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Will Smith scores twice, Sharks extend streak with win over Blackhawks |
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The San Jose Sharks picked up their third straight win last night, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 3-2.
San Jose looked good out of the gate, with some early chances in the first few minutes of the game. Then only seven minutes in, Luke Kunin fed a pass to Will Smith, who beat Petr Mrazek for his first NHL goal, putting the Sharks ahead.
However, only 37 seconds later, Tyler Toffoli couldn't handle a puck in his own end and Ryan Donato beat Mackenzie Blackwood from a good spot to quickly tie the game. Then under a minute after Donato’s goal, a point shot dropped right down to Tyler Bertuzzi in front of the net, and he shovelled it past Blackwood.
It was a pretty strong opening frame for San Jose overall, but the quick lapses ended up costing them, as the Sharks trailed 2-1 through 20 minutes.
Early in the second period though, Mrazek lost track of a puck on a seemingly routine save, and Alexander Wennberg went to the net to bury the rebound, tying the game. The Sharks looked good from there for a good stretch once again, before killing off a Blackhawks power play.
Then with San Jose on a man advantage of their own shortly after, just after William Eklund hit a post, Will Smith ripped a perfect shot past Mrazek for his second goal of the game, putting the Sharks back in front.
From the time the Sharks took the lead though, the Blackhawks really started to press, forcing Blackwood to make some good stops to keep San Jose ahead into the second intermission.
The third period ended up being San Jose’s weakest of the night, with the Sharks just trying to hang onto the lead. A lot of time was spent in their own end, with the Blackhawks building pressure, and San Jose struggling to get an exit a few times.
We saw some late chances with Chicago’s net empty and the Sharks killing a penalty in the final stretch, but Blackwood came up big, and the Sharks held on for the 3-2 win.
Takeaways
The Sharks have some momentum, and continue to look better over the last few games. It’s not just the results (and three-game win streak), but they were the better team through the first 40 minutes against the Blackhawks.
The final frame wasn’t their best, and Chicago had a lot of pressure to try to even the game late. But overall, it was a strong effort, building off their last two wins.
Obviously, Will Smith was a story, picking up not only his first goal, but then scoring the eventual game winner as well. Even aside from the goals, Smith looked more comfortable. He’s using his speed more and looks more willing to carry the puck. So after a slow start, it looks like he’s settling in.
It’s also good to see the Sharks getting some secondary offense. They didn’t just rely on the top line, and both Fabian Zetterlund and Alexander Wennberg have been starting to produce more over recent games.
Mackenzie Blackwood also had a big night, stopping 26 of 28 shots in the win. He’s continued to be more impactful than his .894 save percentage suggests.
It’s another big win for the Sharks, picking up their third victory in a row. They now have a higher points percentage than the Blackhawks (even if it’s by an extremely thin margin), and look a lot more competitive than they did through much of the early stretch of the year.
San Jose will be back in action tomorrow, when they host the Vancouver Canucks.
San Jose Sharks Blogger • 
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