Editor's Note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California’s Sharks coverage. You can read more of his coverage on San Jose Hockey Now, listen to him on the San Jose Hockey Now Podcast, and follow him on Twitter at @Sheng_Peng.
David Quinn kept it real after the San Jose Sharks’ 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild on Sunday night.
“They got Kaprizov and we don’t,” Quinn said of Wild star winger Kirill Kaprizov. “That was really the difference in the game tonight. He scores goals that a lot of guys can’t score in this league.”
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On the surface, Quinn is right, that San Jose lacks a true gamebreaker like Kaprizov. Mikael Granlund, Nico Sturm, and Anthony Duclair scored for the Sharks, but Kaprizov’s hat trick, which included both the game-tying and winning goals, would ultimately prove to be the difference.
Looking deeper, of course, Kaprizov isn’t the sole reason why San Jose was outshot 32-15 and out-attempted 55-27 at 5-on-5 and out-chanced 13-5 on High Danger Chances at Even Strength. The last-place Sharks have more problems than one player.
Kaprizov’s dominance reminded me of something else: The Sharks haven’t drafted well in the later rounds for a while.
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