Author: Matthew Harrington

Thornton Scores Hat Trick, but Bruins Rally Late Amidst Controversy then Win 6-5 In OT

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Photo credit: @BarDown 

By Jerry Feitelberg

Joe Thornton scored a hat trick and the San Jose Sharks erased a three-goal first period deficit, but the Boston Bruins escaped the SAP Center with a 6-5 overtime win Monday night. Charlie McAvoy scored the game-winner with 1:01 left in the extra skate to give Boston the sweep of the trio of California teams and Chris Wagner scored a controversial goal to tie the game late after Joe Thornton’s third goal gave the Sharks a then 5-4 lead.

Joe Pavelski had three points and Logan Couture picked up two in the loss. Neither San Jose’s Martin Jones (14 saves) nor Tuuka Rask of Boston (33 saves) were particularly sharp in net for their respective teams.

McAvoy’s overtime strike came after her and Evander Kane got tangled up in the Sharks offensive end after some physical play. Kane went off for a change, McAvoy stayed on and snuck into the slot for a pass from David Krejci (three assists), with the defenseman’s shot beating Jones for the win with 1:01 left in overtime.

The Bruins put themselves in the position to win despite managing only 20 shots, including four in the second period and seven in the third after Chris Wagner’s career-best eighth goal of the season. Wagner scored with 1:49 left in regulation after batting a puck down from midair behind Martin Jones. Since Wagner hit the puck once more before the puck crossed the goal-line and the official didn’t rule his touch a high stick and a stop of play, the play was not review-able and the game-tying goal counted. It was one of many moments of frustration between the Sharks and referees as Evander Kane also had a late breakaway blown dead after the Bruins net was dislodge and play continued without the net being replaced by a trailing official.

While one point is a small consolation for the Sharks, it was a tremendous comeback effort led by First Star and former Bruin Joe Thornton and teammate Joe Pavekski. With a first goal in toe for Jumbo but the Sharks trailing 3-1 after 20 minutes, the Sharks vets stepped up in a big way down the final 40. Pavelski scored a power play strike, his team-leading 32nd goal, 2:24 into the second to cut the Bruins’ lead to 3-2, but a Jake DeBrusk power play tally, one of three points for the winger, 6:30 into the second put the Bruins back up by two. Thornton scored his 12th goal of the season 3:57 from the second intermission and Logan Couture scored the ultra-rare short-handed penalty shot goal, beating Rask with 25 second left in the period after a Bruin covered the puck in the crease with their hand. Couture’s 22nd goal pulled San Jose down 4-3 heading into the final frame. Couture also assisted on Pavelski’s power play goal.

Thornton brought down a rain of hats with 6:28 left in regulation after doing something he was often criticized for not doing in Boston; he shot the puck. It was a rocket of a shot that may have deflected off McAvoy into the back of the net for Thornton’s first hat trick since 2010 and 13th goal of the year.

Boston held a 3-0 lead with just over 1:30 left in the first. Torey Krug picked up his sixth goal of the year 13:49 into the period on the man advantage, Zdeno Chara scored on a shot off a Sean Kuraly faceoff win 16:26 into the frame and Karson Kuhlman scored his first goal of his NHL career with 1:36 left in the period. Thornton scored with just three seconds left in the period to give San Jose a slight boost heading into the dressing room after the first period.

San Jose sits a point back of Calgary since the Flames won Monday night. The Sharks travel to Pittsburgh to face the former Stanley Cup foe Penguins Thursday, then travel to Columbus for a Saturday matchup against the Blue Jackets and then a Sunday tilt in the Motor City. The Sharks will then face these same Bruins in Boston in just over one week next Tuesday.

