- Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
The Sharks will need Kaapo Kähkönen sooner than later in the 2022-23 NHL season.
This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to James Reimer’s 14-of-20 shots stopped performance in the Sharks’ 7-4 loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday night at SAP Center.
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But on that point. “I wasn’t good enough tonight,” Reimer admitted.
Credit to Reimer, by the way, who came out, faced the media music and answered every question with a smile.
Certainly, Reimer has deserved to be San Jose’s No. 1 goalie so far this season. Reimer has started 13 of 19 games over Kähkönen this season.
San Jose Sharks
But Thursday night was a reminder that Reimer, in his fourth straight start, hasn’t been a goaltender, historically, who’s going to carry a 55-plus game load à la Andrei Vasilevskiy. In fact, the 34-year-old Reimer never has started more than 46 games in a season over his 13-year NHL career. He achieved that feat last year.