Author: M Walsh

Sharks Beat Blue Jackets 2-1 in OT, Wennberg With 2nd OT Winner; Celebrini is back from injuries

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San Jose Sharks Macklin Celebrini (71) returned after suffering a hip injury his presence has fired up the team in their win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Nov 5, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-1 in overtime Tuesday. Jack Thompson and Alexander Wennberg scored for San Jose. This was the second time this season that Wennberg scored the overtime winner. Vitek Vanecek made 49 saves for the win. Kirill Marchenko scored for the Blue Jackets and Elvis Merzlikins made 25 saves in the loss.

Vitek Vanecek was the difference in the game, keeping the Sharks in it despite a very lop-sided shot count. After the game, forward Alexander Wennberg talked about Vanecek’s performance: “He made so many good saves and key saves as well that makes us stay in the game. So, we wouldn’t win this game without him. So it’s just great to have that goaltending that you really can rely on.”

Macklin Celebrini made his return to the roster Tuesday. In 17:06 of ice time, he had three shots and one penalty. He also won 7 of 13 faceoffs. Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said, of Celebrini’s performance: “I thought you could see the rust in his game. Kinda what we expected. Obviously impacted the game in some other ways in a positive side.”

The first period saw several penalties. The Sharks had one power play and killed two penalties. The shot count at the end of the period was 13-6 Columbus.

Carl Grundstrom seemed to score his first as a Shark and the first of the game midway through the second period. The goal was called back as offside after a coach’s challenge from Columbus.

The first goal of the game came very late in that period, Just as a Columbus penalty expired, Jack Thompson scored his first NHL goal. He caught a cross-ice pass from Will Smith and put the puck in the net with a wrist shot at 18:49. A secondary assist went to Fabian Zetterlund.

In the second period, Columbus took the only two penalties. The shot count for the period was 17-11 Columbus.

The Sharks took a timeout at 8:06 of the third period. Columbus had just come very close to scoring, requiring four quick saves from Vanecek. After the timeout, Columbus continued to apply pressure and finally broke through with a goal at 9:17.

Kirill Marchenko gathered up a rebound from Damon Severson’s shot. He dragged the puck around Vanecek and poked it in on the far side. Assists went to Severson and Yegor Chinakhov.

The Sharks had a late power play but had no shots goal with the man advantage. The shot count at the end of regulation was 49-25 Columbus.

Alexander Wennberg scored the overtime winner 3:11 into overtime, skating around and between all three Columbus skaters before shooting into the top corner. Assists went to Zetterlund and Vanecek.

The Sharks next play on Thursday at 7:30 PM PT at home against the Minnesota Wild.

Sharks Lose 7-3 to Golden Knights, Losing Streak at 9

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Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a first period goal as the San Jose Sharks Mikael Granlund (64) foreground skates off. The Sharks once again surrender three goals in the first period this time at T Mobile Center in Las Vegas at Sat Oct 26, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks lost 7-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights, bringing their season-opening losing streak to nine. Tanner Pearson, Jack Eichel, Brett Howden, Pavel Dorofayev and Mark Stone scored for Vegas. Ilya Samsonov made 23 saves for the win. Mikael Granlund, Nico Sturm and Luke Kunin scored for San Jose. Vitek Vanacek made 35 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro talked about the team’s slow starts:

“We gotta find a way to weather the storm in energetic buildings. LA, it’s their home opener, same thing kinda happened. We’re chasing the game far too much right now. I think there’s a lot more areas that are not good enough but that’s definitely something that’s not helping our case.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky described the team’s state of mind: “I don’t think anyone’s happy by any means. There’s a lot of emotion in that locker room. Frustration, anger. It’s tough. It’s tough right now.”

Tanner Pearson scored the first goal of the night with the first shot of the game at 1:54. William Karlsson set up the slap shot with a quick backhand pass off the boards. A secondary assist went to Alexander Holtz.

Jack Eichel made it 2-0 less than two minutes later. Mark Stone moved up to the right point before passing the puck to Eichel in the left faceoff circle. Alex Pietrangelo also got an assist.

Brett Howden made it 3-0 late in the period. Tomas Hertl carried the puck in and then made a pass to Howden who was skating to the net. Howden scored with a wrist shot on Vanacek’s stick side. Pavel Dorofeyev got the secondary assist.

