Quick bites: Devils power play proves too much for tired Sharks

"The Devils have won 6 games in a row going in, and the Sharks had only just won their first game less than 24 hours earlier against the New York Rangers in what was a fireworks show of a hockey game. In what has been the Sharks' strategy with rookies on back-to-back nights to ease them into the NHL, the team sat Michael Misa after playing the night before and put in Sam Dickinson, who was previously scratched,"

"Jeff Skinner drew a tripping penalty that resulted in the first PP unit getting a clean goal from William Eklund. The Sharks were buzzing, keeping the good vibes going early. Not long later, the Sharks had a Philipp Kurashev tip-in goal waved off due to a high touch. After the PP goal, another one was waved off, and a penalty kill containing a highlight reel blocker save from Yaroslav Askarov, the Sharks were controlling the game."

"That's about where the Sharks' control over the game ended for the night. The second period was a slog. The Sharks looked like the players hit a brick wall after the emotional game the night before and the good first period they played. Combine that with the Devils' perfect defense in the period, and you get a whopping zero shots on goal for the Sharks in the middle frame."

The Sharks adjusted their lineup, sitting Michael Misa and inserting Sam Dickinson for injured Nick Leddy. Less than 2.5 minutes into the game, Jeff Skinner drew a tripping penalty that led to a William Eklund power-play goal. Two additional Sharks goals were waved off, and Yaroslav Askarov made a highlight-reel blocker save on a penalty kill. The third line of Collin Graf, Philipp Kurashev and Adam Gaudette had strong zone time but lacked the spark Misa provided. The period ended with a partial penalty kill and roughly one minute left. The second period saw the Sharks stall, registering zero shots on goal as fatigue and the Devils’ defense took over.

Read at Fear the Fin