Author: M Walsh

Sharks Defeat Coyotes 4-1

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: Sharks goalie Martin Jones stops a shot by the Coyotes Jordan Martinook during the second period of Saturday’s game

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Arizona Coyotes by a score of 4-1 on Saturday. Matt Tennyson, Chris Tierney, Tomas Hertl and Joonas Donskoi all scored for the Sharks. Melker Karlsson earned two assists in the game, his first multi-point game since November. Martin Jones stopped  22 of 23 shots for the win. Martin Hanzal scored the lone goal for the Coyotes, while goaltender Louis Domingue stopped 24 of 27 shots from the Sharks.

Two very well-played periods were enough to give the Sharks another mark in the win column. While the Sharks were plying the Coyotes, the Anaheim Ducks defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime. This moved the Ducks temporarily ahead of the Sharks in the standings. This fact added significance to an already important divisional contest.

The second period was the Coyotes’ only really strong one, or perhaps it was just a weak showing from the Sharks. While the Sharks did get goals from unusual scorers, their power play was a disappointment. It was not until Joonas Donskoi’s empty netter during the team’s fifth power play that the Sharks scored with the man advantage. By the same token, the Sharks penalty kill was perfect Saturday night.

The Sharks opened the scoring 2:59 into the first period. Matt Tennyson scored it with a laser beam from the point that went under Coyotes goaltender Louis Domingue. It came back out so fast that it could hardly be seen in the net except on replay. It was Tennyson’s second of the season. Assists went to Logan Couture and Melker Karlsson.

The first penalty also went to the Sharks, near the halfway mark of the first. Dainius Zubrus went to the box for interference. The Coyotes managed one shot on the power play and the Sharks cleared it out three times.

With 4:04 left in the period, the Sharks had their first power play when Martin Hanzal went to the box for boarding. The power play did not produce but shortly after it ended, Matt Tennyson almost scored again and saw it disallowed by a quick whistle.

It did not sting too much. Seconds later Chris Tierney scored with a nice tap-in. Assists went to Brent Burns and Melker Karlsson.

With just 35 seconds left, Marc-Edouard Vlasic went to the box for holding.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks led the Coyotes on the scoreboard by two goals to none. The Coyotes spent most of the period trailing in shots but by the end they had taken a slim lead of 10-9.

The Coyotes came out for the second hungry. They started with a couple of prolonged sieges to finish up their power play. Then Martin Hanzal intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and skated in alone to cut the Sharks’ lead in half. The goal came just 1:58 into the second, with an assist going to Tobias Rieder.

5:43 into the period, Antoine Vermette was called for hooking. The Sharks power play started with an early short-handed breakaway from Jordan Martinook. Martin Jones stopped his initial shot and Sharks skaters got control of the rebound quickly enough to prevent another shot.

After the power play ended, a scuffle in front of the Coyotes net landed Tomas Hertl and Shane Doan in the box with matching roughing minors. Less than 30 seconds later, the Sharks had a 4 on 3 power play after Martinook went to the box for holding. The power play was marked by a number of missed shots, both 4-on-3 and 5-on-4.

The period ended with no further scoring. The Coyotes did not run out of steam and had several good chances that Jones had to scramble to stop. The teams went to the dressing room tied in shots at 22 each, in a one-goal game.
By the middle of the third period, the Sharks had added three shots to their total and the Coyotes had none. Just under nine minutes in, the Coyotes got their first shot of the period, during a power play. Tommy Wingels was in the box for holding.

Just past the ten minute mark, Tomas Hertl had a goal called back for being off of a high stick. As with the first disallowed goal, the Sharks answered quickly with one that did count. Unlike the first case, this makeup goal was scored by the same person who lost it seconds earlier. The goal was a nice deflection of a Burns shot, done with his stick blade as low as it could get without digging a hole in the ice. It was Hertl’s eleventh goal of the season, with assists to Burns and Martin.

The Coyotes responded to the goal by quickly taking a penalty and putting the Sharks back on their thus-far ineffective power play. In was again ineffective, except for preventing offensive chances for the Coyotes.

With five minutes left, the Coyotes still only had one shot in the period. They did not get another. During a fifth power play opportunity for the Sharks, Arizona pulled their goalie for the extra attacker. As a result, Donskoi had an empty net to shot at during that final power play. It was his tenth of the season, with assists going to Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Tampa against the Lightning at 4:30 pm PT.

Sharks Fall Prey to Nashville in 6-2 Road Loss

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: Nashville’s Flip Forsberg celebrates with teammates after scoring third period goal against San Jose Saturday night

Despite a strong first period, the San Jose Sharks lost by a score of 6-2 to the Nashville Predators on Saturday. Sharks goals came from Joe Thornton, his 200th as a Shark, and Logan Couture. Predators goals came from Viktor Arvidsson, Filip Forsberg, Shea Weber, James Neal and Calle Jarnkrok. Predators goaltender Pekka Rinne made 28 saves on 30 shots. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 24 saves on 29 shots.

After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski said:

We established our game early, I think the shots were 10-1 there for a while, and with some good looks. We didn’t find that way early, and stayed with it. We’re right there. They go up 2-0, no one quit and we got the next one. We had a good feeling I think in the room, it’s just it went the other way in a hurry. You have nights like that I guess but we’ve got to get back in the win column next game.

Logan Couture also said that the game did not feel like a 6-2 game:

It felt like we were in it for most of the game, a break here a break there. Their short-handed goal goes off the stanchion and they get a three on one going the other way. They got some of those breaks. It’ unfortunate, I thought we played well for the majority of the game.

The Sharks started the game with a lot of energy and seemed to be running around the Predators at both ends of the ice. San Jose had a power play very early, but failed to score. The first goal went to the Predators, at 13:12 of the first period, when Ryan Johansen made a pass off a spin-o-rama behind the net. His pass found James Neal, who took a quick shot through a screen to beat Martin Jones. Assists went to Johansen and

The Predators extended their lead in the second period when Johansen found Calle Jarnkrok wide open in the middle of the slot. Jarnkrok’s shot bounced up after hitting Jones and went over him to score. Johansen had the lone assist.

