Wild can’t mount comeback in 4-1 loss vs. Sharks
San Jose Sharks' Jonathan Dahlen (76) has his shot blocked by Minnesota Wild goalie Cam Talbot (33) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021, in St. Paul, Minn.[(AP Photo/Jim Mone)]
Timo Meier had a goal and an assist to keep up his strong start, and the San Jose Sharks beat the Minnesota Wild 4-1 on Tuesday night.
Mario Ferraro, Erik Karlsson and Tomas Hertl also scored for San Jose. Logan Couture and Rudolfs Balcers had two assists, and James Reimer made 26 saves as the Sharks won for the second time in six games.
Joel Eriksson Ek scored for Minnesota, which lost for the second time in seven games. Cam Talbot stopped 17 shots.
Meier, who returned Saturday after missing five games while in COVID-19 protocol, has six goals and eight assists to tie Couture with a team-high 14 points. Only two players in Sharks’ history have more points through their first 10 games: Owen Nolan 17 in 1999-00 and Joe Thornton 16 in 2005-06 and 15 in 2009-10 and 2010-11.
He got the second assist on Ferraro’s early goal and scored on a nice individual effort with 42.2 seconds left in the opening period for a 2-0 lead. Meier carried the puck into the right circle, turned outside and sent a pass back to Marc-Edouard Vlasic at the point. Vlasic’s shot hit traffic in front but deflected to Meier who was charging in from the right side for an easy goal from just below the dot.
Playing the fourth game of a five-game road trip, San Jose was looking to bounce back after a 6-2 drubbing Saturday in Colorado.
After a nifty stick-handle around Hertl, Eriksson Ek’s shot from the right circle beat Reimer 5:25 into the second period, but Karlsson’s top-corner shot 4 minutes later during 4-on-4 action pushed the San Jose lead to 3-1.
Looking for its sixth win in nine games after the opponent scores first, Minnesota moved leading goal scorer Ryan Hartman between Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello in the third period to no avail. Kaprizov had two shots on goal and has a mere eight in his past four games. The 2021 Calder Memorial Trophy winner has three goals in 15 games after scoring 27 in 55 outings last season.
NOTES: San Jose D Radim Simek was a healthy scratch for the first time this season as the Sharks continue to look for a consistent third pair of defensemen. D Santeri Hatakka drew back in.
UP NEXT
Sharks: At St. Louis on Thursday night.
Wild: Host Dallas on Thursday night.