The San Jose Sharks did just about everything they wanted in the first period of Thursday’s game against the New York Rangers.
Then, as the second period progressed, they started doing the exact opposite.
The Sharks scored first at Madison Square Garden, but couldn’t overcome their mistakes in the second half, allowing three unanswered goals in less than five minutes in a frustrating 3-2 loss to the Rangers in of the third game of a series of four. gaming road trip.
Defenseman Timothy Liljegren scored his first goal of the season at 2:51 of the first period to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. But after a few missed chances, the Sharks became their own worst enemy later in the second, as Mika Zibanejad, Jimmy Vesey and Vincent Trocheck all scored.
On Zibanejad’s tying goal at 11:41 of the second period, Sharks goalie Mackenzie Blackwood fired a pass from behind the net along the boards intended for Cody Ceci. But Chris Kreider scooped it up instead, and two seconds later, Zibanejad tipped an Adam Fox pass past Blackwood for his third goal of the season.
The Sharks were caught watching the puck on the next two goals they allowed, particularly on Trocheck’s goal at 16:21 of the second period. After the Rangers got the puck back in their zone, it only took three passes before Artemi Panarin found Trocheck open inside the Sharks zone, as he redirected the pass past Blackwood to give a 3-1 lead to the Rangers.
The Sharks seemed to lack communication on the play, being outscored 16-6 in the second period and 11-4 in the first 10 minutes of the third.
With the extra attacker out, Fabian Zetterlund scored a power play goal with 26 seconds left in regulation to cut the Rangers’ lead to 3-2, but the Sharks were unable to tie the game.
Blackwood finished with 32 saves as the Sharks fell to 1-1-1 on this road trip that ends Saturday night in Pittsburgh.
The Sharks also announced near the start of the third period that Nico Sturm was dealing with an upper-body injury and would not return.
The Sharks had chances to score a second goal. Yet either they were foiled by Rangers goaltender and Vezina Trophy winner Igor Shesterkin, or they shot themselves in the foot, like in the second period when they failed to get a shot on goal in a 3 against 1 with Mikael Granlund, Zetterlund and William Eklund.
Eklund also had a shot attempt off the post and Barclay Goodrow missed the net on a short-handed breakaway.
Shesterkin finished with 25 saves.
The Sharks were able to contest Fox’s goal at 14:32 of the second period. It was determined that Trocheck, coming from behind the net, caused Blackwood to lose his stick, which impaired his ability to play his position. The Sharks are now 3-for-3 facing coaching challenges this season.
Blackwood was coming off 44 saves in the Sharks’ 1-0 win over the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, continuing a trend of strong play.
In his last six starts before Thursday, starting with Oct. 23 in San Jose against the Anaheim Ducks, Blackwood was 3-3-0 with a solid .927 save percentage. Among the 37 NHL goalies who played at least eight games this season, Blackwood, according to moneypuck.com, was 13th in goals saved above expectation per 60 minutes (0.346) before facing the Rangers.
Heading into Thursday, Blackwood was 3-4-2 with a .910 save percentage.
Blackwood, a pending unrestricted free agent, was 6-8-0 with an .887 save percentage in 15 career games against the Rangers.
NEW LOOK POWER PLAY: The Sharks tweaked their power play units for Thursday’s game, with Macklin Celebrini joining the second unit alongside Will Smith, Tyler Toffoli, Goodrow and Liljegren. It was the first time Celebrini and Smith, the Sharks’ top two rookie forwards, were on the same power play unit in an NHL regular season game.
The Sharks’ best power play unit included forwards Granlund, Eklund, Zetterlund, Alexander Wennberg and defenseman Jack Thompson.
This did little to no good, as the Sharks went 0-for-2 with the man advantage. Before Thursday, the Sharks had converted just one of their last 20 power play opportunities. They entered Madison Square Garden on an 0-for-15 streak with the man advantage, with their last power play goal coming on October 31 when Smith scored against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 3–2 victory at the SAP Center.
WALMAN OUT: Jake Walman missed his fifth straight game. Walman, who practiced Wednesday, is dealing with or suffering from an upper-body injury he suffered Nov. 2 when he was hit by Vancouver Canucks forward Brock Boeser.
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