The Sharks got one back on the power play at 15:41 of the second. The goal came with just eight seconds left in the power play. Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a shot that went through the crease and bounced off of Nashville defenseman Weber. Thornton was below the goal line and reached his stick forward to catch the puck mid air and guide it in. Assists went to Vlasic and Logan Couture.

Less than two minutes later, Victor Arvidsson scored by way of a three on two. He cross the blue line carrying the puck while skating backwards. He turned by the faceoff circle, tripped and shot in one motion. Assists went to Mike Ribeiro and Filip Forsberg.

The same line extended the Predators lead to three 6:51 into the third period. This time it was Filip Forsberg with a short-handed goal. The Sharks were on a power play with Cody Bass in the penalty box for unsportsmanlike conduct. A clearing attempt by Shea Weber hit a stanchion and bounced across the ice to Forsberg who had more space than he needed to skate up the ice. Two Predators followed quickly, making it a three on two as the reached the firing line. Forsberg opted for the shot over a pass to give his team a 4-1 lead. Weber had the lone assist.

Less than two minutes later, Arvidsson and Forsberg again entered the Sharks zone two on one. Forsberg’s pass went by two Sharks trying to catch up and found Arvidsson on the right wing. He held on to the puck as he skated across in front of the net and then put it in with a backhand. Forsberg and Ribeiro both had assists.

The Sharks’ second goal came in the Sharks sixth power play of the game. In the final two seconds of the penalty, Couture caught a pass from Thornton and took a shot while dropping to his knees above the faceoff circle. Assists to Thornton and Dylan DeMelo.

Shea Weber scored the final goal of the game, into a net that was empty early. Sharks coach Pete DeBoer opted to pull Jones with almost five minutes remaining in the game.
The Sharks road trip continues and they play next in Chicago against the Blackhawks, at 5:30 PT on Tuesday.

Sharks Fall to Kings in Overtime

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo: SJ Sharks goaltender Martin Jones gets in front of the puck for a save following a shot from the LA Kings Anze Kopitar Sunday night at SAP Center

SAN JOSE- The Los Angeles Kings defeated the San Jose Sharks in overtime by a score of 3-2. The game was very close, despite periods of dominance by each team. Sharks goals were scored by Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture, with Kings goals from Drew Doughty, Vincent LeCavalier, and the game winner from Marian Gaborik. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones made 29 saves on 32 shots, while Kings goalie Jhonas Enroth made 30 saves on 32 shots.

Both the Kings and the Sharks had played on Saturday, but the Kings game was later in the day and on the road, so the Sharks had a small edge in the fatigue department. Milan Lucic was out due to a one game suspension, Jordan Nolan was in. Backup goaltender Jhonas Enroth was in net, possibly due to the back-to-back situation, possibly due to his excellent record against the Sharks. Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer opted to put Martin Jones in, though he had also played the day before.

The first few minutes of the game were harrowing for Sharks fans, as the Kings took shot after shot, only to be stopped by the post. In those first three minutes, the Kings led in shots by 4-1, but a comparison of zone time was even more lop-sided in the Kings’ favor. The Sharks had a couple of one-and-dones while the Kings took their time hammering away in the Sharks’ zone. Past the ten minute mark, the Sharks had spent a little more time in the offensive zone but the shot count still favored the Kings at 7-2.

Just before the 12 minute mark, the Sharks were short-handed as Brenden Dillon went to the box for high-sticking. Compared to their even strength play, the Sharks looked very efficient on the penalty kill, and the Kings chose to dump the puck in instead of carrying it over the line. It was an interesting choice, since Los Angeles opted to carry the puck in five on five.

The Sharks’ first power play came in the final minutes of the first period, with 2:46 remaining. Brayden McNabb went to the box for interference on Melker Karlsson. While the Sharks did not add many shots, their power play was better than it has been lately. They held the zone better and seemed to be adhering to a plan.

The Sharks were back on the penalty kill early in the second period. This time it was Joe Thornton in the box for tripping. The Sharks handled the kill thriftily. The penalty killers had just cleared the puck down the ice as the penalty expired, and Thornton exited the box at full speed. He chased the puck down in the Kings’ zone with Joe Pavelski and Thomas Hertl closing behind. Thornton passed the puck to Hertl in the slot, and Hertl sent it to Pavelski who was on the left side with an open net. He buried it just 14 seconds after the penalty ended. Assists went to Hertl and Thornton.

By the midpoint of the period, the shots were 15-11 Kings, thanks in part to a Sharks power play at 9:04. the Sharks followed that power play up with several good long stays in the offensive zone, closing the gap in shots and keeping the Kings on their heels.

With 3:13 left in the second, Chris Terney was tripped by Brayden McNabb along the boards. McNabb went to the box and Tierney went to the room. The power play did not produce, but the final seconds of the period featured an excellent set of saves by Martin Jones as the Kings attacked. Jones stopped two quick shots from Jeff Carter to keep the Sharks in the lead.

At the end of the second period, the shots were 20-18 Kings, the score still 1-0 Sharks.

The Sharks overtook the Kings in shots before the five minute mark of the third. The Sharks offense was surging and the Kings looked disjointed. At 5:25, the Kings caught a break in the form of roughing penalty to Mike Brown. The Kings took the opportunity for all it was worth and, 1:01 into the penalty, a Drew Doughty shot tied the game. Assists went to Jake Muzzin and Anze Kopitar. It was the Kings’ second shot on that power play.

The Sharks repaired the damage but it took them a little over five minutes. Joonas Donskoi won a puck battle behind the net and made a quick pass up to Couture in the left faceoff circle. Couture’s one-timer blew by Kings goaltender Jhonas Enroth for the second Sharks lead of the game.

