The San Jose Sharks hosted the Buffalo Sabres in an early afternoon matchup on Saturday. The Sharks looked to extend their season-high three-game winning streak while the Sabres continued to attempt to climb up the standings following a disappointing start compared to their preseason expectations. Despite the Sharks scoring two goals in the first period, things quickly fell apart and the Sabres scored five unanswered to walk away with the victory.
Shakir Mukhamadullin’s NHL Debut
The Sharks called up Shakir Mukhamadullin earlier in the week for the first time in his young career, and David Quinn immediately found a way to slot him into the lineup. Henry Thrun was out with an injury following an awkward collision with the boards against the New York Rangers on Tuesday (Jan. 23) which allowed the young Russian to fit in with no issues.
He made an impact early, throwing a hit and making himself noticeable on his first shift. From there, he became slightly less noticeable but he seemed like an NHL defenseman right out of the gate. As Quinn said to the media after the game, “I liked his first shift, he stepped up, made a hit, skated, poise. I can see why he was a first-round draft pick and why we acquired him.” Then, when asked if Mukhamadullin looked like an NHL defenseman Quinn simply said, “He did tonight.”
Unlikely Goal Scorers Coming Through Early
The Sharks got out to an early lead, with a slapshot from Marc-Edouard Vlasic finding the back of the net and beating Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. The goal not only gave them the lead but was also Vlasic’s third in seven games. Considering he’s a player who was never really known for his offensive production, it’s nice to see him getting on the scoresheet regularly, especially with how often he’s been left out of the lineup this season. When told that Vlasic led the Sharks in shots during the game, Logan Couture joked that it was “Vintage Marc-Edouard Vlasic”.
Just over two minutes later, Jan Rutta found the back of the net as well. The Czech defenseman had always been more of a stay-at-home defender at previous stops in his career, but this season he’s had to join the rush a bit more simply because the Sharks don’t have anyone to truly fill that role.
Eklund’s Strong Offensive Performance
Fans were certainly questioning Quinn’s decision to slot William Eklund with Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin on the third line. Doing so though allowed Eklund to get off to a hot start, recording an assist on both Vlasic and Rutta’s goals. After the first 15 minutes or so, it seemed the well ran dry for the Sharks’ offense though and they fell apart defensively. As Eklund himself put it “We were a little soft defensively today”. Regardless of the team’s performance as a whole, it’s certainly a good sign for the Sharks that Eklund is contributing at a decent level. Of course, given his stature as one of the top young players in the lineup, they’ll want to continue seeing development at a high rate.
Captain Couture praised Eklund’s play after the game as well, stating “I think he played well. He played well with the puck. He’s a very good player, and he’s only going to get better each day that he gets to play in the league.”
Related: San Jose Sharks Pull Off Comeback to Defeat New York Rangers
Overall, there weren’t many positives for the Sharks as they fell flat after the first half of the first period. As the team moves through their rebuild, games like this will undoubtedly happen. As long as they’re not an everyday occurrence, then they’re simply growing pains rather than something to be concerned about. Quinn certainly has a difficult job ahead of him to make sure the team is ready to play on Tuesday when the Sharks host the NHL’s newest team, the Seattle Kraken.