Sharks Blown Out By Cup Champs 5-1, Streak Ends at Six Wins

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–Joe Thornton passed Hall of Famer Teemu Selanne for 15th place all-time in career points, but there was very little else for San Jose Sharks fans to enjoy on a heart-and streak-breaking Valentine’s Day. The Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals scored five unanswered goals to end the Sharks’ winning streak at six games in a 5-1 drubbing. T.J. Oshie had two goals and an assist, Alex Ovechkin scored his 646 lifetime goal and Braden Holtby made 25 saves in net for the 2018 Champs.  

Kevin Labanc scored his sixth goal in as many games with the Sharks. Erik Karlsson rejoined the team at practice but did not skate in the contest. Martin Jones made 24 saves in the loss. 

After passing Mr. Hockey Gordie Howe in all-time assists during a four-game Canadian road swing, Jumbo Joe passed another all-time great and former Shark Selanne in points Thursday on a helper (naturally) on Labanc’s first period goal. In true Thornton fashion, Jumbo’s pass was one only he and few others have the ability to make. It was so perfect, it left Labanc facing an empty net for an easy goal and a 1-0 lead 2:06 into the first. 

Oshie responded on the power play just 1:32 later than Jakub Vrana scored his 18th of the year with 8:27 in track meet of a first period. San Jose controlled most of opening minutes of the second, but Alexander Ovechkin did what he does best, sniping a one-timer from the dot 4:14 into the second. A missed chance with just under two minutes left in the 2nd by Evander Kane became an odd man rush the other way  that Brent Burns bungled, allowing Oshie to dangle past Jones his second on the night and 18th of the year and a 4-1 Caps edge. Tom Wilson got the empty-netter for the 5-1 final. 

Next up for the Sharks is a stretch of games at home against playoff hopefuls. Vancouver comes to the tank Saturday in a rematch of Monday’s Sharks blowout, then the Boston Bruins make a visit to SAP or the first part of the home-and-home season series against team Teal. 

Hertl’s First Hat Trick Since ’13 Helps Sharks Get Revenge on Pens in 5-2 Win

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Photo credit: @LetsGoSharks

By: Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks rolled to their seventh straight win Tuesday night, romping the equally-as-hot Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 in a rematch of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Tomas Hertl scored his first hat trick since scoring 4 goals — yes, those four goals, on October 8th, 2013. Evander Kane picked up three assists and Joe Thornton scored the game-winner in his 1,000th game in Teal and Black. All-star Kris Letang and Derick Brassard scored for the Penguins. Martin Jones made 22 saves in net for the Sharks.

Tomas Hertl needed three goals to reach the 100-goal plateau and his empty-netter with 25 seconds left in regulation did the trick, icing the victory over a Penguins team that had won 10 of their last 12 games.

Pittsburgh got on the score sheet first after Letang netted his 11th goal of the season halfway through the first but a Sharks surge found team Teal up 2-1 after one. Marcus Sorensen tipped home his ninth goal of the season with eight minutes left in the period. Sorensen is fresh off signing a two-year contract extension. Hertl then scored his first of three after boxing out a defender on the boards before jamming to the net for his 17th goal of the season 14:05 into the first.

Joe Thornton continued to rack up the milestones, beating Matt Murray 3:39 into the middle period for his 10th goal of the season. Jumbo has now scored 10 goals or more in 18 seasons.

Hertl scored again 2:06 into the third period for the 4-1 lead, but Brassard netted his eighth of the year to pull the Pens within two with just under two minutes left. Hertl converted on the hat trick for his 19th goal of the season and a century mark in goals in his young career.

The Sharks will hit the road for four straight, facing the Arizona Coyotes tomorrow night in the desert. After that, they’ll face the Tampa Bay Lightning after ending their lengthy winning streak earlier in the month. After that, they’ll face the Florida Panthers and Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in a back-to-back before players disperse for the All-Star break.

Sharks Score Touchdown, Win 7-2 Over Oilers for Fourth Straight

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks won their fourth game in a row Tuesday night at home, destroying the Edmonton Oilers 7-2 to stay three points behind division-leading Vegas with two games in hand.