The next power play went to the Sharks, with Drew Doughty in the box for slashing. The power play was not going very well, and then 1:11 in, Donskoi was called for interference. The Kings found some energy in the short power play but could not score. The Sharks responded with a very good push and seemed to have the game completely in hand but in the final seconds, the Kings pulled Enroth and scored through a flurry of activity at the Sharks net. The goal was Vincent LeCavalier’s, with assists to Tanner Pearson and Dustin Brown. The time of the goal was 19:47.

Overtime, like the third period, seemed dominated by the Sharks. But the one shot that the Kings had was the game winner. Marian Gaborik escaped his zone, noticed too late by Donskoi. His shot from near the goal line beat Jones at 4:06. An assist went to Tyler Toffoli.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday at 7:00 PT against the visiting Colorado Avalanche.

Sharks Win 4-3 Over Wild

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By Mary Walsh

AP Photo: San Jose Sharks Joonas Donskoi is congratulated by the conga line after scoring in the second period of Saturday’s game

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks defeated the Minnesota Wild by a score of 4-3 Saturday. Joe Pavelski scored the game winner with less than 90 seconds remaining in overtime. It was his 23rd of the season. Tomas Hertl scored his ninth, Joonas Donskoi scored his seventh, and Joel Ward scored his 23rd of the season. Joe Thornton earned his 930th career assist, putting him in 16th place on the NHL’s all time assists leaders.

With Saturday’s win, Sharks have earned points in eight of their last ten games, winning seven of those. They have won five of their last eight home games. The Sharks may have put their home ice woes behind them. The team’s confidence and optimism have returned. After Saturday’s win, Joe Pavelski said:

Felt really good. I like these day games. I think we had the energy right away, the fans were there. It’s exciting to play like that and the guys responded well in the first. I know we came in down 2-1 but it felt like we get that early goal and the energy’s there and we’re all over them we just didn’t find that next one. We let them back in but the guys stuck with it.

The Sharks wasted no time going after the first goal. Tomas Hertl took the puck to the net and tried once with a backhand, then got the puck back and took it around behind the net. Joe Thornton caught the puck in the corner and sent it in front of the net for Joe Pavelski, whose deflection went wide. Hertl got the puck again and put it in the net with a couple of whacks. Assists went to Pavelski and Thornton at 1:33.

The Sharks also took the first penalty of the game, a minor to Melker Karlsson for closing his hand on the puck at 11:24 of the first. The Wild power play started well, and by rights should have scored early, but a bounce here and there kept the puck just out of the net. Sharks goaltender Martin Jones also kept it out.

It was after the power play expired that Chris Porter tied the game, with a quick shot off of an offensive zone faceoff. A pass across the slot had Jones moving left to right but not fast enough to stop Porter’s shot. Assists went to Marco Scandella and Erik Haula at 13:00.

Joel Ward went to the the box in the final two minutes of the first, for tripping. The Wild scored in the final 30 second of the penalty, after a mad scramble to get a puck that Jones had slowed down but not controlled. Pete DeBoer challenged the goal on the basis of goaltender interference. In the scramble at the crease, the Wild player’s stick knocked Jones’ stick loose, but Jones brought his stick around behind and put it over the Wild stick, not the other way around. The goal stood up and the Sharks lost their timeout. The power play goal was Charlie Coyle’s, with assists to Niederreiter and Jared Spurgeon.

At the end of the first, the score was 2-1 Minnesota and the shots were 10-9 Minnesota.

Chris Tierney drew a tripping penalty on Marco Scandella at 8:39 of the period. The trip spoke to Tierney’s persistence in the Minnesota zone as he and the fourth line made life difficult for the Minnesota defense. The Sharks could not convert on the power play but they had another chance just a few seconds after that one expired. Jared Spurgeon went to the box for hooking Logan Couture. As in the prior power play, the Sharks had a difficult time finding good shots. The Wild penalty killers read the Sharks skaters well and efficiently blocked shooting and passing lanes.

Midway through this power play, Tomas Hertl went to the bench after being struck in the back of the neck by a Brent Burns shot. After the game, he commented that he was “just a little bit sore, and maybe if he hit harder I may be in hospital now because he has really hard shot and I’m okay.”

After Hertl went to the bench, the second power play unit came out and with a couple of passes found that chance the first unit had been missing. A pass from Joel Ward reached Donskoi near the left goal line. Donskoi’s one-timer went through a small hole between Kuemper and the post to tie the game. Assists went to Ward and Pavelski.

Many of those same players were on the ice again when the Sharks skated in later at even strength, outnumbering the Wild. Couture carried the puck up the middle, passed it to Donskoi who just missed to the right of the net. His shot went of the back boards and into Couture’s skates in the corner. Couture sent it back above the goal line, where Joel Ward caught it and put it in the net. Assists went to Couture and Donskoi.

At the end of the second, the score was 3-2 Sharks and the shots were 23-18 Sharks.

The third with a hooking penalty to Joe Thornton just 23 seconds in. The Sharks killed the penalty off, and Chris Tierney even led a short-handed rush but the score remained the same.

With 7:50 left in the third, the Wild tied it up on a goal from Jarret Stoll. Jonas Brodin took a shot from high in the slot, which Jones stopped, but Stoll picked up the rebound while fighting off Brent Burns right in front of the blue paint.

The game was starting to look like overtime with the score tied late. With 1:23 left in the period, Joe Thornton won an offensive zone faceoff and Joe Pavelski picked up the puck behind him. He took a couple of strides to the middle and shot it past Kuemper for the lead.

The Sharks next play on Sunday at 7:00 PT against the visiting Los Angeles Kings.

Sharks Beat Stars 4-3, Home Win Streak at 3

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: San Jose Sharks facebook page: Sharks Tomas Hertl scores and celebrates the game winner over the Dallas Stars on Saturday

SAN JOSE- The San Jose Sharks defeated the Dallas Stars 4-3 Saturday, in overtime. The Sharks finally came back to win after giving up the first goal, on home ice. The Sharks’ record when giving up the first goal on home ice was 0-18-1 going into Saturday’s game. The Sharks now have a three-game winning streak on home ice. It is possible that the 2015-16 Sharks have found their groove at last. Their power play got perfect results, as did their penalty kill.

