game, the San Jose Sharks took a brutal 5-4 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday (Jan. 13) afternoon, allowing the winning goal with just four seconds remaining in the third period. They deserve credit for their resilience and keeping the game close despite being outplayed for most of the contest. However, their shortcomings forced them to play a bend-not-break strategy that didn’t last for a full 60 minutes. While there were a few positives throughout the course of the game, the Sharks ultimately faced too many difficulties to overcome and suffered another loss reflective of the challenges they’ve had all season.
Sharks’ Puck Control Was an Issue All Game
Throughout the season, the Sharks have failed to control the pace of the play, especially in losses but even in wins at times. The matchup with Ottawa was no different.
The Sharks allowed 41 shots while registering just 18 of their own. The Senators dominated the puck for long stretches, creating multiple high-pressure scoring chances. As has become all too common for the Sharks this season, their goaltender — in this case, Mackenzie Blackwood — was forced to fight off the opponent all night. He did make a number of tough saves to keep the Sharks in position for a win. But at certain points, the pressure became too much, and it’s unfair of Blackwood — who faces the most high-danger scoring chances of any goalie in the NHL — to be expected to make the tough saves every time.
A hockey team conceding more than double the number of shots they generate isn’t a sustainable way to win hockey games. The Sharks capitalized on the few chances they had but allowed the Senators to get far too many of their own.
All Four Lines Step Up at Different Times
While the Sharks didn’t create a lot of offense, they took advantage of their opportunities when they had them, and all four forward lines deserve credit for this. Each line registered at least one point, and each was primarily responsible for at least one goal.
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The contributions were spread out throughout the game. In the first period, the Sharks’ third line did good work on the forecheck at the end of a shift to generate a goal for second-liner Anthony Duclair. Then, in the second, Duclair’s line made smart plays on both ends of the ice to create a rush that led to a Marc-Edouard Vlasic goal. Although Duclair had the position to take a shot, and a chance at a second goal was surely tempting, he made the right play and picked up an assist instead.
The fourth line maintained the trend later in the period, with good passing between Mike Hoffman and Kevin Labanc, which ended with Labanc scoring. Finally, with a few minutes to play in the third period, the top line jumped in on the action when Tomas Hertl found Filip Zadina for a game-tying goal.
In terms of offensive production, this was one of the Sharks’ forwards most complete games of the season despite the low volume of actual shots on the net. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough to get the win.
Sharks’ Failure to Clear Their Zone Makes the Difference
One game after the Sharks’ inability to generate clearances nearly cost them a regulation win in Montreal, their loss to Ottawa was bookended by the same issue.
The errors started less than five minutes into the game when an attempt to clear the puck was interrupted by a loose stick on the ice. The Senators scored later on the possession and nearly added another shortly thereafter when the Sharks once again failed to navigate an Ottawa forecheck. Only a sprawling save by Blackwood kept the puck out of the net. But a few minutes later, the Senators added another goal at the end of a long shift to take a 2-0 lead anyway.
The Sharks fought back and had the game tied with seconds to play, but once again, their clearance failures made the difference. The Senators kept the puck in their offensive zone for over one minute, and San Jose couldn’t get any relief until Vladimir Tarasenko finally scored the winner.
The Sharks played a hard-fought, competitive game, which is more than can be said for many of their efforts this season. But they got to that point in a way that couldn’t last the whole game, and the end result was another loss in an unfortunate season.