Author: M Walsh

Sharks Shut Out Jets in Home Opener

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE-One shut out is not like another. Where the Sharks played a solid game on Wednesday, their shut out of the Winnipeg Jets Saturday was not so shiny. Al Stalock showed that he absolutely deserves to be in contention as the starter, but the rest of the team went off the rails after the first 20-30 minutes of the game. The final score was 3-0, but the Sharks’ power play went 0-8.

Todd McLellan was blunt about how ominous that is:

… Three-nothing, people that didn’t see the game are going to say the Sharks are off to a pretty good start, but that was not a well-played game on our behalf by any means.We probably played a good 26-27 minutes and then after that we weren’t close to being the better team.

I thought our power play absolutely sucked the life out of our team tonight. Probably as weak as it’s been in a long long time and we’ve got some work to do there.

Despite the power play’s failure, the Sharks demonstrated that they can keep pucks out of their own net, and that they can play well defensively in front of either goaltender. Stalock, on the change of momentum in Saturday’s game, summarized what he saw of the Jets’ play:

They changed it up after the first period, obviously. They got pucks in deep, got pucks to the net, banged and crashed, sometimes maybe a little too hard. It was a tough game to battle through some of their big guys in front of the paint. Our defensemen did a good job clearing them out.

The win looks good on paper, the Sharks can bank the points, but the next practice agenda wrote itself tonight: power play, power play, power play.

The first goal of the game was scored with the second line on the ice. It was Vlasic’s goal with assists to Logan Couture and Patrick Marleau.

The second goal of the game came from a hard shot off Tomas Hertl’s stick. The Jets let Hertl get away and skate up the slot. He had time but he did not waste it. His shot appeared to go right through Jets goaltender Ondrej Pavelec. Assists went to Thornton and Pavelski at 5:12.

The Sharks’ first power play was a little untidy. The Jets were getting some short handed chances and seemed likely to get another when they were called offside. That gave the Sharks a moment to regroup but they never really got it together.

They had another chance in the last minute of the period when Toby Enstrom was called for holding. That was unproductive, in the end of the first and the start of the second.

The shot count was comfortably (for the Sharks skaters) lopsided. At the end of the first, the count was 15-3.

Their next power play came at 11:01 of the second. This time, Marleau was tripped along the boards in the offensive zone.

The shot count stood at 20-7 for San Jose. Stalock had seen a couple of shots a few seconds earlier as Jets crowded his net, two or three of them at least. In the mass of bodies, it was surprising that the puck did not find its way in.

The Sharks’ third power play did not come to anything either. Joe Thornton seemed very much off his game. His passes were going awry at an inordinate rate. I am sure he could have hit the side of a barn Saturday night, but an outhouse might have been a challenge.

The Jets got their first power play at 10:33 of the second. Adam Burish went to the box for closing his hand on the puck. The first penalty killers were Braun, Vlasic, Pavelski, and Marleau. Hannan, Wingels, Burns and Couture were the second unit. Nieto replaced Wingels in the last dozen or so seconds of the penalty kill. The Jets managed no shots on that power play.

The Sharks’ next power play came from a goalie interference call on Dustin Byfuglien late in the second. While the Sharks did not score, they did make some progress in terms of holding the zone and getting some shots on net. This is how the bar drops.

With almost thirty seconds left in the period, Patrick Marleau claimed the puck off a Jets miscue, and carried it all the way up the slot to beat Pavelec with a neat little lift. He had plenty of time, alone as he was in the zone, to take a shot without haste, giving the Sharks a 3-0 lead.

Joe Pavelski was called for hooking seconds later, so the Jets ended the second and started the third on a power play. The second period ended with shots at  26-16 for the Sharks.

Al Stalock held up well, whether waiting for the few shots he faced, or fighting through and around traffic in front of him. His forays out of the net were not too hair raising, and he seemed to be seeing the game well enough to not take too many chances in that department.

During the Sharks’ next power play, (a tripping call on Adam Pardy),  Matt Nieto was pushed into the Jets’ net without any semblance of subtlety. Unfortunately for the Sharks, most of their power play had already expired and they only had 20 or so seconds of five on three.

The Jets were making some progress on the shot clock, and had closed the gap to 26-22. The Sharks did not do a very good job of anything in that power play, aside from preventing short handed goals.

They would have yet another chance when Byfuglien went to the box again, this time for tripping at 9:03.

The Sharks did not score and Byfuglien was freed, but he was not out for long. As Stalock covered a relatively harmless shot, Byfuglien skated in and gave him a little snow shower. Stalock clearly saw it coming and he braced himself. Several Sharks took issues with the snow shower, as did the referee. Byfuglien received a two minute penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and then a ten minute misconduct was tacked on.

One has to wonder what he said to get all of that for such indirect contact with the goaltender.

While the game started out very slowly for Stalock, it certainly picked up for him in the third. By the end of the second Byfuglien penalty, the Sharks still did not have a shot in the third period and the Jets had taken the lead for the game by the 14 minute mark.

The teams played a little four on four while Zach Bogosian and Scott Hannan spent two minutes in the box for roughing.

With two minutes left in the game, the Sharks were still looking for their first shot on goal.They never took it, but defended their own net sufficiently to hang on to the shut out.