Sharks defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored two goals Saturday, while Tomas Hertl scored the overtime game winner and Chris Tierney gave the team its first lead by scoring a power play goal in the second period. The Sharks’ two power play goals broke another recent pattern of icing a feeble power play. Joe Thornton earned his 926th assist, tying him with Stan Mikita for 17th place on the NHL’s all-time assists list.

The Sharks and the Stars played an almost perfectly balanced game. In shots, faceoffs, blocked shots, and goals, the Sharks and the Stars stayed neck and neck from start to finish. The teams traded one-goal leads, their shot counts were very close, and where one led in the second period, the other team led in the third. the Sharks led in hits and takeaways, but

The game started with plenty of offense. The teams stayed neck and neck on the shot clock until past the eleven minute mark, when an unfortunate bounce gave the Stars that critical shot: the first goal. Dylan DeMelo was trying to clear the puck out along the boards but instead it bounced out into the slot, where Ales Hemsky waited to put it past Martin Jones. Assists went to Mattias Janmark and Antoine Roussel. It was Dallas’ tenth shot of the game, where the Sharks had nine.

With 3:19 left in the first, the Sharks took the first penalty of the game, a goaltender interference call to Joonas Donskoi. It was an odd incident. Donskoi lost his balance just enough so that the lightest push from a Dallas defender caused him to fall over Antti Niemi. The Sharks killed it off, and by the end of the period the teams were still close in shots, with the Sharks leading 15-13. Many of those shots went off the post, on good chances, but the score was still 1-0 Dallas.

The teams started the second with the same energy as they started the first, keeping the goalies busy and everyone’s feet moving. It was on the Sharks’ 17th shot of the game that Marc-Edouard Vlasic scored on a nice rush from Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton. Hertl caught up to the puck just as it came into the Dallas zone, protect the puck long enough to find Thornton on his way to the slot. Instead of taking a shot, Thornton made a pass to Vlasic, who was coming down the left side. Vlasic wasted no time as the puck came to him and put it under Niemi’s left pad. It was Vlasic’s sixth goal of the season, with assists to Thornton and Hertl.

Near the midpoint of the game, Alex Goligoski was called for interference on Tomas Hertl, giving the Sharks their first power play of the game. The power play was as anemic as it has been lately, including one very confident pass to an empty corner. Seconds before the penalty expired, Matt Nieto skated into the Stars zone, avoiding defenders with some nifty stick handling. He got the puck to Tommy Wingels, who handed it off to Chris Tierney. Tierney did not dawdle and put it over Niemi’s shoulder. It was Tierney’s of the season. Assists went to Wingels and Nieto.

The second period ended with the Sharks leading 2-1 and 30-21 in shots.

One of those leads evaporated in the first minute of the third period. 37 seconds into the period, Tyler Seguin caught the puck in his skates on a failed clear by the Sharks, then beat Martin Jones from the slot. Assist to Jamie Benn.

The Stars kept coming after that, and had the Sharks in such a fluster that they took a too many men on the ice penalty at 1:49. They killed the penalty off, despite a pretty well-orchestrated power play from Dallas. Martin Jones was especially sharp.

The Sharks took another lead at 7:51 of the period. Jamie Benn went to the box for interference on Joe Pavelski. Vlasic, on the second power play unit, put the puck over Niemi’s arm during the second minute of the penalty. Assists went to Dylan DeMelo and Joonas Donskoi.

The goal was challenged by Stars coach Lindy Ruff, for a missed offside call. The goal stood up and 12 seconds after the announcement, Jason Spezza tied it back up with a spin-o-rama off a pass from Jamie Benn. Assists went to Benn and Seguin.

The teams continued tied up until overtime, when the Sharks’ second three-man unit ended the game. Overtime was probably the only time in the game when one team dominated the other, but it only lasted one minute and 12 seconds, so perhaps it did not break pattern. The goal came after Vlasic made a try for a hat trick, shooting into Niemi’s pads from near the goal line. The shot was well-timed and placed, because he was able to collect his own rebound and take it around behind the net for another try. But it was not to be, as Tomas Hertl scored the game-winner, bringing an end to the “score first or lose” home ice curse that has haunted the Sharks since the start of the season. Assists went to Vlasic and Logan Couture.

The Sharks will finish this home stand on Monday, against the visiting Ottawa Senators at 7:30 PT.

Barracuda Lose to Rampage in OT

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: San Jose Barrcuda-San Antonio Rampage take San Jose Barracuda to OT and win it 1-0

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Barracuda have quietly turned into a winning team in the AHL’s Pacific Division. They may not mean to be quiet about it, perhaps the deafening noise from their parent team’s struggles has just drowned them out. In any case, they now sit second in their division and, more impressively, had won five in a row before Sunday, and seven of their last ten games. An overtime loss, by a score of 1-0, did not change any of that.

Sunday’s match was the second of back to back meetings with the San Antonio Rampage. Saturday night’s game ended 6-4 in San Jose’s favor, so they faced a motivated opponent Sunday afternoon.

San Jose started the game well, at both ends of the ice. They were rewarded with a power play when San Antonio’s Duncan Siemens was called for holding at 2:35. The Barracuda did not score and had another chance at 6:16 when San Antonio goaltender Spencer Martin was called for tripping. The power play started out fairly well but just as the second minute started ticking down, the Rampage found a deflected puck and attacked the Baracuda net two on one. The shooter was unlucky and hit the post. The pair had a second chance and shot again. This time, Aaron Dell’s quick glove sent the puck over the net. San Jose did not score on the power play but they scaped unscathed.

A few minutes later, the Barracuda had to kill their own penalty: a hooking call to John McCarthy. Not long after that one expired, the Barracuda were penalized again, this time to Langlois, also for hooking. They killed these all off, and despite a lot of zone time for the Rampage, the Barracuda skaters kept opposing shots to a bare minimum. The penalties kept coming, and the Barracuda finished the period on another power play, a slashing call to Nikita Zadarov.

