On Saturday, the San Jose Sharks completed a road trip with a 4-0 shutout win against the St. Louis Blues.
The win comes after a nine-game winless skid for the Sharks, just one win in their last nineteen. Marking the Blues’ third loss in their last ten, their playoff odds sit at just over two percent.
Sharks and Blues last met in November, when Team Teal delivered a 5-1 victory over St. Louis.
San Jose’s Mackenzie Blackwood earned the shutout with his 35 saves in net for the Sharks. Picking up goals for San Jose were Filip Zadina, Mikael Granlund, Luke Kunin, and Jan Rutta.
St. Louis had a strong start against Team Teal in the first, leading in faceoff wins 11-4 and shots on goal 11-3. The Blues maintained a scoreless game against the Sharks while winning 73 percent of the draws.
San Jose led in hits 14-4 and blocks 7-5. The highest shot-block contributors from the Sharks were William Eklund and Filip Zadina, with two each.
Henry Thrun, Klim Kostin, and Mike Hoffman also blocked shots with one each. Hoffman has recently returned after a concussion injury left him absent for eight games.
Blackwood’s goaltending for the Sharks saw impressive saves in just the first 11 shots of the game.
Midway through the period, the Blues’ captain Brayden Schenn got a good look before Blackwood’s sliding pad save stopped him.
“He was huge for us,” alternate captain Granlund said of Blackwood, “The first period, especially. He kept us alive.”
Sharks’ forward Klim Kostin, formerly of the Blues, debuted in the NHL with St. Louis in 2019.
Team Teal turned around and picked up shots on goal early, leading with 4-0 almost halfway through the second period.
Under pressure, Zach Bolduc of the Blues turned the puck over to Zadina, resulting in the first goal for the Sharks.
Sharks were zero for three on the power play, to St. Louis’ zero for one. On the second Sharks’ power play, Thomas Bordeleau had a promising chance glove side, denied by Blues’ goalie Joel Hofer.
At 12:05 Granlund made it a 2-0 lead with his snap shot goal assisted by Fabian Zetterlund and Eklund.
Late in the second, a bounce of the puck in the Blues’ zone led to a chance for San Jose. Alternate Sharks’ captain Kunin picked up the puck and scored an unassisted wrist shot to make it 3-0.
Sharks lead shots on net 12-3, a total of 15-14, San Jose after two periods on the ice. The team was also able to improve in draws, though still trailing 14-8.
With 3:15 to go, Rutta’s empty netter sealed the Sharks’ shutout victory. Rutta’s slapshot was assisted by Nico Sturm.
Though winning, Sharks were outshot 35-20, with Blackwood earning first star of the game for his solid goaltending performance.
“When the goalie can do that, that gives a lot of energy for a team,” Granlund said post-game.
Zadina earned second star for his goal, and alternate captain Granlund the third for his.
Playing the most ice time was defenseman Mario Ferraro, with 27 shifts and 23:54 minutes of play. Ferraro contributed one shot, two hits, and one takeaway for a plus-two rating in the game.
Granlund led second with 20:45 of ice time. The centerman played 24 shifts, logging marks in the scoresheet with his goal, two penalty minutes, and a plus-one rating. Granlund has two goals and three assists in his last five appearances.
Blackwood secured his tenth win, posting a shutout, alongside a 3.42 GAA and a .900 save percentage for the season.
Shot leaders for the Sharks were Zetterlund with five, and Eklund with three.
The Sharks can aim to extend their winning streak against St. Louis during their final matchup. San Jose and St. Louis meet again on April 6 at The Tank.
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Featured image courtesy of San Jose Sharks on NHL.com
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