The game ended in a frantic scramble in front of Stalock, but he kept the puck out. It was a fitting close to the game.

Sharks Sound Ready For Season To Start

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By Mary Walsh

“Meeting at 12:30.”

It was a small thing, a nothing really, another day at Sharks training camp. It was just a reminder repeated by several players to other players, responded to with a nod or some affirmative phrase.

As players came off the ice, sat down, went away again, they were tagged with this message: “meeting at 12:30.” It was a perfectly normal thing, open, direct, unguarded. It did not sound urgent, just matter of fact. Everyone wanted to make sure everyone would be at the meeting.

Maybe I have never paid close enough attention, but it sounded new to me. Not the words, just the way they sounded, spoken by so many players. I probably only heard it four or five times, but that sounded like a lot. It sounded like many people talking, taking an interest, taking responsibility for each other.

Later that same morning, head coach Todd McLellan was asked if he has sensed any change in the room from seasons past. He answered:

I think they’ve got together and talked about a lot of things, which is a real positive, especially for the group as a whole. That can only help but move them forward.

Was this camp any different from prior camps? Was there any peculiar tension, with the reassignment of the captaincy? Was this camp different in any way?

No one would say it was really different, or any more different than any camp has been.  There is always something buzzing around, trying to distract from the work people are doing.

If it isn’t the captaincy or trades or lack thereof, it might be something truly disruptive. The KHL has a team in the Ukraine. Their arena was damaged last season, all their playoff games were played on the road. As distractions go, that is probably pretty trivial in cases of armed conflict. That did not happen during training camp, I believe it was late in the season. I only mention it to put things in perspective.

The 2014 preseason is over. The Sharks played as long as they could, finishing in overtime in their last game. Their preseason results were not spectacular, but they seem to have found what they need to start the season.

With Tyler Kennedy and Raffi Torres unavailable due to injury, the team will need to rely on some of these new faces. It looks like those faces will belong to one or more of Barclay Goodrow, Chris Tierney, and Eriah Hayes.

On defense, there is no specific gap per se, but the team can use a boost there, someone more than a seventh defenseman. Can Mirco Mueller do it? Did Saturday’s game in Anaheim expose some holes in his game? Should the Sharks go back to someone with a little more mileage?

The preseason is such a deceptive spectacle. Half the players are auditioning, half are rehearsing for opening night. The only thing to take away from the games is who got to play and who did not. Mueller and Goodrow and Tierney got to play a lot.

Which means either they are staying or the coaches just wanted a better look at them. We will know which in the next couple of days.

In other Northern California hockey news, the Stockton Thunder are up for sale. Apparently there is no mad rush to get the deal done. According to the Sharks’ Chief Operating Officer John Tortora, the Sharks are paying attention to that:

We’re paying attention to what goes on from a hockey standpoint. It’s no secret that the NHL clubs who are based on the West Coast, particularly the three California clubs, are looking to move our minor league Eastern-based teams to the West Coast. We’re working with the AHL to figure that out. Nothing’s been set in stone yet.

One of the things NHL teams have to figure out is where to put the AHL teams. Many locations are being considered by the Sharks.

San Jose Sharks Logan Couture Attacks the Net

Sharks Win Preseason Game in Arizona

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-By Mary Walsh

Friday night, the San Jose Sharks won a contentious preseason game against the Arizona Coyotes. Prospects Barclay Goodrow, Chris Tierney, Eriah Hayes and Mirco Mueller all played well, suggesting that any of them could end up starting the season in San Jose.

Goals from Matt Nieto, Tye McGinn and Tommy Wingels gave the Sharks their third win of the preseason. Alex Stalock was in goal and made 23 saves on 24 shots. Rob Klinkhammer scored for the Coyotes, and Mike Smith made 31 saves on 33 shots faced.

Matt Nieto opened the game with an early goal, in his line’s first shift. Couture’s backhand pass went right to Nieto for a goal at 1:08 of the first period.

A few minutes later, Couture was hit from behind by Kyle Chipchura. Justin Braun took issue with that and fought Chipchura. Couture made his way to the bench under his own steam. Braun was given a two minute penalty for boarding, a five minute major for fighting and a ten minute misconduct. Chipchura received five minutes for fighting, five minutes for boarding, and a ten minute game misconduct. It came out to two minutes of five on five, followed by three minutes of five on four for the Sharks.

More than ten minutes went by in the first period without the Coyotes getting credit for a shot. In the same time, the Sharks had five. The hit and the fight seemed to turn the tide for the Coyotes in the minutes before the power play started. They had a couple of good chances but the Sharks defense held them off.

Right at the end of the power play, Matt Irwin was also hit hard, by Joe Vitale. No penalty was called.

The second period started out more evenly, with the shot clock registering almost equal (3-2) for the first five minutes. A shot from Eriah Hayes in the sixth minute lead the way for a Sharks charge. Despite a lost faceoff, the fourth line stirred things up in the offensive zone. A penalty to Rob Klinkhammer for goaltender interference tilted the ice back in the Sharks’ direction. A simultaneous hit by Vitale on Braun went unmentioned by officials.

The power play did not pay off for the Sharks.

