Author: M Walsh

Sharks Acquire Defenseman Roman Polak

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By Mary Walsh

USA Today photo Roman Polak dealt to San Jose for Raffie Torres and draft picks

In a press release today, the San Jose Sharks announced that they had acquired defenseman Roman Polak and forward Nick Spaling from the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Maple Leafs received forward Raffi Torres and two second round draft picks in exchange. “Roman and Nick are both quality, character players that will complement and enhance our current roster,” said Wilson. “Our existing group of players has battled hard and they have earned the right to have every chance to succeed this season.”

The press release goes on:

Polak (POH-lahk), 29, has played in 535 NHL games with Toronto and St. Louis, posting 101 points (19 goals, 82 assists) and 423 penalty minutes. This season with the Maple Leafs, he has scored 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) and 56 penalty minutes, along with a + 8 rating in 55 games. He is 5th in the NHL in hits (220), T-37th in blocked shots (102), averaging 19:44 per game with the Maple Leafs. The six-foot-one, 236-pound native of Ostrava, Czech Republic was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the 6th round (180th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He has represented the Czech Republic internationally several times, including the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Spaling, 27, has played in 414 games with Nashville, Pittsburgh and Toronto, scoring 118 points (50 goals, 68 assists) and 114 penalty minutes. This season with the Maple Leafs, he has played in 35 games, posting eight points (one goal, seven assists) and 18 penalty minutes. The six-foot-one, 201-pound native of Palmerston, Ontario played under current Sharks Head Coach Peter DeBoer in Kitchener of the OHL. He was originally a third round selection (58th overall) of the Nashville Predators in the 2007 NHL Draft .

Torres was acquired by San Jose from Arizona on April 3, 2013. He played in 16 regular season games, scoring 11 points (five goals and six assists).





			
		

	
	



			
				



			

			
				
			
		

	
	

		
		
Barracuda Beat the Heat 4-1

				

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By Mary Walsh


photo credit: San Jose Barracuda–The Barracuda get a split with a win against the Stockton Heat 4-1 on Sunday


The San Jose Barracuda defeated the Stockton Heat by a score of 4-1 Sunday. The loss ended the Heat’s 10 game home win streak and moved the Barracuda back into third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.


In stark contrast to Saturday’s meeting, Sunday’s game started out as a low-scoring affair, with just one goal in the first two periods. The game opened up in the third, mostly for San Jose. Barracuda goaltender Aaron Dell deserves much of the credit for the win. His team was outshot 26-16 through the first two periods but he stopped them all until the third period. In all, he made 39 saves on 40 shots. John McCarthy scored two goals in the game, with goals also scored by Nikita Jevpalovs and Trevor Parkes. Freddie Hamilton scored the lone goal for the Heat and Stockton goaltender Kevin Poulin made 25 saves on 28 shots faced.


Nikita Jevpalovs opened the scoring Sunday, giving the Barracuda a first period lead. Nikolay Goldobin’s shot from the left side created a rebound for Jevpalovs to pick up and put away. Assists went to Goldobin and Mirco Mueller. Goldobin is currently working on point streak of six games, a season high for the team.


The second period did not start out as well as the first, with the Barracuda being outshot 7-1 in the first half. The rest of the period did not go much better for them, and Aaron Dell stopped 12 shots while his team only took 6. Still, Stockton had not scored and the Barracuda held on to their 1-0 lead.


The Barracuda started the third much better, taking a lead on the shot clock early, but at 5:16, the Heat tied the game with a goal from Freddie Hamilton. Assists went to Kenny Agostino and Garnet Hathway. It was Hamilton’s 14th goal of the season.


Gus Young was called for slashing at 6:18 of the third, and half way through the Stockton power play, Mirco Mueller was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as well. Stockton took their time out to prepare for the five on three.


The Barracuda held on through the five on three and then, during the abbreviated five on four, John McCarthy escaped with the puck through the neutral zone and beat Poulin to give San Jose the lead back. The goal was unassisted.


Parkes was tripped at 9:53 by Gabriel Verpaelst, giving the Barracuda their first power play of the game. It was just their second power play of the weekend.


McCarthy scored again at 14:25, after Micheal Haley got the puck in while taking a hard hit. Trevor Parkes controlled the puck behind the net and got it to McCarthy who came in late to get to the net. Assists went to Parkes and Haley.


Parkes got the empty net goal at 17:40, with an assist to Joakim Ryan.


Raffi Torres played on Saturday but not Sunday, which was consistent with the team’s expectation that he would play in just one of the weekend games. Barclay Goodrow was also out of the lineup, possibly in case the Sharks had to call him up for Monday’s game. Mirco Mueller was in the lineup, having returned from his call up last week.


The Barracuda next play on Friday in Bakersfield at 7:00 PST.


