The Sharks couldn’t quite keep up with one of the NHL’s most potent offensive teams Saturday and lost a valuable defenseman in the process.
The Sharks led by two early in the third period but allowed goals to Mason Marchment and Jonathan Huberdeau in regulation time and Sam Bennett at the 1:08 mark of overtime in a 5-4 loss to the Florida Panthers.
The Sharks were up 4-2 after winger Jonathan Dahlen scored his second power-play goal of the game at the 4:50 mark of the third period. But the Panthers turned it on after that, as Marchment and Huberdeau scored goals 2:08 apart to tie the game with 10:22 left in regulation time.
The game-winner came after Huberdeau, stationed behind the Sharks’ net, faked an attempt at a lacrosse-type goal before he found Bennett open in front.
Florida came into Saturday with a league-high 118 goals in 25 home games, as it now has a 23-3-0 record at FLA Live Arena.
Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto also scored for San Jose, which continues its road trip Sunday in Carolina.
“We score four goals on the road, we get a point out of a building it’s not really been that forgiving this season to any visiting teams,” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said. “We’ll take the positives out of it.”
The game was played at a dizzying pace, much more to the liking of the Panthers, the highest-scoring team in the NHL with 122 goals during 5-on-5 play.
The Sharks had a handful of puck management issues in the third period, as they were swarmed by a relentless Florida forecheck. But goalie James Reimer stopped 34 of 35 shots through two periods and 44 for the game to help his team salvage at least a point.
“(Reimer) played unbelievable tonight,” Dahlen said. “It’s a great hockey team, and it’s probably the fastest game I’ve seen so far in my NHL career.”
Defenseman Mario Ferraro was knocked out of the game in the first period with a facial injury.
Ferraro was in the Sharks’ zone and was defending Owen Tippett when the Panthers forward’s attempted shot on net ramped up Ferraro’s stick and into his face with 14:40 left in the opening period.
Ferraro immediately left the ice, holding his glove up to his mouth. The Sharks announced before the start of the second period that Ferraro would not return, leaving them with five defensemen.
Boughner said after the game that Ferraro was being evaluated by a dentist.
“They’re trying to figure out what the next step is here, so that’ll be really all we have tonight,” Boughner said. “We’ll know more (Sunday), but it’s obviously a big, big injury if it’s anything long-term.”
Ferraro has played in 40 of 43 games this season and is second on the Sharks in average time on ice at 23:54 per game, only trailing defense partner Brent Burns (25:56) in that department.
The only games Ferraro missed this season were when he was in the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol from Dec. 30 to Jan. 4. The Sharks went 1-2-0 in those games and entered Saturday with a 22-19-2 record.
“We’re just hoping that it heals up nice. (Ferraro) will get some nice new teeth like I did, make him look a little bit better,” said Sharks captain Logan Couture, also referencing his own accident in March 2017 when a puck caused major damage to his mouth in a game in Nashville.
“But we’re going to miss him. He’s been a great player. He’s a leader in that locker room and just having his voice around the team is definitely going to be missed for the next little bit here.”
The Sharks are already without Erik Karlsson for the next several weeks after the two-time Norris Trophy winner underwent surgery this week to repair a small muscle tear in his left forearm.
The Sharks have Ryan Merkley with them on this trip and may have Jake Middleton available to them at some point soon as well to take Ferraro’s spot on the blue line. Middleton, who is recovering from a concussion he suffered Jan. 4 in Detroit, practiced with the Sharks on Friday.
The Sharks, perhaps fortunately from their standpoint, only play one more game after Sunday before they begin a 12-day break, giving Ferraro some more time to heal. The Sharks face the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday, and their next game after the break is Feb. 14 at home against Evander Kane, Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers.
Source: www.mercurynews.com