After the power play expired, Tye McGinn and B.J. Crombeen fought right after the faceoff. While the game was contentious, it is not clear whether any particular incident led to the bout.

By the thirteen minute mark, the shots for the period were up to 10-3 Sharks.

Eriah Hayes hit Keith Yandle in front of the Coyotes net, and then attempted to fight him but Yandle declined. This raised the ire of the Coyotes and after the scrum was dispersed, Hayes went to the penalty box. A roughing minor to John Scott and an embellishment minor to Yandle took them out of play for two minutes as well. The Sharks killed the penalty off.

The last five minutes of the period saw the Coyotes pushing to tie the game, and getting their shots to the net. The Sharks were saved by the bell as the period ended with a pile of bodies in front of Alex Stalock and the Coyotes nipping at the puck.

The shot count for the period ended 11-8 for the Sharks.

Stalock faced some pressure from Shane Doan early in the third period but he was ready for it.  The teams played a balanced game for the first five minutes, with some good chances but few sustained onslaughts from either side.

A handful of penalties came out of a mess along the boards at 6:55 of the second. Tommy Wingels went to the box for kneeing Michael Stone, while Brent Burns and Matt Smaby went with matching roughing minors.  That brought the power play count even with two per team. Stone did stay in the game after some attention from the Coyotes trainer.

Barclay Goodrow and Chris Tierney got involved with a number of Coyotes after a hit by Goodrow on Hodgman. Tierney caught a punch but after some discussion, no penalty was called.

Seconds after the next faceoff, Joe Pavelski spotted McGinn’s stick in front of the net. Mike Smith had just made an impressive save but lost his stick in the process. Pavelski and McGinn took advantage of the situation to put the Sharks up 2-0. Assists went to Pavelski and Brent Burns.

A defensive zone pass from Mueller to Nieto went awry when Nieto lost his footing. Rob Klinkhammer took advantage of that and put the Coyotes on the board.

The period was not the Sharks’ most dominant, with the Coyotes finally nosing ahead on the shot clock. The Coyotes pulled their goaltender late to try for the tying goal, but Tommy Wingels put the game away in the last thirty seconds. A pass from Justin Braun found Pavelski near center ice, and Pavelski found Wingels in position to shoot at the empty net.

The final shot count was 34-24 Sharks.

=====================
The absence of Nikolay Goldobin from the last two games suggests that he may not crack the roster to open the season. Still, his performance thus far suggests that he will be in the NHL sooner than later. His linemates, however, are looking more ready by the day. Barclay Goodrow and Chris Tierney were on a line with Tommy Wingels in the Arizona game, and one of them could very well push out a more seasoned player for the early part of the season. They have kept pace and made good plays in all of their preseason appearances.

Eriah Hayes used Friday’s game to make a good argument against him being pushed out. With hard work in the corners, four hits, and two blocked shots, he made the most of his spot on the fourth line with Adam Burish and John Scott.

At the start of camp, many expected Matt Tennyson to be kept in San Jose as the seventh defenseman. That did not come to fruition, and he has (for now) been assigned to the Sharks’ AHL team in Worcester. At the moment it looks like Mirco Mueller could well open the season in San Jose. The Sharks’ new radio team made particular mention of how Mueller knocked Rob Klinkhammer down, in a game that started off with a lot of physicality.  The 19 year old Mueller does not appear intimidated by the NHL preseason. He did make an error in the first period that had his goalie scrambling a bit but on balance he played a very smart game. He also acquitted himself well on the penalty kill.

It is still possible that Taylor Doherty of Taylor Fedun will stay, but Mueller is certainly making a good case for himself.

The Sharks’ lines were as follows in Arizona:
Forward lines: Goodrow-Wingels-Tierney/McGinn-Pavelski-Hertl/Marleau-Couture-Nieto/Hayes-Burish-Scott
Defensive pairs: Demers-Irwin /Braun-Vlasic /Mueller- Burns
Stalock in goal

The Sharks will play their final game of the preseason on Saturday, against the Ducks in Anaheim.

Sharks Defeat Ducks 3-1 in 4th Preseason Game

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE– Saturday, the San Jose Sharks defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3-1 in their fourth preseason outing. The game featured a preposterous number of penalties from the Ducks and yet another good showing from the line of Barclay Goodrow, Chris Tierney an Nikolay Goldobin. They earned all three stars. Two of the goals were Goodrow’s.  Goldobin picked up assists on both of those, and Tierney had an assist on one. The third Sharks goal was Logan Couture’s, while the lone Ducks goal was scored by Matt Beleskey.

Saturday, the Sharks again started with a jump ahead on the shot clock, but the gap was not so big. Midway through the first period, the shots were 6-2, the Sharks were working on their second power play and a 0-0 tie. Unlike last night’s squad, these Sharks also grabbed the lead on the scoreboard, during that power play. That goal was scored by Logan Couture and a power play unit of Demers, Irwin, Marleau and  Nieto. A few minutes later, Barclay Goodrow scored to give the team a two goal lead. The assist went, of course, to Goldobin.

