The San Jose Sharks allowed Pierre Engval to attain the go-ahead with 2:27 left within the third interval in a 3-1 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday on the Scotiabank Area.
Thomas Hertl had the puck within the impartial zone, however the Maple Leafs intercepted the go from the left. Alex Kerfoot later had a shot on objective that was saved by Aaron Dell, however the rebound went straight to Engvall, who scored his third objective of the season to provide the Leafs a 2–1 lead.
Mitch Marner then scored an empty-net objective with 1:11 left within the third interval, extending his hitting streak to 18 video games.
Dell, in his first NHL begin in 10 months, made 29 saves, together with six from penalties, because the Sharks principally went step-by-step with the Maple Leafs (15-5-5) who got here out on Wednesday in second. place. within the Atlantic Division.
Matt Nieto scored the one objective for the Sharks (8-14-4), down for the fourth time in 5 video games. The Sharks’ solely win up to now got here on Tuesday in Montreal in opposition to the Canadiens, after they scored three targets within the third interval to win 4-0.
The Maple Leafs opened the scoring at 4:19 of the second interval when Auston Matthews took place in entrance of the Sharks’ internet and redirected a Mac Hollowell go previous Dell.
The Sharks returned that objective at 7:26 seconds. After Logan Couture took a go from Nick Cicek, rolled for the Maple Leafs and handed ahead to Nieto, who scored Ilya Samsonov and scored his sixth objective of the season, matching his complete in 70 video games final season.
The Sharks transformed all three penalties they transformed on Wednesday in opposition to the Leafs, bettering on what was already one of the best penalty within the NHL.
Earlier than Wednesday’s sport, the Sharks transformed 91.2 % (62 of 68) of the penalties they’ve transformed this season. Starting with a 5-4 win over the Dallas Stars, the Sharks transformed 25 of 27 penalties (92.6%) forward of the Toronto sport, serving to them to a 5-4-1 report in that point.
Dell was making his first NHL begin since January 25, 2022, when he confronted 47 pictures with the Buffalo Sabers in a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators.
Dell’s final begin for the Sharks earlier than Wednesday got here when the Sharks performed Chicago in opposition to the Blackhawks on March 11, 2020, the day earlier than the NHL and different sports activities shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dell made 10 saves within the first interval, which was performed at a breakneck tempo that appeared to favor the Toronto staff, who entered the sport with a 10-1-3 report this November. Marner performed an enormous position in Toronto’s success, scoring six targets and 17 assists in a 17-point streak.
The Sharks completed the month 5-6-4, ending seventh within the Pacific Division on Wednesday.
INJURY UPDATES: Defender Mario Ferraro stays indefinitely, however the Sharks might deliver again two different veteran gamers quickly, presumably by the top of their journey this weekend.
Sharks coach David Quinn mentioned Wednesday that ahead Nico Sturm is “very shut” to getting back from his higher physique damage and that goaltender James Reimer might play both Saturday or Sunday.
Reimer was positioned on injured reserve on Monday, however he, Sturm and Ferraro are all on a Sharks tour that ends with video games in opposition to the Ottawa Senators on Saturday and the Buffalo Sabers on Sunday.
The timeline for Ferraro’s return is much less clear. He was positioned within the IR on Saturday with a decrease physique damage, a day after he blocked 4 pictures in a sport in opposition to the Los Angeles Kings, and was eligible to be activated previous to the Sharks’ sport with the Senators. Quinn described the quarterback as a weakling.
“Actually, I can not provide you with a precise time as a result of it is (about) ache tolerance and he is a troublesome child, so we’ll see,” Quinn mentioned. “It might be irresponsible of me to inform you when he can return. I actually do not know.”
Sturm, 27, has missed the Sharks’ final 5 video games after recovering from a head damage he sustained in a November 19 sport in opposition to the New York Rangers.
REWARD: Warren Strellow, whose goaltending teaching profession included Olympic gold on the 1980 Lake Placid Video games and an influential 10-year profession with the Sharks, was posthumously acknowledged Wednesday because the winner of the 2022 Lester Patrick Trophy for excellent service to hockey in the USA.
Strelow is the second individual with direct ties to the Sharks to win the trophy after authentic proprietor George Gund III acquired the award in 1996.
Strelow has taught at a number of ranges of hockey throughout his 30+ years of teaching, as evidenced by his time on Workforce USA when the Individuals received Olympic gold in 1980 and silver in 2002 in Salt Lake Metropolis. He was with the Sharks from 1997 till his dying in 2007 and helped develop goalkeepers similar to Evgeny Nabokov and Miikka Kiprusoff. Nabokov is now the director of goaltending for the Sharks.
