On Saturday, the San Jose Sharks visited the Columbus Blue Jackets as the two teams finished their season series. Their last game was a 4-3 Blue Jackets win, thanks to a very late goal by Boone Jenner in the third period that prevented overtime. This time, it was a more convincing win on paper for Columbus, but it was a game that could’ve gone either way. The Blue Jackets walked out with a 4-2 victory, but the Sharks were arguably the better team, which isn’t something we’ve been able to say often this season. Goaltending let the team in teal down, giving the home team a major advantage.
The Alex Nylander Show Continues
We’ve talked about Alex Nylander quite recently, but his emergence has certainly been one of the most exciting things happening in Columbus this season. He scored two goals in this game against the Sharks, his seventh and eighth since joining the Blue Jackets. While that stat without context may not seem that crazy, he’s only played eleven games since being traded to his new team. His first goal of the night came as the result of a great breakout pass by Ivan Provorov, who found Nylander in quite a bit of open space early in the second period. His second was an empty net goal in the game’s dying moments.
Nylander’s currently performing at a point-per-game level and roughly a .72 goals-per-game pace, which is definitely not sustainable but impressive nonetheless. He’s been one of the few players to take a step forward with head coach Pascal Vincent’s system, which makes the upcoming offseason even more interesting. He’s not going to be a superstar, and expecting him to maintain a point-per-game pace over the course of an entire season would be unwise, given his track record. Still, he could become a valuable team player if he can consistently contribute to the NHL level moving forward. There are no guarantees that Vincent will remain behind the bench next season, but regardless of who’s coaching the team next season, it’s obvious Nylander will get an extended look in training camp and preseason.
Klim Kostin’s Stock Continues to Rise in SJ
The Sharks acquiring Klim Kostin at the trade deadline was very quickly overlooked when some much bigger news broke later in the afternoon. Since joining the team, though, the Russian forward has quickly gained the trust of head coach David Quinn in his first four games in teal. Although he didn’t record a point against the Blue Jackets, Quinn bumped him up to the first line in the middle of the game, and if he continues to be as reliable as he has been so far, that probably won’t be the only time it happens. Quinn mixes up his lines fairly regularly, so it’s unlikely he’s always on the top line, but it could end up being the case more often than not.
Battle of the Young Goaltenders
The starting goaltenders in this game were two young players looking to prove to their respective organizations that they could be the future between the pipes. 24-year-old Daniil Tarasov is the higher touted of the two prospects. If he can continue his recent stretch of play, he can easily overtake Elvis Merzlikins as the starting goaltender in Columbus. Meanwhile, Magnus Chrona, a 23-year-old Swedish goaltender, is thought of highly in the Sharks organization but has struggled to show that he has what it takes to last long-term at the NHL level in his limited opportunities.
Both goaltenders had a strong first period for the most part; they made some big saves and seemed sharp. The Blue Jackets got the game’s first goal when Jenner slid the puck under Chrona’s pad, and from there, it snowballed for the Sharks’ goaltender. He quickly gave up a second goal less than a minute into the second period to give the Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead. He’d end up giving up a third goal late in the period, then after he was pulled for the extra attacker, the Blue Jackets scored a fourth on the night to put the final nail in the coffin.
Tarasov, on the other hand, made 39 saves on 41 shots, with the Sharks getting goals from Fabian Zetterlund and Henry Thrun. The Sharks outshot their opponent 41 to 20, but the goaltending was the difference maker. If they had gotten an equal level of performance from Chrona, the end result would’ve been much different. Instead, Tarasov’s strong showing gave his team the win.
Related: Blue Jackets’ Alex Nylander Has Golden Opportunity to Succeed
The Sharks did everything they could on the offensive side but were foiled by a strong goaltender on the opposition’s side. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets were able to take advantage of an inexperienced netminder and a surging Nylander. It was an entertaining game, and considering it was a battle of two teams near the bottom of the standings, it could also have major implications for the draft lottery this season.