Blackwood Backbone wins 4-2, Sharks win weekend series with Seattle

The San Jose Sharks visit Climate Pledge Arena to take on the Seattle Kraken.

Mario Ferraro and Luke Kunin as well as Cody Ceci and Will Smith scored, and the Sharks held on for a 4-2 victory.

Period 1

1 in: Persistent work along the OZ wall of Kostin.

3 in: Daccord robs Wennberg on PP. I liked Celebrini’s performance, Gourde tried to stay with him, weave with him, but Celebrini used a shark as a pickaxe. I probably wouldn’t have needed it, but it’s fun to watch.

8 in: Good stick from Alex Wennberg on PK, check out the Stathletes stats on this, he is one of the most productive defensive centers in the NHL.

9 in: Good clear (all the way down, no icing) from Ceci, good kill by the San Jose Sharks.

Celebrini was playing with fire, but he seemed to know what he was doing. He intentionally left Winterton behind and chose to play the Gourde breakaway pass. Save Celebrini!

9 left: I don’t like the Ceci substitution, it seems like with clear possession he could have run hard behind the net into the open right lane, instead passing against the flow into a Kraken forechecker and trying to pass it to Walman. Equivalent to the QB missing a contested dink-dunk pass behind him when he has 5-10 yards to fight through. Then later in the shift it iced up and missed his pass (at least the right target). I like Ceci a lot, but his puck decisions aren’t always stellar. That, to me, is what keeps him from being one of the top four defense attorneys who don’t make arguments.

4 left: Huge save from Blackwood against Tanev. Fire drill, no idea what the Sharks were doing defensively there. Remenda said Toffoli may have leaked too soon.

Ferraro goal: I love Granlund’s patience and vision, no surprise. Realizes Ferraro is late, lots of traffic in front of Daccord. Kostin is part of the traffic, like that.

3 left: Thrun gets into trouble, tries to get out with full possession, not sure who the Kraken forechecker was, but turns it over when he had 100 percent possession. Something so casual, something he has to cut out of his game. Sure, he needed help, but again, he has ownership. I noticed he’s making more plays than last year, but he’s still getting injured.

The San Jose Sharks ended the half in the penalty area, they got off to a good start, but Kraken really came into the game. Natural Stat Trick tends to agree, 5v5 shot attempts are close, Seattle 24-21, but Kraken 9-4 scoring chances, 3-0 High-Danger is too much of a difference. The Sharks seemed to be a step behind in the second half.

Period 2

Kunin goal: Nice sauce from Walman to Dellandrea, then Dellandrea helps screen Daccord.

2 in: Not a good Smith shift, he has a half-step entry zone, stops, which is fine, but the puck dies there and he gets it back but then gives it back to NZ, rally in the middle of the ice. Honestly, this is a college/junior piece. Go deep or stay at 100 percent if you go backwards.

Ceci Goal: Good reading from Ceci to sneak in. Finishes like a striker. Walman is hairy on blueline, but he keeps it alive under great duress. Then Celebrini ignites the ball, the rebound from the backboard goes to Ceci.

Smith goal: What a pass from Granlund, Smith won’t miss there. On the other hand, Ceci saved a safe goal against Gourde. And Smith, I love patience. He receives the pass from Granlund, has the presence of mind to recognize the pressure, hold it and get it exactly where he wants. Although I have criticized Smith at times (see above), it is good to see his patience on the ice being rewarded and him not becoming nervous and hectic. His livelihood is patience and foresight. If he loses this, it’s a downward spiral.

On Smith’s goal, great shot from Remenda after the Kostin pick on Gourde. He also didn’t have his stick with him, so that’s pure commitment, knowing the situation on the ice, a power attack. Kostin also got a well-deserved second assist.

Schwartz goal: Kraken gets a bounce, another rebound off the endboard, let’s see if the San Jose Sharks can break the momentum. Let’s see how sharks deal with wealth.

7 left: Good grind shift by the fourth line, Dellandrea’s good decision, on the rush but defending, doesn’t force, takes the ball to the ground, back to the point. Then Thrun comes with a clever point shot from the end boards, Sturm gets a chance.

6 left: Good New Zealand stand-up and clear from Wennberg. Small play, but that’s because he’s such a good player.

Kraken is now hitting Blackwood with shots, Sharks have to catch up, Blackwood is doing his job.

4 left: Steal from Celebrini, then pass to Eklund. I’ll be seeing a lot more of this in the future.

Period 3

4 in: Good example of a live-to-fight dump-in from Granlund on another day. Form a team, you don’t have to force it. Something the children can learn from. Sharks still win the puck on the forecheck.

McCann’s goal: The Sharks’ one-of-a-kind offense and defense that can’t hurt them is hurting them. I liked the previous Granlund game, but the Sharks need to push back against the Kraken.

8 in: Pair of defensive steals from Smith, happy to see this.

9 in: Good jump from Kunin to collect the puck on the forecheck after the Wennberg flip. Goes deep. But Sharks can’t generate offense.

9 left: Kostin was on the puck in all zones this shift, good complementary work. He really came to life.

8 left: Eklund shows a puck protection show. He was regularly wiped out early in the season, which was a concern, and it’s good to see he’s gotten through that.

6 left: Good one-on-one against Beniers in defense. There’s another place where you can see Kunin’s increased quarter or half step this year.

5 left: Good defensive play from Celebrini to bring about a much-needed change.

2 left: Remenda calls Granlund, great block, that attacks the puck defensively.

Beniers no goal: Celebrini had a chance to get it out, has to watch again, bad luck or something to learn from? Anyway, reprieve.