ANAHEIM, CALIF- The San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks have both hit a bump in the road this season as neither team has been able to produce many wins as of late.
San Jose entered play losing their last six games. Facing a tough stretch of losses that dates back to January 29.
While Anaheim had lost four consecutive games prior to a win over the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday, February 19.
On Tuesday, February 22, the Sharks and Ducks met at Honda Center for a Pacific Division matchup, as both teams searched to get back on track and add a tally into their win column.
Rickard Rakell took over in front of the home crowd. Scoring two goals in regulation and notched the game-winner in a shootout for an Anaheim 4-3 win.
Rickard Rakell was elite on Tuesday night. The Ducks right wing scored two goals in the second period recording his 13th and 14th goal of the season.
His second goal in regulation was the game-tying goal that sent this in-state rivalry game into overtime and an eventual shootout.
Six goals were scored throughout regulation, but neither side was able to gain an advantage to claim a win in regular time.
After three periods, the Sharks and Ducks were tied at 3-3 and headed to overtime.
San Jose produced multiple chances to put the game away during the overtime period, including a power-play opportunity, but Anaheim goalie Anthony Stolarz turned away multiple shots, forcing a shoutout.
Stolarz’s night in the net was critical to the Ducks’ win. Making 40 saves, he kept the Ducks in this game with some remarkable goalkeeping
The Ducks held a 1-0 advantage heading into the final round of the shootout following Trevor Zegras’ shootout goal. Rakell put the icing on the cake for himself and his team as he scored in the shootout to finish the game and give Anaheim a much-needed win.
Couture’s Multi-goal Game
Despite the Sharks coming up short in this one, Logan Couture turned in a stellar performance on the ice for San Jose.
Couture scored twice on the night and without Rakell’s incredible scoring night, Couture was lined up to be the story of the game, helping break a losing streak that now stands at seven games in a row.
Sharks Physicality
The Sharks laded a lot of hits to the Ducks roster. San Jose outhit their opponent 26-20, but Anaheim showed some resilience tonight to a hard-hitting Sharks team to come away with a gritty win.
The Sharks also dominated on the faceoff. Winning 41 of the 67 puck drops, San Jose gave themselves plenty of opportunities to swing momentum and control the flow of the game.
However, they never fully capitalized on those chances, especially with their failure to execute on a huge power-play chance in overtime.
Up Next
San Jose returns home to play the New York Islanders on Thursday, February 25.
Anaheim will host the Los Angeles Kings on Friday, February 26.
These two teams will play each other again on Sunday, March 6 in Anaheim.
