San Jose Sharks Fall 4-2 to Columbus Blue Jackets- Offense Sparks in Recap

On Saturday the San Jose Sharks lost 4-2 to the Columbus Blue Jackets on the road. The loss put the Sharks’ record at 16-43-7 for the season, against Columbus’ 23-33-11 record. 

Game recap – First period

In the first twenty, the Sharks were dominated and unengaged, trailing in hits 10-2 but leading in blocked shots 9-6. While the Sharks outshot Columbus 12-9, a messy first gave their opponent far too much room.  

“They dominated us in the first and then we got a little bit better. But a little bit better is not enough,” Zetterlund said post-game. 

Late in the period, Columbus’ captain Boone Jenner scored on a wrister assisted by Johnny Gaudreau and Damon Severson. 

The second

Just 49 seconds into the period, Alex Nylander’s shot put the Sharks behind 2-0. Nylander’s snap shot was assisted by Ivan Provorov and Zach Werenski. 

Putting the Sharks within one was Fabian Zetterlund with his eighteenth goal of the year. Off a deflection, the goal was assisted by Mario Ferraro and Mikael Granlund. 

After Tomas Hertl’s move to the Vegas Golden Knights, Granlund is a point leader with 43 points on the board. The assist also put the centerman on a two-game point streak. 

At 15:03 Columbus’ Johnny Gaudreau responded to Zetterlund with a goal assisted by Nylander and Jenner. 

The second saw minor adjustments from the Sharks in their puck handling. After 40, Team Teal still led in shots on goal 22-16, but dropped a 50 faceoff percentage to 45. San Jose also had notable neutral zone pressure from Henry Thrun and Zetterlund that led to takeaways. 

Third period pressure

Thrun brought the Sharks within one at 11:42 with a wrister assisted by Kevin Labanc. At the time of the goal, Team Teal was outshooting Columbus 32-19. 

With 1:05 to go in the game, Columbus’ Nylander sealed the deal with an empty netter assisted by Gaudreau. 

Sharks’ goaltender Magnus Chrona made 19 saves. San Jose’s 42-20 shot advantage over Columbus by the game’s end was a departure from their usual performance. 

Still, final score 4-2, Blue Jackets. 

Post-game and notes

Despite their loss, the Sharks’ offensive ability ignited in the final two periods after a lackluster start with little urgency.

“We got more physical where we needed to be and like I said our power play got better. I thought our third period power play had two really good looks,” coach David Quinn said. “Just couldn’t capitalize.”

In a departure from their usual, the Sharks’ double shot advantage over their opponent offers hope in offensive play.  

William Eklund’s six shots and Nico Sturm’s four notably contributed to increased traffic in front of the opponent’s net. Defenseman Jacob MacDonald also contributed to the pressure with four shots. 

While the Sharks trailed 34-26 in faceoffs, the first period saw the team go fifty-fifty. 

San Jose’s Sturm ranks fifth in the league for faceoff win percentage, boasting an impressive 60 percent, per StatMuse. In the matchup, Sturm dominated, winning 14 of 18 draws against Columbus, six in the third period alone.

Thrun’s late-game goal, his second shot, contributed to his plus-one rating and 18:17 of ice time overall. 

Zetterlund logged the most ice time with 20:26. The forward’s three shots on goal, three blocks, and two takeaways polished the Sharks’ performance, despite a minus-two rating.

With 15 games remaining and the Sharks out of playoff contention, their commitment to improvement is still evident. 

“We should take the positive of the last 25, 30 minutes of the game and move on,” said Chrona. 

Despite challenges, maintaining a competitive spirit to win each game should be the team’s priority for finishing the season strong. 

After a doubleheader on the road, Team Teal finishes their trip with a matchup against the Nashville Predators on Tuesday. 

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Featured image courtesy of San Jose Sharks on NHL.com

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