Sure, there was plenty of chatter ahead of the Sharks-Hurricanes tilt on Friday night that the two teams were incredibly similar. Both went into Friday’s contest outshooting all of their opponents, building on their identities as teams who can gain momentum late in a game and be difficult to stop.
But when the two teams met up, the Hurricanes did what the Sharks had been doing to everyone else – taking over the pace of the game and pinning Team Teal in their own zone en route to a 4-3 shootout win.
Through 20 minutes, the Sharks had control and hopped out to an early 2-0 lead. But after that strong first period, the Hurricanes built momentum and pressured the visitors into giving away the puck – play that has become uncharacteristic of the Sharks in this early season.
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“I think they did a lot of things we want to do to other teams, and that we’ve done to other teams,” defenseman Brent Burns summarized.
Up until this game – particularly during their three-game winning streak -- the Sharks had been outshooting the opposition and creating more grade-A chances. San Jose put that same effort on the ice in the first 20 minutes of Friday night’s game.
After that, however, the Hurricanes came out swinging, tilting the ice in their favor and getting on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the second stanza.
“We should’ve known better,” center Logan Couture said of Carolina cutting the 2-0 lead in half. “We should’ve known that was going to happen. You can’t give up a goal on the first shift.”
San Jose Sharks
The Sharks were so stuck in their own defensive zone they weren’t able to create the chances they were in the first frame. Even after creating some room and getting a 3-1 lead, the Hurricanes were able to rally and tie things up without an answer from the Sharks. After outshooting the Canes 11-8 in the first 20, San Jose was outshot 16-5 in the second and 11-5 in the third. It was almost as if there was a completely different team in white sweaters on the ice in the second period.
“What a tale of two games,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “I walked out at the end of the first period, I thought we could’ve been up 4-0. And then we never won another race or battle the rest of the night.”
At the end of the night, it wasn’t just about the Sharks meeting their match. It was about them taking their foot off the gas.
“I guess the lesson in that is, the NHL still plays 60-minute games not 20 minute games,” DeBoer continued.
Luckily for the Sharks, they’ll have the opportunity to play a full 60 minutes on Sunday evening against the rival Anaheim Ducks -- a team that has the lowest shots-per-game average in the NHL, no less.