The San Jose Sharks have fallen to the red-hot Minnesota Wild, who've won their 8th consecutive game in a row with a 5-2 victory over San Jose. Tonight, the Sharks started Adin Hill for his 5th straight game. James Reimer, who has been out ill since the end of November, finally dressed for tonight's game and sat on the Sharks bench as the backup goaltender. The Sharks sent Alexei Melnichuk back to the Barracuda early gameday morning.
Hill's early goal woes continue to give opposing teams leads in the first 10 minutes of the first period, but to the netminder's defense: the Sharks didn't find a spark until late in the third period. In a rather uneventful game that generated interest in the final moments, Jonathan Dahlen (who has 5 points in his last five games) and Tomas Hertl (who has scored 7 points in 6 consecutive games against the Wild) found themselves on the score sheet again as they provided 2 unanswered goals for the Sharks to bring the game within one. Dahlen's 8th goal of the season has him 2 behind Detriot's Lucas Raymond for most goals among NHL rookies. Hertl's goal is his 4th in 2 games, following a hat-trick performance against the Calgary Flames. Minnesota wasted little time to secure the victory, putting away two empty-net goals to win 5-2.
In other Sharks news, Evander Kane disclosed to the Mercury News that he will not be participating in any Barracuda games this week. With no training camp and limited practices, Sharks team officials shared they "do not want to put Kane in a harmful situation". Kane has also declared that he wants to make sure he is 100 percent. When asked by the media, Kane acknowledged the possibility of a trade that may arise should he become NHL ready. Kane shared that there is a clause in his contract that, per his approval, includes three preferred NHL clubs that he would want to play for. Kane also acknowledged the possibility of a contract buyout. Whether the Sharks choose to trade or release Kane in the future is pure speculation at this point. Kane has stated that he is signed to play in San Jose but is ready for any possible outcome regarding his tenure in San Jose, should the situation arise.