Erik Karlsson and Steven Lorentz both scored and James Reimer finished with 31 saves for his first shutout of the season as the San Jose Sharks completed their week-long road trip with a 3-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday at Wells Fargo Center.
Karlsson and Lorentz’s even-strength goals came 8:55 apart in the second period and Reimer had 17 saves in the third to help seal the victory, as the Sharks went 2-2-0 on their four-game road trip.
The Sharks begin a six-game homestand Tuesday against the Vegas Golden Knights. They also have games next week against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday and the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
Karlsson’s goal at the 9:34 mark of the second period came just over two minutes after the Sharks’ successfully challenged a Flyers goal that would have given them a 1-0 lead. After review, it was determined that Philadelphia’s Scott Laughton had preceded the puck into the offensive zone and was offside prior to what would have been a Joel Farabee goal.
On Karlsson’s goal, he took a pass from Tomas Hertl and wired a shot past Flyers goalie Felix Sandstrom for a 1-0 Sharks lead. Karlsson now has three goals and six points on the season, and with six points, is in a five-way tie for second place in scoring among all NHL defensemen. Buffalo’s Rasmus Dahlin has eight points in five games.
Lorentz’s goal, his first as a Shark, came with 1:31 left in the second period, as he redirected a Jaycob Megna shot in front of the Flyers’ net past Sandstrom.
Nico Sturm added an empty-net goal with 3:54 left in the third period, as the Sharks scored three times in regulation for the first time this season. It was also San Jose’s first third period goal of the year.
Reimer has been solid all season as he came into Sunday with 2.78 goals against average and a .918 save percentage.
That’s been key to giving the Sharks at least a chance in a majority of their games so far since goals have come at a premium. Before Sunday, the Sharks had not scored more than two goals in regulation time in any of their first seven games, as they had scored a total of just 12 goals, and nine at 5-on-5 play.
Oskar Lindbom was honored with a video tribute during a break in the first period Sunday, Lindblom, 26, played five years with the Flyers and became a local hero for his fight against cancer, as he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a type of bone cancer, in Dec. 2019.
Lindblom began treatment immediately after the diagnosis and was sidelined for the rest of the regular season but in July 2020, he completed his radiation treatments. By early September, he had returned to the Flyers’ lineup by early September, dressing for two games in the postseason bubble in Toronto. He had missed just 53 games
Lindblom played 263 regular season games with the Flyers over five seasons, including 129 games over the last two years. Last year, he won the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2021 as the NHL player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey.”
Lindblom had the final year of his three-year, $9 million contract bought out by the organization on July 2. As part of their decision to part ways with a player who overcame Ewing’s sarcoma to create salary cap space, the Flyers donated $100,000 in Lindblom’s name to a Philadelphia organization that supports families who have been impacted by cancer.
Lindblom said general manager Chuck Fletcher’s decision to buy out the final year of his deal was a bit of a surprise.
“That was kind of a fast process, so those things happen. It is a business so I can’t really be mad about it,” Lindblom said. “But of course it was different. You’re not used to that type of stuff. But I’m happy to be here and I’m really excited about this season.
“I really want to prove to myself that I can be the Oskar Lindblom that I was.”
Lindblom, who signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Sharks on July 13, told reporters in Philadelphia on Sunday that his cancer scans have been clean, including one this summer, and that he’ll have another one in the next couple of weeks.