The Sharks started the second with an early power play that quickly turned into a five on three with a delay of game penalty coming just four seconds in. Into the second minute of that power play, I was still looking to see who the second power play unit was. The first unit would not get off the ice, since the Ducks could not clear the puck. The top unit did not score either, but with 40 or so seconds left, Anaheim goaltender John Gibson stopped the puck and gave his penalty killers a rest. The Sharks’ second unit finally appeared: Barclay Goodrow, Chris Tierney, Nikolay Goldobin, with Matt Tennyson and Mirco Mueller on the blue line. It took them a few seconds but they scored, Goodrow’s second of the game. Assists went to Tierney and Goldobin.

The power play units got some more practice with yet another Ducks penalty. Just a shift or two had gone by when Nicolas Kerdiles was called for tripping. This time the first unit left almost a minute for the second unit to work with.  The second unit included DeMelo instead of Mueller this time.

At 8:42, San Jose’s Taylor Doherty and Anaheim’s Matt Belesky went to the box for matching slashing minors. That was kind of an unusual call.

In the last minutes of the first, Stalock made a save on a wraparound attempt that was very impressive. He does not look like someone trying to get up to speed. He looks more like someone competing for a spot, which, of course, he is. It may not be a spot in San Jose, he has that. But he is certainly capable of challenging Niemi for the starter’s role. No time like the preseason.

The first Ducks power play came at the end of the first period. The second Ducks power play came at the end of the second period. Both times, Melker Karlsson was in the box. In the first period it was for holding the stick. In the second it was for tripping. It was not his night.

The Sharks got another 5 on 3 power play, 1:16 long at 18:48 of the second period. That brought the Ducks to ten penalties, if you do not count the two matching minors. McLellan did not change anything on the first unit, and continued sending them out first. They seemed to need the practice.

It was not Jason Demers’ best night either. He could not seem to get a handle on the pucks sent his way during those many power plays. He spent a lot of time on the left side of the net. That looked like an awkward spot for him.

The third period started with the score at 3-0 Sharks and the shot count at 24-10 Sharks.

One of those rule changes made an appearance about seven minutes in to the third period. The officials called Anaheim’s Nicholas Kardiles for hooking, and gave a matching minor to Goldobin for embellishment. As if the call threw them off, the Sharks gave up a goal 1:38 in to the four on four. It was a fair case of the goalie being beaten by a good shot from an open player. Matt Belesky scored his first of the preseason with assists going to Marc Fistric and Kevin Gagne.

Shortly thereafter, Taylor Doherty fought Clayton Stoner. Stoner got an additional two minutes for roughing, but the Sharks’ power play did not score.

Final score: 3-1, shot count 33-17 Sharks. Attendance announced as over 16, 000.

Saturday’s roster:
Forwards: Andrew Desjardins, Patrick Marleau, John Scott, Logan Couture, Melker Karlsson, Freddie Hamilton, Eriak Hayes, Nikolay Goldobin, Matt Nieto, Barclay Goodrow, Daniil Tarasov, Chris Tierney

Defensemen: Jason Demers, Mirco Mueller, Matt Irwin, Dylan DeMelo, Taylor Doherty, Matt Tennyson

Alex Stalock was in net with Grosenick listed as backup.

Line combos:
Nieto/ Couture/ Marleau, Tierney/ Goldobin/ Goodrow, Hamilton/ Karlsson/ Tarasov, Hayes/ Desjardins/ Scott
Later in the game, Nieto and Hamilton swapped lines

Tennyson/Irwin, Demers/DeMelo, Mueller/Doherty

Power play units:
Marleau, Couture, Nieto, Demers, Irwin
Godolbin, Goodrow, Tierney, Tennyson, Mueller/DeMelo

Win, Lose or Draw, Sharks Shoot First

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By Mary Walsh

SAN JOSE- Friday’s game was the third of three preseason games that featured a gross shot advantage for the Sharks. It seems that no matter who is playing or how you line them up, Sharks will outshoot the other team. That does not mean they will win, but it certainly gives them a fighting chance. Friday the Sharks lost 2-1 to the Arizona Coyotes in a game that went to a shootout.

What goes in to these shot advantages? Defenseman Taylor Fedun, in his first training camp as a Shark, has had some time to learn something about the team’s playing style:

I think we have a pretty good shoot first mentality and it’s been working for us where we get pucks on net and then we’re able to retrieve them and it kinda gets defensive teams on their heels a little bit. It’s one of the ways to keep the game simple in the preseason here, where you’re not as sharp on the system as you will be a little bit later on in the season. So it keeps things simple, just throwing pucks on net and trying to outwork teams.

This is something the Sharks consistently do,  well into the season. It has been their style for a while now, it will probably continue to be what they do. How do they do it, even with players new to the team or even the league? Fedun said:

It’s something that’s touched on by the coaching staff that we want to get the puck on net as often as we can, try and generate second and third opportunities in doing so.

No surprise there. It is an old idea: you have to shoot to score. So the real question is: why doesn’t everyone do this? Or, do the Sharks just do it better than most?

