The Sharks looked really good in the first period. Getting two goals, one from Joel Ward, the other from Mikkel Boedker. Both those goals would be important, as the Blue Jackets would come back in the third.
And that’s because, after getting good offense going, the Sharks were unable to keep it going. In the second and third, goaltending and defense remained, but the offense couldn’t find their production. They continued to put the puck on the net but couldn’t find holes.
That’s not exactly a problem yet, especially with a road win. But the team could have had a much larger margin of victory.
What the game really came down to was the third period. After getting a goal early, Columbus looked strong. The Sharks, stuck in their own zone, did not. But, when Columbus pulled their goalie, the Sharks scored. The whole period, the Sharks weren’t clearing their zone. Yet, when Bobrovsky was pulled, they started. They got past a 5 on 5 (power play) and scored.
But that’s why they came back and won it. Because they had stopped, they realized they needed to win. They did it. The team is 2-0 now because Marleau was able to find success on the power play – a power play with the netminder pulled.
The second goal was almost meaningless. Because the Sharks weren’t taking the Jackets seriously. On the second goal, the team had stopped playing defense. They just sort of surrendered that goal. Which was fine, because they were up to.
All in all, good day to be a Sharks fan.
Takeaways:
- Logan Couture is really good. As a prior Blackhawks (only) fan, I had not realized just how good.
- Brent Burns is my favorite defenseman in the league. He continued to show why, setting up Joel Ward.
- Martin Jones is a great goaltender and today he was out there to prove it.