The Sharks were outshot 22-4 in the first period.

Mikael Granlund got one back for the Sharks midway through the second period. Granlund tried a wrap-around and when that did not work he got the puck right back and pushed it over the line. William Eklund and Mario Ferraro got the assists.

William Karlsson scored short-handed less than a minute later. Vanacek took a chance and came well out of the net to poke the puck away but Karlsson got it back and evaded the discombobulated Sharks defense. Pietrangelo got an assist.

Pavel Dorofeyev made it 5-1 with a power play goal in the last minute of the second period. Assists went to Shea Theodore and Mark Stone.

Nico Sturm scored the Sharks’ second goal a few seconds later with a wrist shot into the top corner from the faceoff circle.

The Sharks came closer in shots during the second period, mustering 11 to Vegas’ 15.

Mark Stone made it 6-2 at 11:10 of the third period. Eichel carried the puck towards the net and then found Stone with a drop pass. Assists went to Eichel and Barbashev.

Luke Kunin scored the Sharks’ third goal from a scrum in front of the net at 13:29. An assist went to Fabian Zetterlund.

Brett Howden scored his second of the night at 17:07. Assists went to Dorofeyev and Hertl.

The Sharks only allowed five shots in the third period and got credit for 11.

The Sharks next play on Monday at 6:00 PM PT in Salt Lake City against the Utah Hockey Club.

Still Winless, Sharks Fall 3-2 to Kings; Foegele scores twice for LA

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San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) fights Los Angeles Kings left wing Andre Lee (47) with Kings defenseman Joel Edmundson (6) behind and holding Kunin in the first period Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Thu Oct 24, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 3-2 to the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday. Jordan Spence and Warren Foegele scored for the Kings and Mikael Granlund scored for the Sharks. David Rittich made 24 saves for the win. Mackenzie Blackwood made 27 saves in the loss. The loss gave the Sharks the dubious honor of being the second team in NHL history to lose the first eight games of the season in consecutive seasons.

All three of the Kings’ goals were scored in just over seven minutes during the first period. After the game, Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “Just can’t do that in the first period in this league. We did some good things in the second and third. We’re still giving up too many chances.”

Sharks forward Fabian Zetterlund talked about how the team played better in the second and third periods: “When we move the puck and we actually make plays and have fun, you know, that’s part of [hockey]. When we do [that] kind of stuff we look like a really good hockey team.”

Jordan Spence gave the Kings the lead at 4:31. After some back and forth in the neutral zone, Trevor Moore got control of the puck and the Kings skated up ice at speed. Just inside the zone, Moore passed the puck to Spence for a snap shot. Phillip Danault also got an assist.

Warren Foegele made it 2-0 at 8:47, poking the puck past Blackwood and Henry Thrun in a net-front battle. An assist went to Alex Laferriere.

Foegele scored his second at 11:36, tipping a shot from Brandt Clarke just below the blue line. Laferriere also got an assist.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had been outshot 17-7, but they had not been short-hamded yet. They did get two power plays.

Mikael Granlund got the Sharks on the board with a power play goal at 10:05 of the second period. Catching a pass from Jack Thompson, Granlund put the puck in the top corner with a wrist shot. Alexander Wennberg also got an assist.

In the second period, the Sharks took two penalties and had two power plays. The shots were even at seven each.

Granlund scored a second power play goal in the final minute of the game with a wrist shot from above the faceoff circle. Assists went to Thompson and Wennberg.

The Sharks next play on Saturday against the Golden Knights in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.

Sharks Fall 4-1 to Avalanche, Eklund Scores in Return

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Colorado Avalanche defenseman Josh Manson (42) and San Jose Sharks center Luke Kunin (11) settle their issues on the ice in the first period at SAP Center in San Jose on Sun Oct 10, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-1 to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. Ross Colton, Joel Kiviranta and Cale Makar scored for Colorado. Justus Annunen made 25 saves for the win. William Eklund scored for San Jose. Vitek Vanacek made 18 saves in the loss.

After the game, Sharks defenseman Mario Ferraro talked about what the message was after the 8-3 loss to Winnipeg on Friday:

“We came off of who we are as a team and I think we just got a little lazy. So, that was kind of the message to go out there today and get back to the way that we need to play in order to win games and we were closer. We’ve still got some steps to take.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky showed cautious optimism, saying: “Definitely a step in the right, well, better than Winnipeg. Still got to find a way to create more offense, win a hockey game.”

