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The San Jose Sharks picked up another win last night, defeating the Buffalo Sabres 5-3.
The Sharks are still dealing with several player absences due to COVID-19 protocols. Last night, they were once again without Erik Karlsson, Jake Middleton, Matt Nieto, Radim Simek and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and while Andrew Cogliano and Jonathan Dahlen were back in the lineup, Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier were placed in protocols as well.
While the Sharks were still missing four of their six regular defenders, once again, they managed to put together a pretty decent defensive effort. Ryan Merkley also picked up his first NHL goal and was fairly involved in the offensive zone, while Jaycob Megna played nearly 24 minutes in the win.
Up front, Rudolfs Balcers took on a large role, playing the second-most minutes of any forward on the team. Alexander Barabanov continues to be a productive replacement in the lineup, as well after adding another assist yesterday. However, the player who certainly deserved the most attention would be Tomas Hertl. He scored two beautiful goals, with his second in particular being highlight reel material. Hertl and the Sharks’ other top forwards have been excellent so far and their performance has made a massive difference for the team.
It was a strong performance for San Jose, especially considering all the key absences. I had noted before that this homestand is very important for the Sharks, considering the quality of competition they’ll face on their upcoming road trip. This was a rough time for the Sharks to be without so much of their regular lineup but they’ve managed to find a way to pick up two important wins.
They’ll face the St. Louis Blues and New Jersey Devils to finish off the road trip.
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