By the end of the period, the shots were 9-6 San Jose.

The Rampage started the second by killing off the last of the Barracuda’s third power play, and then evening up the shot count at 9-9 before the five minute mark.

The next penalty went to the Barracuda, this time a kneeing call on Alex Gallant at 8:58. The kill was very efficient, not allowing the Rampage much time at all to sustain an attack. They were back on the kill at 13:51 when Micheal Haley went to the box for slashing. The fourth time around, the Barracuda penalty killers did not look as sharp, and the Rampage took over the shot lead in a still scoreless game.

By the end of the second, the Rampage led on the shot clock, 17-13.

Four minutes and seven seconds went by before the Barracuda recorded their first shot of the third period. By then, the Rampage also had just one. In the minutes that followed, the Barracuda seemed to wake up and spent a lot of time in the ofensive zone. Still, shots on goal were few and far between, goals non-existant. A media time out ended the San Jose surge, and when they returend, the Rampage took their turn on offense. They were no more successful and by the ten minute mark, the shots were 21-17 an Antonio and the score still 0-0.

The tension boiled over a few seconds past that mark in a multi-player skirmish, after Julius Bergman took a hard hit near the end boards. From that, San Antonio’s Reid Petryk landed in the box for charging. The Barracuda had a number of attempted shots but none hit the net during the two minute man advantage.

the Rampage had barely finished killing that penalty when the Barracuda’s Haley was called for hooking at 12:20. The Rampage added one shot to their tally, and in the final seconds of the power play they hit another post. It made a loud ringing sound, shot across the goal mouth and out.

In the final minutes, the Rampage were all over the Barracuda, but luck and posts seemed against the visitors. With 2:20 left in regulation, the shots were 26-17 Rampage, and the Barracuda were trapped in their own zone by icing calls and turnovers. The closest they got to the offensive zone was a neutral zone faceoff. A few brief skates through the Rampage zone was all San Jose could manage in the final seconds of the third.

The Rampage won the game on a wrist shot from Reid Petryk with 1:48 remaining in the OT session. An assist went to Marc-Andre Cliche.

With the one point, the Barracuda remain in the playoff picture, in seconds place in the division, but their winning streak ended at five.

Aaron Dell received the third star of the game for his trouble, making 26 saves on 27 shots.

The Barracuda next play on Wednesday against the Gulls in San Diego at 7:05 PT.

Sharks Win 7-0 at Home

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: USA Today SJ Sharks Tomas Hertl scores on Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Jonathan Bernier in Saturday’s Sharks laugher

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Sharks ran over the Toronto Maple Leafs by a score of 7-0 on Saturday. After the game, Sharks defenseman Justin Braun summed it up: “You can’t ask for much more, you know? Scoring, goalie played great. It’s one of those games you don’t drop and it works out that way.”

It would be an understatement to say that the Sharks have lacked depth scoring over the past dozen games, or even throughout the season. Players like Tomas Hertl, Tommy Wingels, Matt Nieto, Melker Karlsson, and Joonas Donskoi have all failed to pull their weight on the scoreboard. Saturday, they seemed hell bent on making up for that. Only time will tell if they can sustain it, but the 7-0 win on Saturday showed that they can do the job.

The Sharks started the game with distinctly different forward lines. They were: Donskoi-Couture-Karlsson, Pavelski-Thornton-Hertl, Ward-Marleau-Nieto, and Wingels-Tierney-Brown. After the game, Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer was asked whether these new forward lines was the key to success for the struggling players. He said:

I don’t think the line shuffles changed it. I think we’ve got a proud group in there, I don’t think… they weren’t happy about where we were sitting. I think they were smart enough to recognize we were doing a lot of good things. But we needed a little bit more out of everybody. And they fixed that themselves. Now again we have to build on that.

Tomas Hertl scored twice and earned an assist. Joonas Donskoi, Matt Nieto and Melker Karlsson each scored a goal, and Wingels earned two assists. Usual suspects, Brent Burns and Joe Pavelski, scored the other two goals. After the game, Tommy Wingels said:

I think when we have four dangerous lines out there you see the potential that this team has. And if we’re going to make a run and string some wins together, that’s what we’re going to need. Certainly a lot of guys feel better about their games today than they have in games past. Myself, other guys– be happy with it, gain some confidence and continue it on to the next game.

The other guy with a big blinking question mark over his head has been goaltender Martin Jones, who seemed to share his team’s allergy to wins on home ice. His performance Saturday made him look like he was worth the first round draft pick that the Sharks gave up for him. Especially in the first period, while the game was still scoreless, Jones was key. In all, he made 28 saves for the shutout. After the game, he said:

It was a close game before we started scoring in the second there. Obviously we had some timely goals in the second and kind of ran away with it but it was just a solid game from everybody from start to finish.

The Maple Leafs gave the Sharks ample opportunity to score, and the Sharks took advantage. It was the first goal, from Brent Burns, that seemed to open the flood gates for the Sharks. It was a stand out play under any circumstances, but his single-handed incursion early in the second period was pivotal for his team on Saturday. After the game, DeBoer said of the goal:

That was huge, because I thought we were a little tentative, we were almost in that ‘waiting for something to go wrong’ mindset. And he just said **** it and took the puck and that changed the game for us. That play changed the game.

The game did not start off like a high-scoring affair. The Sharks had the first power play, after Jake Gardiner was called for holding Tommy Wingels. The hold resulted in a three-player pile up in the Toronto net at 5:24. Once the officials untangled the players, the Sharks attempted to launch an attack with the man advantage. Their efforts were no real threat to Toronto, and the two minutes elapsed without the Sharks adding a shot on goal.

The Sharks took another swing at the power play with just 2:09 left in the first. Leo Komarov went to the box for boarding Longan Couture. This time, the Sharks did get a shot on goal, one from Brent Burns. The second unit of Ward, Hertl, Donskoi, Burns and Vlasic got another shot in, and another pile up in the goal crease.

