Sharks’ offense explodes in first two quarters, wins over Mammoths – Hockey Writer – San Jose Sharks
Will Smith and Tyler Toffoli scored two goals each, and the San Jose Sharks dominated the first two quarters offensively, scoring twice in both quarters to defeat the Utah Mammoths 6-3.
The win gives the Sharks 29 points on the season and puts them into the playoffs, although the trailing team still has games to play.
game review
After a back-and-forth in the first few possessions, the Sharks got a breakthrough in about five minutes when Smith forced a turnover behind the net and the puck slid toward Toffoli, who fired a top-notch shot for his first goal in nearly a month. Timothy Liljegren awarded a penalty shortly after and towards the end of the ensuing power play Pavol Regenda fired home his first goal as a Shark.
Although the Sharks continued to attack, they were unable to convert it into another goal. Less than a minute after Regenda’s goal, Shakir Muhamadullin lost control of the puck near the San Jose offensive blueline, allowing the Mammoths to head the ball in from the other direction in transition. In what was essentially a two-on-one game, Michael Carcone made a nice pass to Lawson Crouse, who scored easily.
The Mammoths used the goal to gain momentum and create more chances, but Jaroslav Askarov made a number of great saves. The Sharks scored the next goal when Toffoli scored immediately after the face-off, catching Karel Vermelka off guard. Vermelka conceded three goals in less than one period, was substituted and replaced by Vitek Vanecek.
Utah scored the final goal of a wild period when JJ Peterka fired a nice shot from a tough angle that almost went along the extended goal line. Askarov’s short-side save failed and the score was 3-2 after 20 minutes, with the Sharks winning. The Mammoths won a power play almost immediately after the goal, but San Jose killed off the penalty kick.
The Mammoths came out firing in the second quarter and controlled the first few minutes, but it was the Sharks who scored first. Will Smith took the puck from Macklin Celebrini near the blue line and made a series of nice moves to get into good shooting position, thanks in part to a screen by Mukhamadullin, which resulted in a low score.
The Sharks scored two more goals in quick succession, both from turnovers. In the first game, San Jose created a takeaway on the frontcourt that led to Adam Gaudette’s backhand winner. Less than two minutes later, a turnover in the Mammoth offensive zone allowed Toffoli to pass to Smith, who then used a toe drag to score his second goal of the quarter. Both teams had plenty of other chances, but Vanecek and Askarov made great saves. A few fragments also appeared during this period, although there were no massive upgrades.
In the third quarter, Krause scored shorthanded on a multi-goal play of his own, leading a faceoff in the Sharks zone before catching a pass from Mikhail Sergachev. The Mammoths had one more incredible close call when Peterka broke through and sneaked into Askarov’s five, but Dmitry Orlov made a great play and took the puck away from the goal line. The Sharks scored another free throw and continued to defend.
The Sharks improved to 13-11-3, while the Mammoths dropped to 12-12-3. San Jose next plays the Washington Capitals on Wednesday (Dec. 3) in their final game before embarking on a five-game road trip. Meanwhile, the Mammoths continue a six-game road trip of their own, also playing the Ducks in Anaheim on Wednesday.
