Vancouver @ San Jose preview
SAP Center at San Jose
Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2023 ) San Jose 4, Vancouver 7
The San Jose Sharks are aiming for their first four-game winning streak since the start of the 2021-22 season when they play host to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday.
The Sharks, who have been league doormats the past couple of seasons, return to action and are riding a three-game winning streak after coming up short in their first nine games of the campaign.
"We're getting a little momentum going right now. We talked about it, just keep doing what we're doing, working hard," said forward Alexander Wennberg, who scored in San Jose's 3-2 comeback victory Thursday over the Chicago Blackhawks.
The victory is not the only reason the Sharks are feeling better about themselves heading into this clash. Will Smith, the fourth pick in the 2023 draft, netted his first two NHL goals against Chicago. Smith opened the scoring and his second tally broke a tie and held up as the game winner.
"It feels really good," Smith said. "I've been waiting for it, so it is good to see it go in."
Both of Smith's goals were top-corner efforts that displayed the scoring touch that has the club believing better days are ahead.
"We saw him have growth through his games," Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky said. "There are some things he needs to do better without the puck, but for him to get rewarded with the two goals, big goals, highlight-reel goals, really the way they've scored, it's nice to see because he's worked hard to this point."
Sharks defenseman Jake Walman has been the team's hottest offensive player, netting seven points (one goal, six assists) in a three-game streak.
The Canucks are on a two-game losing streak after cobbling together a four-game winning streak. Vancouver's latest loss was a 6-0 setback against the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday.
"Embarrassing. We should be embarrassed," Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers said. "Even through some wins the last couple weeks, there's some things within our game right now that we've got to clean up and we've got to find our identity."
Vancouver, which won the Pacific Division title last season, has collected points in seven of nine outings to kick off the season (4-2-3), but nobody on the roster is fooling themselves about their play the past few outings. Before being shut out by the Devils, the Canucks erased a two-goal deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and then needed a pair of third-period goals to force overtime before losing to the Carolina Hurricanes.
The quest for the Canucks, who kick off a three-game road trip that includes games against all three California squads, is to ensure their lopsided loss Wednesday is rock bottom and they can quickly change their fortunes.
"Everything went wrong, right from the beginning," Vancouver coach Rick Tocchet said while looking back at the loss to the Devils. "And then, obviously, some guys were struggling, and it just rolls like that. You're going to have games like this in an 82-game schedule. We've just got to flush it down the toilet right now."
--Field Level Media