Shooting a lot is not new for the Sharks, and neither is talking about simplifying their game. It is a style that happens to suit the Sharks’ new and young recruits. Of Fedun and Mirco Mueller, Sharks head coach Todd McLellan said:

I thought he and Mirco both did some really good things on the rink, heightened our awareness, both of them and improved their status amongst the club. We’ll have some decisions to make. We often think about just keeping one, but maybe two of them, or three of them could push the veterans out. When I look at the game in Vancouver, we had a couple of players who were sub-par and if we have to make those changes we will, if the young D continue to play the way they do.

We should know after Saturday’s game how many will stay in San Jose to push the veterans.

Friday’s game was well attended, particularly for a preseason game.

The Sharks’ Tye McGinn started with an early penalty, which lead to the Coyotes’ first goal on their only shot for the first 13 or so minutes. That goal was Justin Hodgman’s, with assists to Max Domi and Michael Stone. McGinn tried to make up for it a few minutes later with a beautiful breakaway up the middle of the ice but his shot went awry. His game on Friday was a portrait of energy and hard work with communication gaps. The same could be said of the rest of the team, not surprising for a preseason game. It was the second game for most of the players, but they were not playing with the same group as they played with on Tuesday.

For Antti Niemi, it was the first game of the preseason. That, combined with the sad shortage of shots coming at him, did not show him at his best. He gave up a goal on the first Coyotes shot, but he did stop the rest until the shootout.

Arizona’s one goal lead persisted through the middle of the second period. The Coyotes steadily gained on the Sharks’ shot lead.By the seven minute mark, Antti Niemi had made a seven saves. At the other end, Devan Dubnyk made nine in the first period, and another 13 in the second.

The one he did not make was a power play goal from Joe Pavelski at 7:15 of the second period. The assist went to Brent Burns. Pavelski’s shot came from the blue line and blew right by Arizona’s new backup goaltender.

By the end of the second period, the Sharks had run off with the shot clock again, Niemi had done very little for several minutes.

In the final 19 seconds of the period, Nikolay Goldobin had the honor of being tripped by veteran defenseman Zbynek Michalek. Goldobin was tripped while making a very impressive dash for the net. He didn’t get the shot he wanted, and his team did not score on the resulting power play.

By the end of regulation, the shots stood at 38-16 Sharks with the score tied at 1. There was a symmetry to this result, as the Sharks already had one loss and one win under their belt. Seemed only natural they should have an overtime game.

A little over a minute into overtime, Michalek went to the box for tripping Joe Pavelski. The first power play unit included Goldobin, and the second included Mueller. Mueller wound up for a great big shot at the top of the slot… but he was only faking. He passed it. Neither power play unit scored. Neither team scored, the game went to a shoot out.

Joe Pavelski shot first, and scored. Justin Hodgman shot next, for Arizona. He scored too. Goldobin made one too make moves and lost his balance on the third shot. He did not score by accident either. Lucas Lessio, shooting third for Arizona, did not lose his balance and he scored. Joe Thornton did not score.

Mueller continues to play well, most of the time the puck goes where he is sending it. He perhaps could be more reckless, send the puck to the net more, or not send it anywhere at all. At one point, he executed a very pretty pass to a teammate in the neutral zone, sort of a hand off between players going in opposite directions. The problem with it was that there were two Coyotes in hot pursuit of that other player and Mueller might have accomplished more just by hanging on to the puck or even dumping it in. With time, his decision-making should catch up with his skating and puck handling skills.

Mike Brown made some good plays, including one breakaway that didn’t work out but looked dangerous. He also made a defensive zone pass that got some tired Sharks out of trouble. As he has shown before, he can be helpful in the right situation.

Sharks and prospects will play again Saturday against Anaheim Ducks and prospects. The game will be at SAP Center in San Jose at 5:00.

Goldobin, Goodrow Stand Out in Sharks Pre-Season Win

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By Mary Walsh

STOCKTON, CA–  No Daniil Tarasov at the Stockton preseason game between the San Jose Sharks and the Vancouver Canucks. For me, that simplified the list of players likely to make the Sharks NHL roster at the end of camp. The game re-complicated it. Nikolay Goldobin and Barclay Goodrow looked good enough to make anyone think twice. The Sharks won 5-2, and outshot the Canucks by an embarrassing margin to boot.

In the first four minutes of the Stockton game, the Sharks got credit for  three shots to none for the Vancouver squad. In goal for San Jose was Troy Grosenick, with Jakob Markstrom at the other end for the Canucks. After nine minutes, the shots were 8 to 1 for the Sharks. By the end of the period, it had stretched even more to 16-5 Sharks. Astonishing, really, that even prospects in the preseason can so accurately follow the Sharks’ classic MO: outshoot the opposition without much to show for it.

That did not last, that part where they had nothing to show for it.

Of the players to watch in Stockton, I had Tarasov near the top of the list for forwards, and his absence was disappointing. The game was a chance to get a better look at Nikolay Goldobin, the Sharks’ first round pick from this summer’s draft. With such a plethora of forwards competing for a spot, some with NHL experience, others with a lot of pro time in the minor leagues, the odds that a rookie drafted just this summer would make it were slim. Still, he played so well with Goodrow that I had to rethink. His skillset could be something the team needs right now. Goodrow and Goldobin stood out even before they started scoring: they found each other with passes, they knew when to help the other out. And then there were the two goals they scored- those were pretty showy too.

