The puck has dropped for the final preseason game at the SAP Center this season, as the San Jose Sharks are facing the Anaheim Ducks. Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith are in the lineup for the first time this preseason, as are new arrivals Darnell Nurse and Michael Kesselring.
Alex Nedeljkovic is between the pipes for the Sharks and is expected to play the entirety of the game. Ville Husso got the start for Joel Quenneville's group.
First Period:
19:06 (remaining): Smith just had two chances, one off of a rebound off of a blocked Cagnoni shot and another after a cross crease pass by Celebrini. The Sharks' top line and defensive pair were buzzing right out of the gate.
16:05 After Anaheim hits the post, the Sharks get a rush the other way. Mason Marchment scores on the breakaway to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. Noticeably though, the Ducks' defender did catch up to Marchment pretty quickly, showing his lack of foot speed.
15:27 Nice move around the blue line by Pohlkamp, nothing came of it, but impressive move for the blue liner.
14:31 Blocked shot by the Ducks creates a shooting lane forMichael Misa, who has his shot deflected by Ivar Stenberg, who then scores his first career preseason goal.
13:58: Lucas Pettersson to the box, giving the Sharks their first power play of the night.
11:02 Kesselring looks very solid so far, just threw a bit hit behind the Sharks net after making a nice recovery at the offensive blue line.
10:31 Chernyshov gets on the board, making it 3-0. Even while playing with two members of the Barracuda, he can't be kept off the scoreboard.
9:38 Marchment nearly deflects a pass past Husso, but the shot goes just wide of the net.
9:06 Big save by Husso to deny Smith.
8:27 Michael Misa joins the fun, scoring off of a pass from Stenberg to make it 4-0 Sharks.
4:15 Chernyshov scores his second of the night, making it 5-0.
3:14 Sharks head to the penalty box for the first as Barclay Goodrow is called for tripping.
1:47 Will Smith is playing on the penalty kill, which is certainly unexpected, but if the Sharks were ever going to try it, now's the time.
1:02 Tremendous effort by Celebrini to get a shot off while being tripped. Nikita Klepov heads to the sin bin.
First period comes to an end, as the Sharks lead 5-0. This is a fairly difficult game to evaluate, considering it has been so one-sided. It's going to be hard for Mike Grier and Ryan Warsofsky to use tonight's matchup to influence roster decisions, but some players could definitely be raising their stock.
Period 2:
17:15 Even though he doesn't have a point yet, Macklin Celebrini looks to be in mid-season form with how he's dancing around out there.
16:56 Stenberg has a second goal, the Sharks must really like 'Power Bite' with how they're sending it off.
14:48 The Ducks are struggling to stay disciplined tonight, as Malott sits for slashing.
13:23 Sharks called offside on a potential 3-on-0. A few moments ago, Sherwood had a nice move in the offensive zone though.
12:48 Ducks kill off the penalty.
12:02 Big hit by Marchment in the defensive zone, showing all aspects of his game tonight.
11:35 Nurse throws a big, but slightly dangerous, hit. Going to the box for interference. A big scrum forms after the hit, but nothing comes from it.
9:54 Anaheim makes a goalie swap, former Shark Laurent Brossoit is now in net.
7:03 Smith and Celebrini finally get points as they both assist Mason Marchment's second goal of the night. 7-0.
4:40 Darnell Nurse's physicality gets him sent back to the penalty box, this time for boarding.
3:59 Nice play by Nolan Allan to pin the puck against the board while fighting off three Ducks, certainly wasted some time.
Sharks carry their 7-0 lead into the second intermission. While there has been a lot of positive tonight, it's best to take it with a grain of salt considering their level of competition. Certainly a better showing than against Vegas overall though.
