San Jose Sharks hockey is back, at least in a sense. The Sharks’ prospects took the ice on Friday night against the Anaheim Ducks at the Golden State Rookie Faceoff.
The Sharks had five first-round draft picks in their lineup for the matchup, including second-overall pick Michael Misa, Joshua Ravensbergen, and Sam Dickinson.
It didn’t take long for the Sharks to get on the board, as Cam Lund opened the scoring just over 30 seconds into the game, beating Russian netminder Vyacheslav Buteyets. Quentin Musty and Filip Bystedt got assists on the play.
The Ducks’ fifth-round pick from this summer, Alexis Mathieu of the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, got his team on the board 7:59 into the first period with a shot from the point.
The Sharks got their first power play opportunity of the night halfway through the first period, when Ethan Procyszyn was called for cross-checking. Despite some strong zone pressure and some great opportunities, including one from Collin Graf, the Sharks were unable to beat Buteyets.
The power play came to a premature end when Igor Chernyshov was called for tripping on Tarin Smith. The Sharks successfully killed off the Ducks’ abbreviated power play. In the moments following the penalty kill, Ravensbergen would be forced to make a couple of big saves, including a high-danger shot from the slot.
Ryan Lautenbach would be called for slashing with just over five minutes remaining in the first period. Sam Dickinson would hit the post moments before Mattias Havelid restored the Sharks’ lead with a power play goal, making it 2-1.
Throughout the first period, Haoxi (Simon) Wang had a couple of dangerous giveaways, one of which led directly to a high-danger scoring chance for the Ducks. He did show some signs of promise, but overall he’s a player who could benefit massively from this tournament as he did improve over the course of the night.
Nearly two minutes into the second period, Misa was called for slashing, giving the Ducks their second man-advantage of the night. Stian Solberg shot the puck from the point just moments into the period, and Tim Washe tipped it into the net.
20 seconds after the goal, the Sharks would get another opportunity on the power play as they looked to regain their lead. They failed to convert, but a few minutes later, Jackson Wiebe was called for holding, giving the Sharks another chance.
Some tic-tac-toe hockey eventually found its way to Musty in front of the crease who put it away, making it 3-2 in favor of the team in teal.
Carson Wetsch dropped the gloves with Anaheim’s Konnor Smith after a big hit on Teddy Mutryn, however Smith’s size advantage was too much for the Sharks’ winger.
As time expired on the second frame, the two teams had to be pulled apart as things were getting chippy. Wetsch was once again in the middle of it, but Mutryn and Yegor Sidorov were the only ones given penalties for their role in the scrum. The Sharks carried their lead into the second intermission, however at that stage it was still anyone’s game.
Michael McIvor took over in net for the Ducks to start the third period, which started with two minutes of four-on-four play. Ravensbergen would make a phenomenal save on a breakaway, as Beckett Sennecke made him stretch from post-to-post to deny his shot. Cam Lund immediately went down to the other end and scored his second goal of the night, extending the Sharks’ lead to 4-2.
McIvor was forced to make a couple of big saves before Will Francis, a three-time cancer survivor, was called for hooking. Graf would add a power play goal of his own about a minute into the penalty, making it 5-2 for the Sharks with Michael Misa and Kasper Halttunen registering assists on the play.
Jake Furlong would be called for tripping at 5:29 in the third period, giving the Ducks an opportunity to get themselves back into the game. Sidorov wouldn’t wait long to take advantage, as his shot beat Ravensbergen 44 seconds into the power play, making it a 5-3 game with just under 14 minutes left to play.
Halttunen and Solberg dropped the gloves for a quick scrap with just over eight minutes remaining in the final frame. Francis and Braden Hache would do the same with just over six minutes remaining following a big hit on Lund that left him shaken up. Moments after the fight, Lund went down the Sharks’ tunnel, and the Sharks were awarded a power play as a result of the hit.
With 4:02 remaining, the game descended into chaos as a giant scrum led to another fight and a couple smaller skirmishes. During the ensuing four-on-four play, Luca Cagnoni scored an empty net goal, making it 6-3 in favor of the Sharks.
The Sharks walked away with a convincing win, elevated by their three power play goals on the night. They’ll take the ice again tomorrow afternoon against the Los Angeles Kings’ prospects.
On another note, it’ll certainly be interesting to see if any of the grudges from tonight’s affair carry over into the preseason, as the Sharks will face the Ducks later this month in Anaheim.
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