The first period ended scoreless, but things really picked up in the second. A too many men penalty from the Canucks put the Sharks on their second power play of the game. It took the top line a heartbeat or two after puck drop to take the lead. Joe Thornton skated across in front of the net, with Hertl trailing behind in case needed. Joe Pavelski got the puck to him without much trouble and Thornton put it in.

Nick Bonino took a slashing penalty at 9:30 of the second period. Goodrow and Goldobin were out there to start the power play and they  made the best of their communication skills. Goodrow scored off a neat pass from Goldobin. He got the puck from Mueller, a nice showing from the Sharks most recent first round picks.

The Sharks got yet another power play on a delay of game (puck over the glass by Vancouver’s Bobby Sanguinetti.)  With so much practice, it seemed inevitable that the Canucks would improve on their penalty kill. They did. They killed that one, but during the power play Marc-Edouard Vlasic demonstrated one of those new rule changes: he dove for a puck and reached it, while a Canuck was close by. The Canuck did not take advantage of the chance to skate into Vlasic’s outstretched stick and trip over it so no penalty was called. Nevertheless, that call is going to be hard to avoid.

Justin Braun took the Sharks’ first penalty of the game, holding at 9:30  of the second. Twenty seconds later, Vlasic joined him in the box for delay of game. That left  51, 67 and 10 to start the five on three. They were quickly replaced, as they cleared the puck a couple of times. 80, 67, 41 had the longest shift. The penalty killers did a very good job to keep the Canucks off the board in such a long five on three.

With under two minutes left in the period, Goldobin added a goal to his tally with a lovely wrap-around, preceded by some misdirection on the other side of the net. He squeezed the puck just between Markstrom and the post, possibly under the goalie’s skate blade. However it got through, it was snug. It was Goodrow, of course, who got the puck to him.

A quick check of the roster stats told me that Goldobin and Goodrow did not play on the same team last season.

The Sharks went up 4-0 with Pavelski’s first of the preseason, from Eriah Hayes & Dylan DeMelo at 4:17 of third.

The Canucks finally scored about nine minutes into the third period. Nick Bonino got the puck past Grosenik, and past DeMelo and Abeltshauser.

The Sharks got that back with a goal from Thornton, assisted by Dylan DeMelo.

Unfortunately, DeMelo and Abeltshauser were there again when the Canucks went the other way and scored a second goal for the Canucks. This one was scored by Niklas Jensen.

Final score, 5-2 Sharks. The final shot count was listed as 34-12.

John Scott acquitted himself well enough when he had a chance to move the puck, but he could be skated around by the quicker Canucks without much difficulty. A hard hit by Scott on Cedarholm drew the ire of Tom Sestito, who took a 10 minute misconduct for instigating a fight with Scott.

Braun and Mueller skated together quite a bit.  The only thing I would fault Mueller on in Tuesday’s game is that he was a little tentative.

With the other Sharks squad falling 4-2 in Vancouver, it seems that the 6,810 fans in the Stockton audience were the winners of the night. While a full-sized NHL arena can be hard to fill for a preseason game, the Stockton arena was just right. It gave the players an enthusiastic audience up close, and the audience got to watch the game in a more cozy setting with the arena mostly full. Stockton Arena is a very pleasant venue, and bringing the Sharks’ preseason squad there was a brilliant idea. It begs the question: will the Sharks renew their old affiliation with the Thunder? As of now, San Jose has no ECHL affiliate. Stockton has an NHL affiliate (NY Islanders) but many ECHL clubs are having to double up since the league contracted recently.

Sharks Putting Pieces Together

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By Mary Walsh

Training camp is well under way for the San Jose Sharks. Some players are getting a shot to make the team, others have a guaranteed spot but have to move on from an offseason that was too long. The way last season ended should not be forgotten, but Sharks players, coaches and staff have to forgive themselves and each other, and move forward. That will involve some mental acrobatics that will last well beyond training camp and into the season.

Justin Braun’s five year contract extension is an excellent step ahead. With Braun under contract through the 2019-20 season, the Sharks have secured yet another talented and still improving young defenseman. From the Sharks’ press release:

“Justin has emerged as one of our most well-rounded and dependable defensemen,” said Wilson. “He’s an excellent skater who excels in matching up against the opponents top players on a nightly basis and fits in well with our core group of younger players. We feel Justin has just scratched the surface of his talent and we are excited to have him under contract for the next six seasons.”

Last season, Braun was second on the team in average time on ice per game (20:59), tied-for-first in shorthanded ice time per game (2:11) and set career-highs for points (17), goals (4) and assists (13). He was one of four Sharks to play in all 82 games in 2014-15. In addition, he tied a franchise record with eight blocked shots on Nov. 29 vs. St. Louis.

Braun also added two points (one goal, one assist) in seven Stanley Cup Playoff games.

It is clear that Braun has been doing the job the Sharks need him to do, logging a lot of minutes in pressure situations. There is little doubt that he can be expected to continue doing this for the team. In his first season with the team, he seemed a little more eager offensively. That is something he may build on now that he has garnered the “dependable” label usually reserved for more seasoned veterans.