At the end of the first period, the shot count was 12-7 Toronto. Five of those San Jose shots were from defensemen, Burns and Justin Braun with two each and Marc-Edouard Vlasic with one. The others were from Matt Nieto and Tommy Wingels.

At 4:18 of the second period, Brent Burns took the game over for a shitf, skated out of the neutral zone and into the offensive zone, fending off defenders most of the way, and put the puck past James Reimer. Assists went to Paul Martin and Joe Pavelski. It was Burns’ 17th of the season.

The Maple Leafs had their turn on the power play at 7:01, when Paul Martin was called for a high stick against Shawn Matthias. The San Jose penalty kill was more effective than their power play had been. Perhaps that is because Matt Nieto and Tommy Wingels don’t get much time on the power play. During the second minute of the penalty kill, Tommy Wingels chased a puck down in the offensive zone. The Maple Leafs seemed to have forgotten about the puck as they made a line change and almost no one went after Wingels. With Nieto darting down the other wing, a lone Toronto defender could not get back in time to prevent Wingels from making a late pass across to Nieto, who put the puck in the open net. Assists went to Wingels and Brent Burns.

The Sharks also killed the penalty.

Dion Phaneuf decided that Wingels was worth a five-minute fighting major, on top of the interference minor he received at the same time. The Sharks power play again lacked inspiration or cohesion.

Ironically, shortly after it expired, the Sharks extended their lead with a Joe Pavelski goal. Hertl’s pass from below the goal line was a thing of beauty, as he threw it behind him while facing the boards, hitting his mark perfectly. Pavelski was where he needed to be, right in front of the blue paint. Assists went to Hertl and Thornton.

Less than two minutes later, Justin Braun took a shot from high in the slot, which Hertl followed to the net. Hertl corralled the rebound and put it lightly over Bernier’s pad for a 4-0 lead. The lone assist went to Braun.

When the period ended, the Sharks were behind on the shot clock 19-21.

22 seconds into the third period, Matt Nieto was called for hooking. Martin Jones had to make several good saves in the first minute, a sign that the penalty killers were not as sharp as earlier in the game. The Toronto power play was also more composed.

A fifth Sharks goal came at 4:10. Chris Tierney caught a pass from Justin Braun at the Toronto blue line and sent it to Melker Karlsson as he darted across the line into the slot. Karlsson put the puck past Bernier and Toronto coach Mike Babcock made a coach’s challenge on the basis of a missed offside call. The challenge was overruled and the goal stood up. While Tierney’s skates were clearly across the line before the puck was, he had full control of it which negated an offside ruling.

Joonas Donskoi extended the lead to six when he took the puck from the half boards, evaded two different Toronto skaters, went behind the net and slid the puck in between skate and post. That was at 9:28 of the third, and assists went to Wingels and Vlasic.

Hertl scored again at 11:22, despite Bernier’s attempts to push him away from the net. Assists went to Braun and Vlasic.

The Sharks next play on Monday in Calgary against the Flames at 6:00 PT.

Barracuda Shoot Down Stars 5-1

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Barracuda defeated the visiting Texas Stars by a score of 5-1 Sunday. The game featured Nikolay Goldobin’s first AHL hat trick, and a fine performance from goaltender Al Stalock. Stalock made 21 saves on 22 shots. Jeremy Langlois and Ryan Carpenter each scored a goal, and Gus Young had three assists.

Both teams had played the night before, the Barracuda in Bakersfield and the Stars in Stockton. Even the recent arrivals, Stalock and Tierney, played Saturday with the Sharks. The Barracuda won their Saturday game 5-4 in a shootout. The Stars lost theirs 7-6, also in a shootout. Both teams had reason to be a little weary Sunday, but it did not show. Sunday’s game was fast and entertaining.

The first penalty of the game went to the Barracuda’s Jesse Mycham. The Barracuda killed it off with alacrity.

8:40 into the game, Nikolay Goldobin scored to put the Barracuda up by one. Chris Tierney sent the puck up from behind the goal line, where Goldobin’s arrival was well-timed. With a quick lift, he put the puck over the Texas goaltender’s glove. Assists went to Tierney and Gus Young.

The Barracuda set the pace for the rest of the period. Several shots on net went right into Deslauriers’ clutches, as the Barracuda did not have enough traffic in front of the Texas goaltender.

With just 2:25 left in the first, the Stars caught San Jose off guard and tied the game. Stalock caught Dickinson’s wrap-around shot with his pads but only by diving across the crease. The puck went under him, changed direction somewhere underneath the goalie, and trickled across the goal line. An assist went to Greg Rallo.

San Jose’s Jeremy Langlois took the lead back when he caught a long pass near the faceoff dot in the Stars’ zone, deked his way around Brennan Evans and then beat the goaltender with a backhand from in close. Assists went to Goldobin and Young.

The Stars took a penalty early in the second period, and Brendan Ranford went to the box for delay of game. The Barracuda power play had some good looks but their best chances were for tip-ins that did not work.

As the penalty ended, the Stars went the other way immediately, then got pushed back, only to get a breakaway chance, followed by more o-zone time. The Barracuda were very much on their heels but Stalock kept the puck out.

As the game reached its midpoint, San Jose pulled themselves together. At 10:35, Tierney beat a Texas defender near the faceoff circle and got a pass to Goldobin for a shot. Desrosiers stopped the first shot but Goldobin picked up his rebound and put it around the goaltender to give the Barracuda a 3-1 lead.

The Stars took another penalty, this time to Travis Morin for tripping. San Jose’s power play was less dangerous-looking than it had been, but it was not a liability. After the penalty expired, the Barracuda continued to keep Texas at bay, limiting their shots mostly to the outside and getting the puck out quickly.

By the end of the second period, the score was 3-1 Barracuda, the shot count was 17-14 Barracuda.

San Jose jumped right back in to start the third period. They skated in three on two to extend the lead. Ryan Carpenter carried the puck to the hash marks and passed it to Barclay Goodrow. Goodrow’s shot came back out for Carpenter to pick up and put in the net. Assists went to Goodrow and Trevor Parkes.