Ross Colton gave the Avalanche the lead with a power play goal at 6:23 of the first period. Nathan MacKinnon sent the puck to him in the slot for a wrist shot. Assists went to MacKinnon and Cale Makar.

Colton scored his second goal at 16:37. With a series of quick passes, the Avalanche moved up the ice and sent Colton into the zone at speed with the puck. Another wrist shot made it 2-0. Assists went to Mikko Rantanen and Makar.

William Eklund cut the lead in half with a power play goal at 18:25. Mikael Granlund found Eklund near the post for a wrist shot. An assist also went to Tyler Toffoli.

At the end of the first, the Sharks had been outscored 2-0 and out-shot 12-6. They were also short-handed twice while Colorado was only short-handed once.

In the second period, the Sharks had two overlapping penalties to kill, but the Avalanche had three penalties, two overlapping to give the Sharks some five-on-three time. Despite all of those, neither team scored in the second period. The Sharks did out-shoot the Avalanche in the period, 13-6.

The next goal went to the Avalanche, at 9:57 of the third period. Josh Manson sent the puck to the net where Joel Kiviranta caught it and then backhanded it around Vanacek. Assists went to Manson and John Ludvig.

The Sharks pulled Vanacek for the extra skater with just under four minutes left in the game. They did get some chances after but Cale Makar scored into the empty net at 18:23. Assists went to MacKinnon and Samuel Girard.

The Sharks finished the third period with seven shots to Colorado’s four.

The Sharks next play on Tuesday in Anaheim against the Ducks. At 7:15 PM PT.

Barracuda Shut Out Wild 5-0, Cagnoni Scores First Pro Goal

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San Jose Barracuda goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) holds his glove up to his ear to indicate “I can’t hear you” as he gets the love from Barracuda fans at Tech CU in San Jose after shutting out the Iowa Wild on Sat Oct 19, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Barracuda defeated the visiting Iowa Wild 5-0 on Saturday. Donavan Houle, Anthony Vincent, Colin White and Luca Cagnoni scored for the Barracuda. Yaroslav Askarovin made 25 saves for the shutout win. Jesper Wallstedt made 33 saves in the loss.

San Jose was short-handed one time in the first period and led Iowa in shots 15-10.

The Barracuda scored the first goal of the game at 11:44 of the second period. Anthony Vincent was knocked into Wallstedt early in the play. While the Wild expressed their anger at Vincent for falling into their goalie, Vincent took his time getting up and created quite a distraction in front of the net. Meanwhile, Donavan Houle found the puck and scored. Assists went to Ethan Frisch and Valtteri Pulli.

San Jose led in shots 15-7 in the second period. They were not short-handed in the second except for the first minute as their late first period penalty carried-over. They did have three power plays but did not score with the man advantage.

Anthony Vincent scored an insurance goal 4:10 into the third period. Donavan Houle won a battle along the boards to push the puck into the slot where Vincent caught it for the shot.

Houle got credit for his second of the game short-handed at 6:20. His shot was stopped but the Wild defense knocked the puck in the net while trying to move it back out.

Colin White made it 4-0 with another short-handed goal at 13:09. Collin Graf intercepted a drop pass near the Barracuda blue line and got the puck to White before skating into the Wild zone two-on-one with White.

Luca Cagnoni scored San Jose’s fifth goal of the night on the power play at 18:10. Cagnoni scored his first goal as a pro with a shot from just below the blue line and through traffic. Kasper Halttunen and Filip Bystedt got the assists.

The Barracuda will play again on Sunday at 3:00 PM PT in San Jose against the Wild.

Sharks Defeated 8-3 by Jets, Take a Big Step Back, Loss is Fifth Straight

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The Winnipeg Jets Gabriel Valardi (13) and Nikolaj Ehlers (27) celebrate Ehler’s goal as the San Jose Sharks Mikael Granlund (64) skates by in first period action at Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg on Fri Oct 18, 2024 (Canadian Press photo via AP)

By Mary Walsh

The Sharks fell 8-3 to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. Josh Morrissey, Nikolaj Ehlers, Neal Pionk, Kyle Connor, Cole Perfetti and Vladislav Namestnikov scored for the Jets, with two goals each from Ehlers and Perfetti. Connor Hellebuyck made 19 saves for the win. Tykler Toffoli, Luke Kunin and Fabian Zeterlund scored for the Sharks.MacKenzie Blackwood made 13 saves on 18 shots before being replaced by Vitek Vanacek, who made 15 saves on 18 shots.