Evander Kane and Joonas Donskoi scored two goals, Erik Karlsson picked up three assists, registering a 14th straight appearance with an assist. Marcus Sorensen scored a penalty shot goal for San Jose, Timo Meier and Brent Burns, also had multi-point efforts for San Jose and Aaron Dell made 20 saves. Alex Chiasson and Milan Lucic scored for the Oilers, who have lost eight of their last 10.

The Sharks scored enough goals to win in the first period alone, exiting the period up 3-1. Evander Kane redirected a puck off an Oiler skate behind starting goalie Cam Talbot 6:37 into the game with a Tomas Hertl and Erik Karlsson assisting on the wing’s 15th goal of the year. Kane now has points in six consecutive games. Marcus Sorensen converted his penalty shot chance with 7:03 left in the period and Joonas Donskoi scored just under a minute after Chiasson scored a power play goal with 5:25 left in the frame.

San Jose picked up where they left off in the second, with Kane this time redirecting the puck off his own skate past Talbot 6:32 into the middle frame. Brent Burns and Timo Meier assisted on the goal for a 4-1 lead. Milan Lucic scored just his second goal of the year 10:18 into the second, but Brent Burns power play strike at 15:37 restored the 3 goal cushion and eventually chased Talbot from the game. Talbot made 13 saves before yielding the net to Mikko Koskinen.

Joe Thornton scored on an intended pass to Lukas Radil 1:04 into the third and Donskoi scored his seventh goal in six games at the 10:44 mark to kick the extra point. Erik Karlsson assisted on the goal to collect his third multiassist game in a row.

The Sharks hit the road to face the Pacific division leaders Vegas Thursday night at 7:00 pm. The Golden Knights have won their last seven.

Karlsson Assists in 13th-Straight, Sharks Beat Kings 3-1

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Photo credit: @NBCSSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks extended their win-streak to three games Monday night, beating the rival Los Angeles Kings 3-1 at the SAP Center. Erik Karlsson collected his 33rd, 34th and 35th assists to put his streak at 13-games with a helper, becoming the sixth defenseman in league history to do so.

Tomas Hertl scored his 15th goal of the season, Joonas Donskoi stayed hot with his 11th of the year and Joe Thornton pitched in with an empty-net power play strike. Martin Jones made 22 saves and picked up his first assist as a San Jose Shark in the victory. Anze Kopitar scored for the Kings.

Donskoi picked up his seventh point in six games, beating Kings goalie Jack Campbell on a rebound off an Evander Kane shot with 2:17 left in the first period. Karlsson picked up the secondary assist, his first of three assists on the night.

Anze Kopitar tied the game 3:42 into the period after redirecting a Dustin Brown pass behind Jones to tie the game. Ilya Kovalchuk also assisted on the then-tying goal.

Tomas Hertl broke the tie at the 9:09 mark after Martin Jones fed Karlsson behind the Sharks net to start the rush. Karlsson snapped the puck from just inside the San Jose blue line to Hertl as he entered the Kings zone two zones away. Hertl buried the back-hander to put San Jose up 2-1. Joe Thornton would add his seventh goal of the year with 21 seconds left in play, reeling in Karlsson’s clearing pass to put the puck in the empty net. The freebie goal came with the Sharks on the power play, finishing the night 1 for 3.

The Sharks face the Edmonton Oilers in the second game of a back-to-back Tuesday night at 7:30 pm. Aaron Dell is expected to start.

Jets Bounce By Sharks 5-3

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Photo credit: @hockeynight

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks’ five-game win streak came to an end at the SAP Center on Thursday night, with the Winnipeg Jets beating their hosts 5-3. Joe Thornton tied Marcel Dionne for 10th all-time in career assists, Joonas Donskoi picked up his 100th career point and Evander Kane had a pair of points in the loss to his former team. Reigning Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck made 41 saves and Nikolaj Ehlers had a hat trick to give the Western Conference leaders their 48th point of the year.