			
		

	
	



			
				



			

			
				
			
		

	
	

		
		
Hurricanes Blow Out Sharks 5-2

				

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By Mary Walsh


AP photo Carolina Hurricanes John Michael Liles (26) pass puck by the San Jose Sharks Melker Karlsson (68) in the first period of Friday’s game


The San Jose Sharks ended a three-game winning streak with a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. Like the Sharks, the Hurricanes played the night before. Where the Sharks won their Thursday game in a shootout, the Hurricanes lost 4-2 in Ottawa. Friday, the Hurricanes bested the Sharks in every area of the game, in faceoffs, hits, shots, shot attempts as well as scoring.


Sharks coach Pete DeBoer described it as a well-deserved loss:


They took the game over, you know, we didn’t have an answer. We pretty much got what we deserved I think tonight. I think we lost too many of the tough areas: the faceoffs, special teams. When you lose three or four significant areas in the game, you’re not going to win. They deserved the win and we deserved what we got.


The Hurricanes are this season’s least penalized NHL team so the fact that the Sharks did not have a power play in the game is not very surprising. The Hurricanes got two goals from Jeff Skinner, and goals from Chris Terry, Joakim Nordstrom and Jordan Staal. Cam Ward made 22 saves on 24 shots for the Hurricanes. Sharks goals were scored by Brent Burns and Tomas Hertl. Martin Jones made 32 saves on 36 shots for the Sharks.


The loss left the Sharks’ position in the standings unchanged from the night before, except for the loss of a game in hand over the Kings and the Ducks. The Sharks are still in third place in the Pacific Division, three points behind the Kings and one behind the Ducks.


After the game, Sharks captain Joe Pavelski addressed the question of whether the Sharks’ tough schedule on this road trip had something to do with the loss:


They were in a similar situation, coming back last night. We weren’t very good all night. I was awful. That’s one of the worst games I’ve had in a while. There were a few plays out there, a lot of plays I’d like to have back… You never let that affect you though, three games in four nights. You’ve got to manufacture your game.


Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer had a similar take on the game: “It’s one of those games. We’ve been consistently good for a long time, and you’re going to have those once in a while. It’s how we respond to it. I think we just have to throw it away and get ready for the next one.”


For the third game in a row, the Sharks gave up the first goal. This time it was a curious shot that bounced high off Chris Terry’s stick and over Martin Jones’ head. Assists went to Noah Hanifin and Riley Nash.


The Sharks got it back near the end of the period, when a nice pass from Joel Ward found Brent Burns high in the slot. It was Burns’ 19th goal of the season and his first in 19 games. Assists went to Ward and Matt Nieto.


The teams ended the period tied in shots was well as goals with eight each.


Early in the second period, the teams played four on four while Melker Karlsson and Eric Staal sat in the box for and embellishment respectively. Neither team scored.


The first power play went to Carolina in the second period, a delay of game penalty to Tomas Hertl after he swept the puck out of play during a frantic scramble in front of the Sharks’ net. Carolina had three shots during the power play and the Sharks cleared the puck out twice, though not until the final half minute of the penalty.


Carolina took the lead back at 12:25 of the second. Joakim Nordstrom crossed the blue line without any pressure and his shot from high in the slot blew by Jones as if unseen. The Sharks had three skaters back but none got in Nordstrom’s way. Assists went to Jordan Staal and Bret Pesce.


Instead of tying the game up again before the period ended, the Sharks finished the period on the penalty kill. Mike Brown took issue with a hit on Marc-Edouard Vlasic and three penalties resulted: Brown for holding Jordan Staal, Staal for roughing against Mike Brown and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty to Brown.


The Sharks were badly outshot in the second period, 18-4. They were also losing in the shot attempts category 42-21 and the faceoff circle 21-6. It was hardly surprising that they were behind 2-1 on the scoreboard.


The Sharks started the third period with most of the Brown penalty still to kill. Before the first minute elapsed, Carolina seemed to score but the official called it back for incidental contact with the goaltender. Eric Staal seemed to hook Martin Jones under the pad and pulled him to the right while Jones was trying to reach to his left. Carolina challenged the call and the play was reviewed and the call was overturned.


The power play goal went to Jeff Skinner with assists to Eric Staal and Kris Versteeg.


10:38 into the third period, the Sharks cut the lead to 3-2. Patrick Marleau stole the puck from Carolina goaltender Cam Ward behind the net and passed it quickly to the front of the net. Tomas Hertl was there to tap it in. It was Hertl’s 12th goal of the season and Marleau’s 20th assist.


With just under five minutes remaining, Carolina took back their two goal lead when Jaccob Slavin’s shot bounced off a skate to Skinner in the slot. An empty netter from Jordan Staal sealed the deal at 17:35.


The Sharks next play in St. Louis against the Blues on Monday.


Forward Mike Brown was in the lineup for the first time since January 24, as Tommy Wingels was injured early in Thursday’s game in Sunrise. Melker Karlsson took the open spot on the third line with Joonas Donskoi and Logan Couture, and Brown took Karlsson’s spot on the fourth line with Chris Tierney and Dainius Zubrus. Brown had one hit and three blocked shots in the game. The top two lines remained as they have been, with Hertl, Thornton and Pavelski on the top line and Marleau, Ward and Nieto on the second line.