A few minutes later, Goldobin escaped the neutral zone and darted unfettered to the Texas net where he wrapped the puck around the goalie and in goal for a hat trick. The goal was unassisted.

The Texas team had a power play opportunity at 9:49 when Alex Gallant went to the box for interference. It was a much better power play than their first and they held the zone relentlessly. They still failed to gain any ground on the four goal deficit.

Final score: 5-1 San Jose. The win puts the Barracuda in the playoff picture for the moment. They are in third place out of seven teams in the Pacific Division.

The Barracuda next play on Wednesday against the Stockton Heat.

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There was plenty of roster activity from the Sharks on Sunday. As the Sharks started a four day break in their schedule, they sent forward Chris Tierney and goaltender Alex Stalock to play with the Barracuda. Matt Tennyson was sent down a couple of days earlier, and officially Stalock’s and Tennyson’s assignments are for “conditioning” purposes. This limits the stay to 14 days. Historically, these assignments were used to bring players back from injury, but there is no strict language in the rules saying that a conditioning assignment cannot be used to keep a player tuned up when he is not playing much with the NHL club. It is likely that both Tennyson and Stalock will be back with the Sharks soon.

Jets Blow Past Sharks 4-1

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By Mary Walsh

AP photo & Winnipeg Free Press Winnipeg Jets Drew Stafford gets congratulated after finding the back of the net against the Sharks on Saturday night

SAN JOSE– On home ice Saturday, the San Jose Sharks fell by a score of 4-1 to the Winnipeg Jets. It was yet another disturbingly lackluster performance from the Sharks, seen almost exclusively at home this season despite a remarkably good road record. Of the overall performance Saturday, head coach Pete DeBoer did not mince words:

That was an egg, it was just… I don’t have an explanation. Top to bottom, really poor effort, poor execution, sloppy, soft, not enough adjectives to describe it. You have to give Winnipeg credit, they were desperate, they won all the races, they won all the battles, they won the goaltending battle, not much more then that, it pretty much sums it up.

The Sharks seemed to have the game well in hand for the first ten minutes. Outshooting Winnipeg and controlling most of the play, it was probable that they would have the first power play. They did.

At 12:05 of the first, Ben Chiarot went to the box for delay of game. The first minute of the power play went fine, but then the Sharks started having some trouble getting through the neutral zone. The Sharks’ game of keep away was interrupted by an interception of Joel’s Ward’s backhand pass. The interloping Blake Wheeler skated in with Drew Stafford for a two on none against Martin Jones. The short-handed goal went to Stafford. It was just the second short-handed goal scored against San Jose this season.

The Sharks did not score on that power play, and they were on their heels for most of the rest of the period.

As the second period began, the shots stood at 8-7 Sharks, the score 1-0 Jets. The first hits came in the Sharks’ zone, as the Jets made the first move. During a four player puck battle along the boards, someone caught Joe Thornton near the right eye, but nothing was called.

At 2:45, Joel Armia skated into the Sharks’ zone, went around Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and put the puck on net. Matt Halischuk was standing by at the crease. With Justin Braun on hand but unable to stop him, Halischuk scored his first of the season from very close range.

Penalties started to stack up then, with Toby Enstrom going to the box for interference at 2:58, and Joe Pavelski going for an illegal heck to Bryan Little’s head just 18 seconds later. The four on four time created by those penalties favored the Jets, and they passed the Sharks up on the shot clock.

Bryan Little did go to the room for further evaluation but returned to the game before the period was half over.

At 8:29, Dustin Byfuglien was called for slashing. Under a minute after that, Brent Burns got the Sharks on the board with a hard shot from just above the faceoff circle. Assists went to Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau. The assist extended Thornton’s point streak to eight games.

On the next shift, the Sharks finally managed to stop the Jets in the neutral zone, and then Tommy Wingels tried to take the puck back the other way. Instead, he was tripped by Toby Enstrom and the Sharks went on another power play.

The power play started with a rush by the Jets into the Sharks’ zone. The Sharks stopped them from scoring another short-handed, but when they did get set up in the o-zone, San Jose’s plan seemed too complex to work. They made too many passes, too creatively executed, while time ticked off the clock. With 47 seconds left in the power play, they were taking a draw in the defensive zone.

With 5:31 left in the second, Justin Braun went to the penalty box for delay of game after sending the puck over the glass. It took the Jets 26 seconds to score on their power play. The goal was Mathieu Perrault, with assists going to Dustin Byfuglien and Blake Wheeler.

Joe Pavelski went to the box again witbh 4:02 left in the period, this time for too many men on the ice. The Sharks did kill that penalty, and showed a touch of vim in the final minutes of the period. Tommy Wingels even got tangled up with Dustin Byfuglien after the buzzer. Fortunately for the Sharks, nothing came of that as the officials intervened.

Al Stalock was in the Sharks’ net to start the third period. He had only been there for a minute and 13 seconds when he skated to the bench for a delayed penalty all. Blake Wheeler went to the box for tripping Tomas Hertl. The Sharks’ power play created a few chances but the Jets’ penalty killers broke up most of their attacks quickly.

Tommy Wingels and Matt Halischuk went to the box shortly thereafter for unsportsmanlike conduct. Two minutes of four on four did not produce any more goals.

Pete DeBoer has not done a lot of in-game line changes this season, but by the third period on Saturday, only one forward line and one defensive pair looked as it had during the first. When the game started, Melker Karlsson was on a line with Joe Pavelski and Joe Thornton, Couture was back with Marleau and Ward. Hertl, Wingels and Nieto were a third line, while Donskoi, Tierney and Zubrus made up the fourth. Dillon was paired with DeMelo, Burns with Martin and Vlasic with Braun.

In the third period, Karlsson was with Tierney and Zubrus. Donskoi was up with Marleau and Ward, and Logan Couture was out with Thornton and Pavelski. On defense, Paul Martin ended up paired with Dylan DeMelo, and Brendan Dillon with Burns.

Of course, the netminders had also swapped positions.