What the press release does not brag about is how salary cap friendly the deal is for the Sharks. Starting in 2015, Braun’s cap hit is just $3.8 million, a modest number for a defenseman the team plans to depend on for so many years. Five years is a long time of course, the risk of injury always looms. But it is a risk the team was wise to take. Braun is a smart, cool-headed player. He is much more likely to improve than regress over the next few seasons.

Speaking of the salary cap, how unfamiliar is it for the Sharks to still be so far down CapGeek’s list (at 21 today)? They have $6,145,000 available, with 23 players signed and the stated intention of not shopping for help. It is an unfamiliar situation to not be in the top five list of teams that have no money to spend.

The hot topic at the start of camp was still who was not wearing a letter on their sweater. At this point, I am willing to examine the decision to remove the letters from Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau less as an indictment of those two and more as a challenge to the rest of the team.

The idea that there are more than three or four leaders in the room is not a new one. It is something players have said over and over on many teams. But what does it really mean? If you take away the title of captain, everyone has to look a little harder at everyone in the room and ask themselves who they would like to hear from, who they should be listening to. So long as someone wears the letter, there must be some expectation that that guy will start the conversation if it needs to be started.

The decision to have a team meeting in Tahoe before camp came from Adam Burish and Jason Demers. Both are known for being engaging and media friendly, good ambassadors, but neither has worn a letter on the team. Perhaps this is a sign that different players, more players, are warming up to the idea of leading with or without a letter. Or maybe those two would have come up with that idea no matter what the state of designated leadership was. In any case, it is an example of what can occur when leadership roles are up for grabs.

In that sense, it may be regrettable that a team needs to put letters on anyone at all for games. To switch them around frequently could cause confusion during games. To put them on will quell the useful chaos that a lack of letters can produce.

While the captaincy question may produce some positive chemistry for the team, it is hard to ignore the way the decision was initially communicated- or not- to the players involved. That still makes it seem like a reprimand to Thornton and Marleau as well as the rest of the team. Of course if everyone is responsible, then that includes them.

NHL: New Rules 2014-15

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By Mary Walsh

Many of the rule changes announced by the NHL this week could improve player safety. A couple of changes are unrelated to safety but could improve fairness. Others look like half-measures and one seems entirely nonsensical.

The changes around the face off dot will certainly have the most immediate impact. Putting more distance between the players taking a faceoff will make even the most skilled NHL center adjust his routine. The only advantage would be to players transitioning from international leagues, since the new 5’7″ distance matches international rules.

That change has not been confirmed yet, so players can’t properly prepare for it until the season starts. The new hash marks will be tested in preseason before a decision is made. It could cause some ice surface problems if the changes is not made and everyone has to repaint at the last minute.

The change to the tripping rule is the one I find the most symbolically significant. Those heroic last-ditch efforts where a player dives for the puck after he loses the race? That extreme no-quit stretch and slide? No more will those be forgiven. Instead they will be called a minor penalty, and in some cases cause for a penalty shot.

Like some of the other changes, the tripping rule change gives officials greater latitude to penalize dangerous plays. Rule 23 has been expanded to include elbowing, clipping, kneeing, and other physical fouls. Where Rule 23 game misconducts used to apply only to hits from behind and boarding, almost anything that is likely to cause a head injury can now be penalized under Rule 23. If applied properly, this may reduce serious injuries, but as with all rules, the proper application is a big if.

To counter abuse of these safety rules, the NHL has increased penalties and fines for embellishment. The fines increase according to the number of recorded infractions. The first infraction gets a warning, the next a $2000 fine, up to the fifth through eight infractions which each merit a $5000 fine. The fourth infraction introduces a fine for the head coach as well as the player, and these fines keep going up to the eighth.

One rule change eliminates some penalties. The change to the out of bounds rule means that-in some cases- a team will not be pushed out of the attacking zone even if they caused the puck to go out of bounds. The situations listed that allow the faceoff to remain in the attack zone include flukey situations like broken glass, pucks off the side of the net and pucks wedged under the net. The list also includes pretty common situations like pucks deflecting out of play off the boards, the glass, or even a teammate. Short of an attacking player shooting the puck right over the glass, it looks like a team will rarely lose ground for putting the puck out of play while in the offensive zone.

The goalkeeper’s restricted area has been increased so that it now looks more like a rectangle that a trapezoid. If you pretend it is a rectangle, you could say the trapezoid has been eliminated, without eliminating the limits on where the goalie is allowed to play the puck. The new area does give the goalie two additional feet on either side of the goal posts. This will provide more options for goalies to play the puck, so that is something.

The change to rule 24, banning spin-o-rama moves in penalty shots and shootouts seems petty. Where many of the 2014 rule changes can be said to improve player safety, this change does nothing but eliminate the occasionally silly spin move. Most spin-o-ramas fail anyway, it seemed unnecessary for the NHL to remove a sometimes entertaining shot option.

Sharks Camp Schedule Released

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By Mary Walsh

The long quiet season is coming to a close as 2014-15 NHL training camps are announced. The Sharks roster remains status quo. Some players have started  skating at Sharks Ice, though obviously these skates are not called Captain’s Skates since there is no team captain.

The San Jose Sharks officially announced their camp schedules this week. All practices will be at Sharks Ice in San Jose.