After the game, Sharks forward Nico Sturm said:

“The truth is, we did take a big step back these last two games. I thought we looked really really good the first three games of the season. I thought we looked really good in Dallas, on the road against a Stanley Cup contender. And then we took two massive steps back these last two nights. It felt a lot like last year, these last two games.”

Josh Morrissey opened the scoring for the Jets at 1:59. Nikolaj Ehlers carried the puck in to the goal line before passing it back to Colin Miller at the point. Miller passed it along the blue line to Morrissey for a long shot into the far corner of the net.

Ehlers scored the next one for the Jets at 9:25. Mark Scheifele passed the puck to Gabriel Vilardi at the net. Instead of trying for the shot, Vilardi sent the puck back out to Ehlers in the faceoff circle. Ehlers did take the shot.

Tyler Toffoli made it 2-1 with a power play goal at 11:43, tipping a shot from Jake Walman at the point. Mikael Granlund also got an assist.

Ehlers scored his second of the game at 13:31. Cole Perfetti took the puck away from the Sharks in the neutral zone and passed it to Ehlers, who skated into the Sharks zone and scored.

Neal Pionk made it 4-1 at 18:48 with a wrist shot from the point. Assists went to Ales Iafallo and Vladislav Namestnikov.

At the end of the first period, the Sharks had been outscored 4-1 and outshot 15-8. They also took three penalties, two of which overlapped for some five on three time and the third was a too many men penalty. Altogether not a good period for the Sharks, but they did score a power play goal.

Kyle Connor made it 5-1 with a wrist shot from the slot less than two minutes into the second period. Assists went to Pionk and Valardi.

The Sharks changed goaltenders after that goal.

Luke Kunin scored to cut the Jets’ lead to 5-2. Cody Ceci took a shot from the point but it went off of Iafallo. Carl Grundstrom gathered it back up and passed it back to Kunin in the slot.

At the end of the second period, the Sharks had again been outshot 14-8, but were not outscored in the period.

Cole Perfetti made it 6-2 with a power play goal at 9:50 of the third period. Iafallo carried the puck almost to the net before passing it back to Perfetti in the slot for the shot. An assist also went to Namestnikov.

Fabian Zetterlund showed some push back with a goal less than 20 seconds later. Toffoli carried the puck in two-on-one with Zetterlund and made a late pass to set up the shot. An assist also went to Granlund.

Perfetti scored his second of the night, another power play goal at 12:55. Pionk and Namestnikov assisted. Namestnikov scored with a wrist shot in the final minute to make it 8-3. Pionk and Perfetti got the assists.

The final shot count was 36-22 Jets.

The Sharks next play on Sunday back in San Jose, against the Colorado Avalanche at 5:00 PM PT.

Sharks Lose 4-2 to Blackhawks, Penalty Kill Falters

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San Jose Sharks goaltender Vitek Vanecek (41) puts the stop on a Chicago Blackhawks shot at the United Center on Thu Oct 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks fell 4-2 to the Chicago Blackhawks in the Blackhawks’ home opener Thursday. Taylor Hall, Tyler Bertuzzi, Nick Foligno and Jason Dickinson scored for Chicago. Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli and Fabian Zeterlund scored for San Jose and Vitek Vanecek made 23 saves in the loss.

In one of their more lopsided losses of the young season, the Sharks had a very slow start. In the first two periods, they were outshot 23-11 and took seven penalties, two of those overlapping. It is unsurprising, then, that the Sharks’ perfect penalty kill was broken as they gave up two powerplay goals.

After the game, Sharks forward Mikael Granlund talked about that start: “We were playing too slow with the puck, skating-wise. It’s tough to play when you’re just chasing the game, we were chasing the game the whole period. So we gotta be better at that and that cost us the game tonight.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky said: “We didn’t do anything well. Got off to a slow start, hasn’t been us. Couldn’t defend in our own end, couldn’t close quick enough, couldn’t get the forecheck going. Didn’t do anything well.”

The Blackhawks’ first goal came from Taylor Hall at 4:20 of the first period. Hall caught a long pass from TJ Brodie and entered the Sharks’ zone with speed before scoring with a wrist shot.