Al Stalock tried a nice stretch pass to Joel Ward with about six minutes left, but Ward could not do much with it. The puck got to him but he didn’t have any help in the zone.

Al Stalock went to the bench for the extra attacker with nearly three minutes left in the game. With 2:43 left, the Jets scored into the empty net after handily escaping the Sharks in the neutral zone. The goal was Nikolaj Ehlers’ and it was unassisted.

The Sharks next play the Detroit Red Wings. That game will be on Thursday, January 7, at SAP Center, at 7:30 PT.

Barracuda Cool Off Heat in 5-1 Win

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By Mary Walsh

photo credit: San Jose Barracuda

SAN JOSE– The San Jose Barracuda trounced the Stockton Heat to the tune of 5-1 on Sunday. It was the Barracuda’s first game back from the holiday break, while the Heat were playing their second in two days. It may not have been a must-win for San Jose, but it certainly was a should-win. Barracuda goaltender Troy Grosenick made 31 saves on 32 shots. Barclay Goodrow scored two goals, Trevor Parkes, Petter Emanuelsson and Bryan Lerg scored the other three. Ryan Carpenter had two assists in the game. The lone Stockton goal was scored by Derek Grant.

Troy Grosenick in net for San Jose, Joni Ortio in net for Stockton. San Jose wore home whites and Stockton was in their red and black uniforms. Despite starting the game by chasing down Turner Elson in their own zone, the Barracuda quickly established themselves in the offensive zone and kept pressure on for several shifts.

The Heat pushed San Jose back in the third minute of play, though most of their progress was facilitated by Barracuda errors. Turnovers and ill-conceived passes almost combined to give Stockton the lead, but Troy Grosenick stopped the puck and allowed San Jose to regroup.

McNally had a very good shitft early in the first period. He stole the puck, intercepted passes, took a couple of shots, kept the puck in when it looked on its way out.

The Barracuda took the lead 7:49 into the first period. Nikolay Goldobin caught puck near boards behind goal line, shot it at Ortio’s pads, and had it come back to him. He shot it again, and Jeremy Langlois caught that rebound. Langlois shot it and Trevor Parkes deflected it in.

San Jose padded their lead less than two minutes later when Ryan Carpenter caught puck behind net and passed it to Gus Young at the point. Young shot it and Petter Emanuelsson caught the rebound and threw it past Ortio.

The Barracuda took the first penalty of the game at 12:06, Nikita Jevpalovs went to the box for high-sticking, but his teammates killed the penalty off.

With 5:54 left in the period, San Jose got a power play as Stockton’s Garet Hunt went to the box for slashing. The Heat penalty kill was as effective as the Barracuda one. After the power play ended, Stockton came on with renewed vigor. The Barracuda could not seem to get in passing lanes as the Heat came through the neutral zone, and San Jose found themselves trapped for a long spell, defending their zone. Grosenick had a couple of close calls but he kept the Heat off the board.

With 1:09 left in the period, the Barracuda’s Bryan Lerg went to the box for slashing. San Jose started the penalty kill with a short-handed rush, and when the play returned to the Barracuda zone, Grosenick made a good save through traffic, snuffing some energy from the Heat.

At the end of the first, the score was 2-0 Barracuda, and the shots were 14-10 Barracuda.

San Jose killed off the rest of the penalty to strt the second, and then followed up with another strong push.That was cut off by a penalty to Joakim Ryan for interference at 3:27.

The Heat power play was cut short when Emile Poirer was called for hooking at 4:09. The Barracuda made good use of their short power play when Karl Stollery took a shot from the point, while Goodrow and Carpenter waited at the net. Ortio scrambled to keep the puck out but Goodrow and Carpenter kept after it. Bryan Lerg arrived late as the puck came away from the scramble. He took the shot to give the home team a 3-0 lead. Assists went to Stollery and Carpenter.

Near the half way mark, a Stockton shot rang off the post in an unusual manner, triggering a video review that came to naught. The review did give the Barracuda a little time to rest up for a penalty kill, as McNally had just gone to the box for high-sticking.

With 8:27 remaining in the second, Barlcay Goodrow skated in to the Stockton zone and put a puck right under Ortio for a 4-0 lead. Stockton changed goalies after that, putting Kent Simpson in net.

Gallant and Ryan Lomberg exchanged blows after a questionable hit, and both went for five minutes. Kenny Agostini served the two minutes for Lomberg’s charging penalty.

The Barracuda power play was ineffective and almost as soon as it ended, Petter Emanuelsson went to the box for interference. The Stockton power play opened with a quick short-handed chance for San Jose. Grosenick’s shutout ended with that penalty, as the Heat took the puck round the outside of the Barracuda zone, ending with a near-the-goal-line shot from Derek Grant over Grosenick’s shoulder. Assists went to Jakub Nakladal and Morgan Klimchuk.

Another fight ensued, this time between Turner Elson and Julius Bergman. They joined Gallant and Lomberg in the box.

With almost three minutes remaining in the second, Mitchell Heard went to the box for cross-checking, giving the Barracuda another power play that they did not score on.

At the end of the second, the score was 4-1 and the shots 29-20 Barracuda.

The Barracuda did not have a shot through the first three minutes of the third period. Barclay Goodrow took one of their first shots of the period and scored his second goal of the game. Stockton goaltender Simpson tried to cover the puck in front of the blue paint, by falling forward onto it. The puck escaped him and Goodrow had a clear view of an open net. An assist went to Bergman.

The middle ten minutes of the period were relatively uneventful, save another Lomberg fight, this one with Greger Hanson. Another Heat power play came during the last six minutes, when Trevor Parkes went to the box for tripping. San Jose was pretty efficient at getting the pucks out without giving Stockton much time to shoot.

The Barracuda had yet another power play opportunity during the final two minutes, as Turner Elson went to the box for slashing.

Final score: 5-1 San Jose. Final shot count was 35-32 San Jose.

The Barracuda next play on Monday at 1:15 PST, against the visiting Charlotte Checkers.