The Jets scored first in a wild first period that saw a combined five goals, starting on a miscue by Brent Burns. The defenseman’s point shot went right into defenseman Dustin Byfuglien’s shin pad, resulting in a breakaway. The burly blueliner buried the puck for his 4th goal of the year just 51 seconds into the game.

San Jose tied the game after Joe Thornton and Evander combined on alittle give and go 45 seconds later, with the former Jet Kane scoring to knot the score at 1-1. Thornton’s assist was career assist 1040 for Jumbo, moving him into a tie with former Los Angeles Kings great Marcel Dionne for 10th place all-time in assists.

Joe Pavelski would tip a Kevin Labanc shot past Hellebuyck on the power play 11:27 into the period, his team-leading 22nd goal of the season scored from just outside the crease.

The Jets would again prey on the Sharks luck after a dump-in by Blake Wheeler caromed off the stanchion harmfully back into the slot, where Ehlers could score the easy tally with 7:28 left in the first. Mason Appleton gave his team the lead with a drive-by goal just 1:12 later for his first of the year.

The Sharks looked like they were back on the comeback after Donskoi scored his 6th of the year with just seconds left in the period on a opposite side redirection from a Kane pass. The Sharks’ forecheck forced Hellebuyck to turn the puck over behind his net, and Kane’s hard work on the boards pried the puck loose. Kane was potent all evening against his former team, firing 10 shots on goal to go with four hits. He played for Atlanta and Winnipeg from 2009 to a midseason trade to Buffalo in the 2014-15 season, playing in 361 games and amassing 222 points.

The Jets would put the dagger in the Sharks with just over three minutes left in regulation after a turnover on a breakout put the puck on the stick of a Jets forward on a 2-on-0. Martin Jones played the puck aggressively, allowing Ehlers to score his second of the night. He also would add the hat-trick after being awarded an empty net goal after a Sharks player impeded with his path to the vacant cage. Blake Wheeler assisted on all of Ehlers’ goals.

The Sharks look to get back to their winning ways with a pair of home games before the holidays, with the Los Angeles Kings and Arizona Coyotes coming to town for Saturday and Sunday tilts, respectively.

It’s Two Times the Timo in Sharks’ 3-2 Win Over Stars

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks scored three unanswered goals to comeback from a 1-0 deficit before hanging on for 3-2 win over the visiting Dallas Stars Thursday night at the SAP Center. San Jose has now won three games in a row after losing their previous four. Timo Meier scored a pair of goals to continue his torrid stretch and Joe Thornton scored his fifth of the season. Logan Couture had a multi-assist night, his 14th and 15th points in 13 games, and Martin Jones 20 made saves.

Both teams engaged in a defensive standstill after 20 minutes, allowing a combined eight shots on goal with zero goals. Dallas broke through early in the second, with Radek Faksa scoring his fifth goal 3:35 into the middle frame.

After that, it was Timo time. The Swiss sophomore blasted a point shot past Stars goalie Anton Khudobin with 3:40 left in the second. He potted San Jose’s next goal 12:50 into the 3rd, driving hard to the net and redirecting a Logan Couture pass into goal for a 2-1 lead. Meier now has eight points in his last six games.

Joe Thornton scored an easy redirect just over five minutes later for his fifth goal of the season after Radim Simek’s point shot hit a blocker and ricocheted to the future Hall of Famer. Marcus Sorensen also added an assist on the Sharks 3-1 goal. Thornton was a game-time decision after missing practice Wednesday.

Miro Heiskanen scored his seventh of the year, victimizing the Sharks with 7:36 left in regulation on a bad line change, but San Jose would hold with the net empty for Dallas to pick up the win. They next travel to Chicago to face the reeling Blackhawks Sunday at 4:00 pm PST.

