- Editor's note: Sheng Peng will be a regular contributor to NBC Sports California's Sharks coverage for the 2021-22 season. 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.
LOS ANGELES — “Good to see the smile on his face and how happy he was.”
That’s how Bob Boughner described Tomas Hertl after the centerman’s first goal since Jan. 29, which gave the San Jose Sharks a 4-3 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Kings.
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It’s not hard to imagine that Hertl smile a lot more -- and in teal -- if he’s playing with this version of Erik Karlsson for the next eight years.
“Looked like his old self,” a scout told San Jose Hockey Now, “played liked the Norris Trophy winner.”
It was Karlsson’s first appearance since Jan. 20, and it’s no exaggeration to say that the San Jose Sharks, 3-7-4 entering the night since the rearguard’s left forearm surgery, looked like a different group.