The team also announced that individual tickets will go on sale on September 13 at 10:00 am. They will be available from Ticketmaster and at the SAP Center box office.

The Sharks Fan Fest is scheduled for September 27, prior to the 5:00 preseason game against the Ducks. Per the press release, activities will include:

the rare chance to watch a Sharks practice at SAP Center, an opportunity to take photos with the Shark Head on the ice, Sharks player and alumni autograph stations, and player, coach and alumni roundtable sessions on the Comcast SportsNet California and KFOX stages, moderated by the new Sharks broadcast team. In addition, arena concession stands will be open for food and beverage.

The event is sponsored by YP. Outside the SAP Center, music and carnival activities will be available before the game. The event is free of charge but you will need tickets. Reserve them at the Sharks website.

On Friday, September 12, the prospects will take the ice for the Rookie camp. The prospects will head to Anaheim the next day for Futures games on September 13 and 14.

The rest of the team will start camp on Friday, September 19. As usual, the team will be split into two squads and skate in two rinks. Detailed lists of which player will be in which squad will be released later. The teams will hold public scrimmages on Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st at 9:50 am.

The team will participate in four preseason home games, including a game at Stockton Arena, at 7:30 on September 23. The team will be split as they also have a game scheduled in Vancouver on that date.

The three other pre-season home games will take place at SAP Center in San Jose. They will be: September 26 (Coyotes, 7:30), September 27 (Ducks, 5:00) and September 30 (Kings, 7:30). The final pre-season games will be in Glendale on October 3 and Anaheim on October 4. Those games will be broadcast on KFOX at 7:00. Pregame shows “Sharks Warm-Up” and “The Coach’s Chalkboard” will be returning, starting with these two preseason road games.

Additional broadcast updates include some channel corrections. The April 3, 4 (Arizona), 6 (Dallas) and 9 (Edmonton) will be on ComCast Sportsnet California Plus instead of Comcast Sportsnet California. The April 11 game (Los Angeles) will be on NBC instead of NBCSN.

NHL: Young Sharks Moving Forward

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By Mary Walsh

The Sharks announced that Jamie Baker will fill the open spot next to Randy Hahn on the television broadcast. Bret Hedican will step in to Baker’s spot next to Dan Rusanowsky on the radio broadcasts. The moves are consistent with the team’s minimalist approach to this off-season. Baker and Hedican are both familiar faces and voices to Sharks fans, their presence will not be a surprise to anyone. What might surprise viewers will be that, if they have a chance to catch an Edmonton Oilers broadcast, they will see Drew Remenda there. The announcements close out a quiet summer for the Sharks, if you ignore the ruckus over the John Scott signing. There is still time for the Sharks to do something surprising, but with September here, fans can look forward to preseasons games starting on September 23.

One of the stated goals of the San Jose Sharks this season is to allow their younger players to take a greater leadership than previously. That may be easier than it sounds, since the Sharks are younger than they have been in a long time. On the current roster, they only have seven skaters over 30, six forwards and one defenseman. They only have one player over 35, defenseman Scott Hannan. That looks promising when compared to the last two Stanley Cup champions, who had seven skaters over 30 (Los Angeles in 2013-14) and eight 30-somethings (Chicago in 2012-13) respectively. Giving youth a chance is certainly the trend in the NHL, though someone should tell that to the New Jersey Devils. They have nine forwards over 30, three over 35, and four defensemen over 30, with two over 35. Age might be a theme in stories about Sharks-Devils games this season.

Three Sharks prospects moved on this summer. Forward John McCarthy signed a one year contract with the St Louis Blues. 28 year old McCarthy was drafted in the seventh round by the Sharks in 2006 and played 87 games with San Jose over four seasons. The bulk of those games were played in the 2010-11 and 2013-14 seasons, in which he scored 3 goals and 3 points. He played five seasons with the AHL’s Worcester Sharks, serving as captain for one season and earning 133 points. He joins fellow Sharks alum Benn Ferriero, who also signed a one year contract with the St. Louis organization.

Defenseman Sena Acolatse signed a one year contract with the Calgary Flames. Acolatse played 156 games with the Worcester Sharks over three seasons. 23 year old Acolatse had 17 goals, 42 assists points and 217 penalty minutes with Worcester. He was the first Bay Area prospect signed by the Sharks. Ex-Shark Devin Setoguchi also signed a one-year contract for the upcoming season with Calgary.

Defenseman Nick Petrecki signed a one year AHL deal with the Rochester Americans. The 25 year old played five seasons with the Worcester Sharks, earning 46 points. He was ranked second in franchise history for penalty minutes (531) (Frazer McLaren had 577) and first in games played with 277. He was drafted in the first round in 2007 by the Sharks and played one game with San Jose in 2012-13. He joined the Rochester Americans at the end of last season, played 14 games with them and five playoff games.

Tracking other ex-Sharks, goaltender Evgeni Nabakov will be with the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. Thomas Greiss has signed a one year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Dany Heatley will be seen often by Sharks fans, now as a member of the Anaheim Ducks. TJ Galiardi swapped places with Devin Setoguchi, moving from Calgary to Winnipeg. Manny Malthotra signed a one year contract with Montreal, and Daniel Winnik signed with Toronto.