Tyler Bertuzzi made it 2-0 at the end of the period, on the power play. Teuvo Teravainen sent the puck to the net frpm the wing and Bertuzzi tipped in from the slot. Assists went to Teravainen and Connor Bedard.

Nick Foligno made it 3-0 in the first minute of the second period, again on the power play. Bedard sent the puck across the ice to Teravainen, who sent it back to Foligno in front of the net for a redirect.

Tyler Toffoli got one back for the Sharks at 18:17 of the period. William Eklund carried the puck to the goal line before centering the puck for Toffoli. Assists went to Eklund and Mikael Granlund.

Jason Dickinson made it 4-1 at 2:19 of the third. Joey Anderson passed the puck behind the net to Dickinson, who swept it around the post and into the net before Vanacek could get across.

Fabian Zetterlund made it 4-2 at 2:52, deflected Mikael Granlund’s shot off of his lower body. Assists went to Granlund and Eklund.

The Sharks next play Friday at 5:00 PM PT in Winnipeg against the Jets.

Sharks Fall 3-2 to Dallas in Shootout; SJ drops third game in a row

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The San Jose Sharks goaltender MacKenzie Blackwood (29) stops a shot by the Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) in the first period at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Tue Oct 15, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Sharks were defeated 3-2 in a shootout by the Dallas Stars Tuesday at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Matt Duchene, Roope Hintz and Wyatt Johnston scored for the Stars. Jake Oettinger made 25 saves for the win. Tyler Toffoli and Ty Dellandrea scored for the Sharks. MacKenzie Blackwood made 36 saves in the loss.

The Sharks’ penalty kill was perfect Tuesday but their power play was disappointing. Of the third period five-on-three power play, Tyler Toffoli said: “Obviously it wasn’t very good and we had other opportunities on the power play after as well and we didn’t capitalize and probably one of the reasons we lost the game.”

Sharks Head Coach Ryan Warsofsky also discussed that two man advantage that failed: “It just looked like it was a little disconnected and obviously in a five-on-three in that type of game we’ve got to be ready to go. And I thought we were just a little disconnected.”

In a scoreless first period, the Stars outshot the Sharks by just one shot, 10-9. The Sharks took the only penalty, a double minor against Barclay Goodrow.

Tyler Toffoli scored the first goal of the game at 6:24 of the second period. He took advantage of a turnover at the Sharks’ blue line and broke out the other way.

Matt Duchene tied the game at 12:03, tipping a shot from Mason Marchment. An additional assist went to Logan Stankoven.

Just over three minutes later, Ty Dellandrea gave the Sharks a 2-1 lead. Dellamdrea intercepted a pass in the Sharks’ zone, then passed the puck forward to Nico Sturm at the Stars’ blue line. Sturm carried it in and took a shot. Oettinger stopped that but Dellandrea was following up and caught the rebound to score.

Roope Hintz tied it back up two minutes after that. Wyatt Johnston passed the puck across the ice to Jason Robertson, who sent it back to Hintz in the slot for the shot. Blackwood could not keep up with all that back and forth.

The Stars outshot the Sharks 15-5 in the second period. The Sharks again took the only penalty, a minor against Jan Rutta. The third period was scoreless as the first but the Stars took three penalties, including some five-on-three time for the Sharks. The shots were 12-11 Stars.

During overtime, the Sharks again took a penalty, and had two shots to the Stars’ one.

In the shootout, Matt Duchene and Wyatt Johnston scored for the Stars. Mikael Granlund scored for the Sharks.

The Sharks next play on Thursday against the Blackhawks in Chicago at 6:30 PM PT.

Barracuda Fall 4-3 to Reign, Reign Score 2 in Final 90 Seconds

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San Jose Barracuda center Filip Bystedt (18) celebrates a goal scored with teammate forward Kasper Halttunen (14) at the Toyota Center in Ontario on Sun Oct 13, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Barracuda fell 4-3 to the Ontario Reign Sunday. It was Ontario’s first win of the season. Tyler Madden, Martin Chromiak and Samuel Helenius scored for the Reign. Phoenix Copley made 19 saves for the win. Tristen Robins, Colin Graf and Filip Bystedt scored for the Barracuda. Georgi Romanov made 35 saves in the loss.

