It could be a battle of the Western Convention’s two divisional cellar dwellers, however each the Chicago Blackhawks and host San Jose Sharks head into Thursday’s matchup on a successful observe.
The Blackhawks hit the West Coast after snapping a four-game dropping streak with a 5-2 highway win over the Colorado Avalanche on Monday, whereas the Sharks kicked off a five-game homestand with a strong 4-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
The truth is, the Sharks have gained consecutive video games – claiming a 5-4 comeback victory in extra time over the Utah Hockey Membership Monday in Salt Lake Metropolis – after beginning the season winless of their first 9 video games.
“A win’s a win. It would not matter the place it’s. We wish to win hockey video games right here,” Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky mentioned. “(I am) pleased with the fellows (Tuesday) within the back-to-back effort, the best way we carried out, the best way we confirmed up, and the way we labored was the way it ought to look. Pleased with the group.”
To say it has been a tough stretch for the Sharks, who’re in final place within the Pacific Division, could be an understatement. After ending final within the league within the 2023-24 marketing campaign, hopes have been excessive they’d reached all-time low and will flip the nook. As an alternative, they struggled out of the blocks.
Nevertheless, spirits are increased because of a pair of victories, and possibly no one is feeling higher than Jake Walman. The defenseman scored as soon as in a three-point efficiency in opposition to the Kings after accumulating three assists in Utah the earlier night time.
“I believe we are able to all contribute. We have all form of individually carried out it previously,” Walman mentioned. “Any time we will help the forwards out, the most important factor is simply getting it as much as them. We now have so many expert forwards.”
Chicago, which beat the Sharks 4-2 within the first assembly of the season on Oct. 17, is enjoying the third recreation of a five-game highway journey that can conclude with a pair of clashes in opposition to the 2 Southern California golf equipment.
Beating the Avalanche to lastly snap their skid was an enormous increase for the Blackhawks, who had been on the incorrect facet of some shut video games throughout their swoon.
“I believe we deserved what we obtained (Monday), and there is been nights that we most likely did not deserve the ultimate destiny,” coach Luke Richardson mentioned. “We may have simply had just a few extra wins, and I believe this workforce and the entire group is uninterested in the ethical victories. So, (this win) was a extremely massive step for us to take an actual victory and put it behind our minds how we did it.”
Chicago was the higher workforce by the primary interval in opposition to Colorado and took benefit. Ryan Donato scored his first of two objectives within the recreation late within the opening body to stake a 3-1 lead.
And if his offensive contributions weren’t sufficient, Donato – together with linemates Jason Dickinson and Ilya Mikheyev – stored Colorado star Nathan MacKinnon (one power-play objective) moderately in examine.
“There’s so many instances the final couple video games the place we really feel like we performed fairly effectively, and 5 minutes we take off they’re again within the recreation. We simply discover a approach to not end it off,” Donato mentioned.
“I believe all of us got here within the locker room after the second (interval) and mentioned it wasn’t ok, we have to step again up. There’s not a lot to say different than simply getting the job carried out, and that is form of what occurred.”
Chicago enters Thursday’s recreation tied with Nashville on the backside of the Central Division.
–Subject Degree Media
