ST. LOUIS — The San Jose Sharks visit the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center.
Macklin Celebrini, a game-time decision, did not play.
Tyler Toffoli and Collin Graf and Darnell Nurse scored, and the Sharks gutted out a 3-2 OT victory.
Sharks tools
Period 1
McMichael goal: Trouba falls crossing OZ, then it becomes a fire drill. Smith and Dickinson are back, but it’s a 4-on-2 coming the other way, and it’s too easy.
Kesselring penalty: San Jose Sharks putting themselves in a hole early. Not as outclassed as they were against the Dallas Stars without Celebrini, but not a great start either.
10 in: PP1 is Cagnoni-Stenberg-Smith-Chernyshov-Wennberg. Wennberg finds Smith walking down for a good chance, Hofer shrugs it off. PP2 is Trouba-Misa-Marchment-Toffoli-Misa.
7 left: Fowler smart just to get it off there, not the hardest shot, but it gets through and causes chaos, something all young San Jose Sharks defensemen should be learning from.
6 left: Stenberg does a good job using Wennberg as a screen there, smart, and he looks slippery and strong enough with the puck in the corner to challenge NHL defenders. But nothing much comes from it, Sharks are struggling to find space against Blues.
San Jose Sharks struggling to find time and space so far. Can’t break out, no forecheck, barely in NZ.
Period 2
Bad Stenberg mistake, rookie turnover, to start period. DZ exit coming out of corner, too confident, loses it on forecheck. That’s something you do when you got a little more seasoning, really get pace of league, which he will, just not today.
1 in: Chernyshov exit doesn’t exit. Young mistakes, team playing too loose.
4 in: Wennberg line shows some pulse, but only a long shot results. Stenberg high misses a pass he should hit to encroaching Dickinson, that had attack potential. Stenberg does hold his own in a solid battle with Sutter along wall. Need more battle from the team, overall.
5 in: Good exit by Marchment, but 3-on-3 up the ice, looks like Smith offsides. Got to get it together.
Misa hurried in NZ, has a second with the puck, but Blue on top of him, forces him to a blind NZ pass. That’s another youth thing. I think an older Misa advances the puck successfully or at least doesn’t throw a hope pass in dangerous area.
6 in: But good job by Misa to stick with it, he draws a penalty in front. San Jose Sharks could really use a goal just to pick themselves up mentally, I think.
Toffoli goal: Really good shift by Toffoli. His game is different than that of the younger Sharks, but I do think lots of fans are throwing too much dirt on his grave. Shows his smarts and touch there. High-end low-to-high pass to Trouba stretches out Blues defense. Then has an opening, not a Grade-A angle, but just shoots it, which the Sharks need more of. He’s not going to look like a demon every shift, sure, but he still looks pretty effective to me and a good contrast for the younger forwards’ speed and skill.
8 in: Nedeljkovic having lots of puck adventures so far tonight. Stopping the puck at least!
9 left: Chernyshov gets caught along wall, can’t do anything with it, Smith prowling in OZ. Chernyshov has had a rough night.
8 left: Coaching staff won’t like that Dickinson bid. Skating back with puck, whirls around to try to hit Misa with a strike diagonal pass, intercepted. Hey, it works, brilliant. But real questions if you miss.
Fowler penalty: If San Jose Sharks score here, I look to a basic meat-and-potatoes Dellandrea shift which got them an OZ faceoff. Off that draw, Cagnoni had a chance, Stenberg took it to the net, and Fowler was eventually forced into the box. This is why good, basic hockey matters, not spectacular, but sets off a chain of positive events.
6 left: Two bad Sherwood turnovers on PP. That stands out as something of a weakness in his game that I otherwise love, he’s not a good puck-mover, even on routine-looking advances. Doesn’t have regular deception and touch. He needs to be mostly north-south. That power play does manage to get one Grade-A, Misa up the ice with Marchment, Misa doesn’t force the pass, waits for Toffoli to come down. Nice patience and vision there, that’s how young skill blends with a vet’s game.
3 left: Really excellent Sharks PK there, two shots, but just to the outside.
1 left: Telegraphed pass high by Marchment, Blues jump out to 2-on-1, a goal there would’ve really hurt. Kesselring does nice job on backcheck, to at least make sure McTavish contested. Nedeljkovic stop, he’s been super.
Period 3
Dube goal: Trouba-Sherwood-Marchment-Toffoli-Wennberg to start power play…interesting. Not a terrible power play, until the end, when Toffoli throws a pass to an empty point. I’m a Toffoli defender, overall, and plays like that happen. But even if you can defend this PP1 decision by Warsofsky, Chernyshov in particular has been poor tonight, Smith hasn’t been bad but he’s been low-impact, it’s bad optics. Certainly a message being sent.
Graf goal: Sharks needed the boost after a tough start to period. Really nice shifts from Sharks, young and old. To start, Trouba stick kills a Blues entry, Dickinson jumps on it and goes coast to coast. Nothing happens, but territory, and Toffoli helps deny an exit. Again, Dickinson jumps on the loose puck, throws it in front, good bounce, and Graf finishes.
8 in: Misa with time and space can make plays though. There is legit growth there, in case you think I’m being really tough on him. Better than last year in this regard, for sure. Jumps on ill-advised Blues clear, then hits Graf for a golden chance. Not sure if puck skips on Graf there.
9 left: Dickinson all around puck today, like to see it. He does lose it high though, but spirited backcheck by Chernyshov to even it up.
4 left: Kesselring kills a play, he’s been good overall tonight.
2 left: Okay, but then Kesselring does too much there, loses it. Gaping net, Sherwood deflects the Thomas bid. Sigh of relief, that should’ve won it for Blues.
OT
Wennberg-Stenberg-Trouba to start.
Nurse goal: What a Stenberg pass!