Tyler Madden scored the first goal of the game, giving Ontario an early lead at 1:33. During a delayed penalty call, Madden gathered up a rebound at the corner of the net and lifted it past Romanov. Assists went to Martin Chromiak and Jakub Dvorak.

The teams were skating four-on-four when Tristen Robins tied the game at 4:24. Robins took tha shot from a bad angle to the right of the net. Assists went to Jimmy Schuldt and Jake Furlong.

Collin Graf gave the Barracuda the lead at 11:04. On a breakaway, he took a shot in front of the net, caught his own rebound and lifted the puck past the goaltender.

The Reign had a significant lead in shots at the end of the first period, 14-7. There was just one penalty that resulted in a power play in the first, and it went against San Jose.

Filip Bystedt added to San Jose’s lead at 1:50 of the second period. Tristen Robins carried the puck in and passed across the ice to Bystedt for a quick goal.

Martin Chromiak cut the lead down with a goal just 22 seconds later. Tyler Madden made a cross-ice pass and Chromiak took the shot from above the faceoff dot.

In the second period, the teams were even in shots at 9-9. The Reign had three power plays and the Barracuda had two but both penalty kills were perfect. The same held true for the third period, when Ontario had two power plays and San Jose had one but neither team could score.

San Jose held their 3-2 lead until 18:44 of the third period, when Samuel Helenius tied the game with an extra skater on for the Reign.

With the game looking like it would go to overtime, Helenius scored a second goal at 19:26 to win the game. Jeff Malott got the assist.

San Jose pulled their goaltender with less than 30 seconds to go but they ran out of time. The shot count in the third period was 16-6 Ontario.

The Barracuda next play on Saturday the 19th back in San Jose against the visiting Iowa Wild at 7:00 PM PT.

Barracuda Shutout Reign 5-0, Askarov Makes 22 Saves

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San Jose Barracuda goaltender Yarsolav Askarov (30) was huge in the Barracuda’s shutout over the Ontario Reign at the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Sat Oct 12, 2024 (San Jose Barracuda X photo)

By Mary Walsh

The San Jose Barracuda defeated the Ontario Reign with a 5-0 shutout on Saturday. Anthony Vincent, Kasper Haltunen (two goals), Collin Graf and Joey Keane scored for San Jose. Yaroslav Askarov made 22 saves for the win. Erik Portillo made 18 saves for the Reign.

The Barracuda took the lead at 6:27 of the first period with a goal from Anthony Vincent. Vincent redirected a shot from the point by Joey Keane. Assists went to Keane and Donavan Houle.

Lucas Vanroboys of the Barracuda and Shawn Element of the Reign fought at 9:15. Braden Hache took a holding penalty at 11:13, The Barracuda neatly killed of that penalty. At the end of the first, the shots were 6-5 San Jose.

Kasper Halttunen made it 2-0 on the power play at 2:34 of the second period. Filip Bystedt passed the puck across the ice to Haltunen in the faceoff circle. Haltunen’s shot went off of Portillo and into the net as the goalie tried to get across. Assists went to Bystedt and Andrew Poturalski. It was Haltunen’s first AHL goal.

After that, the Barracuda spent some time on the penalty kill. Tristen Robbins was called for slashing at 5:43. Jake Furlong was called for tripping at 11:20. Braden Hache was then called for checking to the head at 18:40. The Barracuda penalty kill was perfect.

At the end of the period, the shots were still very close, 16-15 Ontario.

57 seconds into the third period, the Reign pushed the puck over the line in a scramble at the Barracuda net. But the whistle had already gone and no goal was awarded.

With more than ten minutes gone in the third period, the Barracuda had killed another penalty but had no shots on goal for the period. With the team’s first shot of the period, Collin Graf skated in with a breakaway and lifted the puck over a prone Portillo at 12:24. An assist went to Tristen Robbins.

Haltunen scored his second power play goal at 16:39 of the third. He took the shot off a big rebound right into the slot. Assists went to Luca Cagnoni and Andrew Poturalski.

The final few minutes of the game were riddled with penalties and misconducts. Taking advantage of a turnover in the chaos, Joey Keane added another goal for the Barracuda, making it 5-0 at 18:21. An assist went to Bystedt.

By the end of the period, the Barracuda had balanced the shot count back to 23-22 San Jose.

The Barracuda will face the Reign again on Sunday at 3:00 PM PT in Ontario.