SAN JOSE -- After Friday’s morning skate, Sharks defenseman Brent Burns said the upcoming matchup with the Tampa Bay Lightning was going to be a “good measuring stick” for his team.
For a team down three starting defensemen, the Sharks put up the ultimate fight against the NHL-leading Bolts on Saturday night, playing one of their best games of the season and skating away with a 5-2 victory.
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Here are three takeaways from the game at SAP Center:
Hats off to the defense
Of course, the big question heading into the contest was how San Jose’s defense would perform against a deep offense like Tampa Bay’s. For a D-corps missing half of its starters, the Sharks’ blue line played a predominantly good game.
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San Jose Sharks
You have to give props to Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, who logged big minutes for a second game in a row and contributed on the scoreboard as well. By the end of the second period, both skaters already had four points.
The penalty kill came up big
On top of Tampa Bay being a scoring machine, its power play is the best in the NHL. The Sharks played a smart game through the first 20-plus minutes and were able to capitalize on the Bolts’ mistakes. But they didn’t go the full 60 minutes without a trip to the sin bin and had to face off against that dominant power play.
San Jose’s penalty kill made two appearances, and got the job done both times. Only allowing the Lightning to get on the board twice -- and not on the power play -- played a big role in keeping the momentum in the Sharks’ favor.
That big third period was important
One note coming out of the Sharks’ 5-4 win over the Avalanche on Wednesday was that they took their foot off the gas and allowed Colorado to get back into the game -- and that couldn’t happen when the Lightning came to town. When the third period rolled around Saturday, San Jose’s offense exploded and built a three-goal cushion.
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Martin Jones also deserves credit for making some key saves in the third frame to keep the momentum in his team’s favor. After fighting off a push from Tampa Bay at the end of the second period, San Jose’s starting netminder held off the NHL’s top offense, preventing them from adding to their two goals on the evening. Not bad for a guy who had to scoot off the ice partway through the game because of an equipment issue.