Sharks defenseman Brenden Dillon missed his fourth game. Matt Tennyson has played in his stead with Dylan Demelo on the blue line. Tennyson finished Friday’s game with a -1 rating , a blocked shot and a hit.


			
		

	
	



			
				



			

			
				
			
		

	
	

		
		
Barracuda Fall 4-2 to Condors

				

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By Mary Walsh


photo credit: San Jose Barracuda–The Barracuda lose to the Bakerfield Condors 4-2 on Valentines day at SAP


SAN JOSE– The San Jose Barracuda fell to the Bakersfield Condors by a score of 4-2 Sunday. The game winner was scored by Ryan Hamilton. Anders Nilsson was in net for the win, making 21 saves on 23 shots. For San Jose, Aaron Dell made 22 saves on 25 shots faced. Both Barracuda goals were scored by Ben Smith.


San Jose and Bakersfield were playing for third place in the division on Sunday. When the game started, the Barracuda had a two point lead over the Condors but had played one more game. With the win, the Condors jumped the Barracuda for third place in the AHL’s Pacific Division.


I remember when the Bakersfield Condors wore grey and burgundy and had the names of local businesses on the tails of their jerseys. That was when they were an ECHL team last year. Now the Condors look pretty much like the Oilers, especially from a distance far enough to not see the emblem. They wear the same colors but they differ in one important respect: they are doing well in their division this season.


The Barracuda were first on the power play, into the first period. Bakersfield was called for too many men on the ice and Anton Slepyshev served the penalty at 11:47. San Jose did not score. Instead, Bakersfield scored at . Barracuda goaltender Aaron Dell stopped the first couple of shots during a Condor attack during which the Barracuda could not clear the puck out. Andrew Miller’s shot went over Dell’s shoulder from the slot to give the visitors the lead. It was Miller’s twelfth of the season. Assists went to Rob Klinkhammer and Jujhar Khaira.


The Condors kept the Barracuda on their heels for the rest of the period. With San Jose defenders stuck in their zone, they were lucky to make it to intermission down by just one.


At the end of the period, the teams were tied on the shot clock but the home team trailed by one.


The second period was marked by a lot of hits and questionable stick use. By the ten minute mark, the Barracuda had added two shots and the Condors just one. Near the eleven minute mark, the game’s first fight broke out behind the Barracuda goal line. The scuffle landed Andrew Miller and Joakim Ryan in the box with roughing minors. Miller got an additional two minutes, so Slepyshev joined him in the box and a Barracuda power play commenced.


San Jose still could not score, but they did keep the Condors on the defensive. And defend they did. The Baracuda had very little time to take the shots they got credit for and many that just missed the net. With six minutes left, Bakersfield still only had one shot in the period but they still had a one goal lead.


The Condors got their first power kay with 4:13 left in the second. San Jose’s Julius Bergman went to the box for slashing. During their power play they finally got a few shots on goal. Half way through the power play, Karl Stollerysent the puck out of play and was called for delay of game. San Jose managed the three on five penalty kill and the minute of four on five that followed.


At the end of the second, the score was still 1-0 Condors and the shots were 17-15 Condors.


The third period started with an early chance for the Condors that hit a post. That seemed to wake the Barracuda up and they responded with several good shifts in the offensive zone. When the Condors pushed back, they were wrapped up in extended board battles and had few chances to score again until the middle of the period.


At, the Condors extended their lead. A neutral zone breakdown gave the Condors a two-then-three on one with Julius Bergman as the one. Jujhar Khaira scored the goal with assists going to Andrew Miller and Griffin Reinhart.


The goal unsettled the Barracuda and inspired the Condors. The orange and blue attack continued with the Barracuda scrambling defensively.


The Barracuda recovered somewhat in the second half of the period. At 12:05 they scored after John McCarthy and Ben Smith combined to win the puck off the boards. McCarthy carried it behind the net and tried a wraparound. That did not work but Smith was on the other side of the crease to catch the puck and put it in. It was his seventh goal of the season in eleven games played with the team. McCarthy received the lone assist.


The Condors did not let that go and stretched their lead back to two with 3:40 left in the game. Entering the zone fast two one two, Ryan Hamilton and Tyler Pitlick gave the Condors their third goal of the game.


The Barracuda made a game of it with just over a minute left. A good four skater rush through the neutral zone and some give and go between Smith and Bryan Lerg resulted in another goal for Smith.


Barracuda coach Sommer opted to pull his goaltender after that and with 26.2 left in the game, the puck escaped the neutral zone and only the Condors’ Klinkhammer was near enough to catch it. He put it in the Barracuda net.


Final score: 4-2 Condors.


John McCarthy led the Barracuda in shots on goal with five. Mirco Mueller, called up to the Sharks briefly after Brenden Dillon’s recent injury, was back with the AHL squad in time for Sunday’s game.


Raffi Torres, still on the Barracuda roster, did not play for the second game in a row. He has played five games with the Barracuda this year.


The Barracuda hit the road next week and will face the Heat on Saturday and Sunday in Stockton.


			
		

	
	



			
				



			

			
				
			
		

	
	

		
		
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.