Meier’s Pair, Simek’s First Lead Sharks to 5-2 Win Over Devils

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Photo credit: @nbcbayarea

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks continued to stay hot following a coaching staff reorganization, winning their fourth game of the last five against the New Jersey Devils Monday night at the SAP Center. Timo Meier scored twice and Radim Simek scored his first NHL goal to give the Sharks a 5-2 win over the Devils. Joe Pavelski and Tomas Hertl also had two-point nights for the Sharks.

San Jose looked like the weaker team in the early going after New Jersey scored on a fluke goal 12:05 into the period. Drew Stafford threw the puck on net from the goal line, finding daylight between Martin Jones and the post for a 1-0 lead.

San Jose hadn’t generated much offense to that point, not finding a shot on net for the majority of the first 10 minutes. That all changed after a heady play by Timo Meier. Meier stole the puck from a New Jersey skater entering the Sharks zone and went the other way, ultimately beating Keith Kinkaid from the right faceoff dot to tie the game with 4:09 left in the first.

Joe Pavelski scored with just under two minutes left in the period after Brenden Dillon’s point shot ricocheted off Kinkaid. The captain picked up the loose puck and slid it into the back of the net for his team-best 20th goal. Pavelski has now scored 20 goals in a season for the 10th time in his career.

Radim Simek picked up his first NHL goal 7:19 into the middle period, launching a point-shot through traffic for a 3-1 Sharks lead. Lukas Radil, a fellow rookie, picked up his first career assist after scoring his first goal over the weekend.

Andy Greene’s drive-by tip 11:01 into the second pulled the Devils within one goal before Meier’s second created some space. Joonas Donskoi fed Meier streaking up the wing, allowing the Swiss forward to once again show off his laser of a shot. Meier’s wrister beat Kinkaid glove side before bouncing off the back of the net and out with 5:08 left in the period.

Tomas Hertl added a power play goal after picked up a rebound in the slot eight seconds into the man-advantage with 5:38 left in the game to effectively ice the game. Martin Jones made 22 saves to preserve the win.

San Jose welcomes the Dallas Stars to the Shark Tank Thursday night, looking to continue the winning ways. Game time is 7:30 pm PST.

Jones Saves 39, Sharks Top Canes 5-1; That’s two straight wins for Sharks

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photo from nhl.nbcsports.com: San Jose’s Joe Pavelski goes for the victory skate in front of the Sharks bench after scoring his season’s 18th goal as the Sharks defeated the Carolina Hurricanes at SAP Center on Wednesday night

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks won on the road for the second-straight game, shelling the Carolina Hurricanes 5-1 at SAP Center on Wednesday night. Well, not quite. Despite the Sharks wearing the road whites and feeling the parts of weary travelers, they were actually the home team.

Joe Thornton and Timo Meier each had three points for San Jose, Martin Jones made 39 saves and Radim Simek picked up his first career NHL point in just his second game. Joe Pavelski scored his team-leading 18th goal and Meier, Marcus Sorensen, Tomas Hertl and Barclay Goodrow all scored for Team Teal. Lucas Wallmark scored the lone goal for the Canes.

The Sharks returned from a six-game road swing Sunday night, playing their first home game since November 23rd, but their bags really never had a chance to be unpacked, with San Jose off to Dallas for a Friday night contest before a trip to the Desert for a Saturday showdown with the Coyotes.

Both teams entered play 1-2 in high-danger scoring chances, so offensive fireworks were expected. The fact that they were completely one-sided came as a bit of a surprise though. Goodrow opened the scoring taking a Kevin Labanc feed and going top shelf just 3:44 into the game for his fourth goal of the year. Tomas Hertl scored a power play strike after Logan Couture’s cross-ice pass to Labanc pulled NHL journeyman Curtis McElhinney to his left. Labanc connected with Hertl just to the right of the netminder in the crease for the easy redirect and a 2-0 lead halfway through the first period. The Canes would pepper Jones with 17 shots in the frame but he stood tall to hold down the shutout after 20 minutes.

