What we learned from Sharks' season-opening loss to Predators originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
PRAGUE – It might feel like the same old San Jose Sharks.
And judging just based on the result, a 4-1 season-opening loss to the Nashville Predators before a sold-out O2 Arena, well, it sure looked familiar, right?
But it also is just one game: Two things caught my eye, one positive, one negative, one a sign of change, one a sign of the same ol' Sharks.
POWER PLAY
The San Jose Sharks went 0-4 on the power play, but their lone goal, a rousing Tomas Hertl strike, was at the end of one power play, and a third period man advantage just lasted four seconds because of almost-matching minors.
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“Not bad, not good” was Erik Karlsson’s assessment of the power play. And that sounds about right for the 22nd-best power play in the NHL last season.
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But here are two things that I liked about the power play last night, elements that will bode well for San Jose if they persist.