SAN JOSE, Calif. – It looked like the Sharks were going to have a difficult time becoming emotionally involved in Sunday’s game with the Seattle Kraken after playing the night before and losing another one of their top defensemen to a serious injury.
Things picked up in the second period thanks to a spirited fight from a Sharks defenseman and a memorable moment from one of their rookie forwards.
Forward Scott Reedy scored his first career NHL goal at the 7:15 mark of the second period and goalie James Reimer finished with 39 saves as the Sharks, playing their third game in four days, beat the Seattle Kraken 3-1 at SAP Center.
Ryan Dzingel scored his first goal since he was claimed off of waivers on Feb. 21, and Jonah Gadjovich scored his first career goal at the 14:37 mark of the third period as the Sharks beat the Kraken for the first time this season and closed their brief homestand with a 2-1-0 record.
The Sharks (24-23-6) had lost to the Kraken (16-34-5), the eighth-place team in the Pacific Division, on Dec. 14 and Jan. 20.
Dzingel’s goal came at the 17:19 mark of the first period, the lone highlight for the Sharks in a lackluster opening 20 minutes in which they managed just four shots on goal. Morgan Geekie responded for Seattle, tying the game just nine seconds later.
With his team needing a spark, defenseman Jake Middleton delivered a hard check to Kraken forward Mason Appleton early in the second period before he dropped the gloves with defenseman Jeremy Lauzon.
The Sharks seemed to respond with some more spirited play, and Reedy, the Sharks’ fourth-round draft pick in 2017, took the puck after a faceoff win by Jasper Weatherby deep in the Kraken zone and fired a shot past goalie Philipp Grubauer.
The Sharks announced Sunday afternoon that Mario Ferraro would miss the next six-to-eight weeks after he had surgery to repair a fracture in his lower left fibula, further decimating their defense corps with the team barely clinging to hope for a spot in the postseason.
Ferraro, 23, suffered the injury in the second period of Saturday’s game with the Boston Bruins and now could miss the rest of the regular season, which ends in late April. The Sharks lost to the Bruins 3-1.
“His spirits are down. I know he was down after the game (Saturday),” Sharks coach Bob Boughner said of Ferraro before Sunday’s game.
The Sharks already have Erik Karlsson and Jaycob Megna on injured reserve, although Boughner indicated Sunday that Karlsson could be back in the lineup as soon as next weekend.
The Sharks are hoping Karlsson, who had surgery on Jan. 24 to repair a small tear in his left forearm, can practice Thursday and potentially be able to play either Saturday at home against Nashville or Sunday in Anaheim.
Still, losing Ferraro for an extended period could be the fatal blow to the Sharks’ playoff hopes, as they entered Sunday’s game nine points out of a playoff spot with 30 games to play. The Sharks, starting Tuesday, also have just nine games left before the March 21 NHL trade deadline.
COGLIANO OUT: Sharks forward Anderew Cogliano was still tending to a personal matter Sunday, Boughner said, and would not be available for the second straight game.
TRANSACTION: The Sharks placed forward Rudolfs Balcers on injured reserve, retroactive to Feb. 23, as they made room on the 23-man roster for Scott Reedy, who leads the Barracuda with 18 goals in 38 games. Balcers was hurt in Tuesday’s game in Anaheim on a hit into the boards by Rickard Rakell. With Reedy in, Jonathan Dahlen was a healthy scratch for the second time in four games.
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