Timo Meier continued to blossom as San Jose’s best power forward since Owen Nolan, buzzing McElhinney right as Simek ripped a point shot. The naked eye gave Simek his first career goal, but by the grace of video review, Timo Meier was awarded his 14th goal. Simek had to settle for an assist for his first NHL point and a 3-0 Sharks lead 8:42 into the second. Thornton would pick up his first of three assists, notching the secondary helper on the final three San Jose goals.

Joe Pavelski scored what has to be the most fortuitous goal of his season, attempting to flip a puck on McElhinney that looked like it would be harmless. Instead the puck glanced off Jordan Staal and redirected into the Canes net for a 4-0 Sharks edge.

Carolina would finally crack Jones in the waning minute and a half of the middle stanza with Wallmark beating Jones glove side on the power play to score on the Hurricanes 26th shot of the contest. Marcus Sorensen got the goal pack after Meier threaded a pack hand pass that allowed the Swede to rip a shot past McElhinney with just 4:17 left in regulation.

San Jose has now collected a point in three-straight home games and is on a two-game win streak after a five-game skid. They’re off to the Big D for a showdown with Tyler Seguin and the Stars next.

Thornton Passes Lemieux, but Sharks Fall in OT 4-3 in Hitchcock’s Oilers Debut

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks expected to see a familiar face behind the Edmonton Oilers’ bench Tuesday night, but an early morning firing led to a shakeup in leadership for the visiting team. Todd McLellan, Sharks coach from 2008 to 2015, was relieved of his duties as coach of the oilers, giving way to an unretiring Ken Hitchcock. The change paid immediate dividends, with Edmonton  (10-10-1) erasing three deficits for a 4-3 overtime win over San Jose.

Joe Thorton picked up career assist 1033, tying Mario Lemieux for 11th all-time. Joonas Donskoi and Marcus Sorensen scored for San Jose (11-7-4), Logan Couture scored for the first time in 11 games and Martin Jones made 19 saves for the Sharks. Oilers superstar Connor McDavid picked up three points while Leon Draisaitl scored the game-winner, though not at first blush.

Draisaitl took a pass from McDavid on the goal line that was deflected up, turning his skate while directing the puck past an out-of-position Jones. The referees huddled for a brief reviewing, ultimately ruling the Oilers 4-3 winners 51 seconds into overtime.

McDavid played a monstrous game for his new coach, seeing 23:57 off ice time. He also picked up the primary assist on the game-tying goal. Tomas Hertl, returning to the lineup for his game since November 13th, turned the puck over in the neutral zone, allowing Draisaitl to break into the offensive zone on a a 3-on-2. He pass cross ice to McDavid, who feathered a pass to Drake Caggiula for the easy strike and a 3-3 tie game 3:32 into the third.

The Sharks entered the final period in full control after erasing the Oilers momentum. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored as an Oilers penalty expired on a 2-on-1 that Brent Burns played indecisively 1:46 into the second period to tie the game at 2.

Logan Couture’s slump-buster with 56 seconds left in the period put San Jose back on top though, and what a goal it was. Couture carried the puck on his forehand on the left wing before pulling it to his backhand, deking Adam Larsson in the process. He then beat Oilers goalie Mikko Koskinen for his seventh goal of the year.

Joonas Donskoi put the Sharks up 1-0 45 seconds into the game on a backhand of a rebound in the crease. McDavid turned on the burners 8:09 into the frame to beat Jones for his 13th goal of the season. Marcus Sorensen took a perfect feed from Joe Thornton at the 10:32 mark and beat Koskinen for his 4th goal of the year. Thornton is now just seven points away from breaking into the top ten in career assists behind Marcel Dionne and is 16 behind Gordie Howe for 9th place.

The Sharks continue a season-high six-game homestand Friday night at 6:00 pm PT against the Vancouver Canucks before a five-game road swing that sees San Jose head to Las Vegas before departing for a four-stop east coast trip.