Author: Matthew Harrington

Evander Kane was front and center in Sharks’ 5-2 win over Oilers; Logan Couture expressed happiness with new pieces

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

When it comes to making a good first impression, the San Jose Sharks’ newest acquisition gets passing marks. Evander Kane, acquired Monday at the trade deadline from the Buffalo Sabres for a pair of conditional draft picks, and Danny O’Regan, was front and center during the Sharks’ 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers at SAP Center on Tuesday night. The forward, playing on the wing on San Jose’s top line, picked up two assists while proving instrumental in the top line’s success, flanking Joe Pavelski along with Joonas Donskoi.

San Jose rode an explosive second period to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes of play. Joe Pavelski picked up a goal and three assists for a four-point night while Justin Braun, Chris Tierney, Timo Meier and Logan Couture all scored for San Jose. Eric Fehr, another trade acquisition making his home debut, notched his 100th career assist and Martin Jones stopped 22 of 24 Oilers’ shots. Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi scored for Edmonton.

McDavid, reigning Hart Trophy winner as Most Valuable Player, opened the scoring 4:33 into the first period after displaying all the tools that make him a superstar. McDavid showed his trademark burst of speed to burn past Kevin Labanc then unleashed his all-world shot to beat Jones cleanly for his 28th goal of the year.

The Sharks would answer back in a big way in the second period though, and right in the middle of things was San Jose’s new top line. 1:20 into the middle stanza Joe Pavelski made the kind of play you’ve seen his teammates start many times. There was Pavelski in the goal crease, waiting for one of his trademark tips. This time though, it was Evander Kane initiating the play. Kane’s shot-pass went perfectly to Pavelski to tie the game, one of many dynamic moments for the newly established line.

The goal wasn’t without the kind of controversy that will follow a player as physical as Kane can be while toeing an edge between legal and illegal contact. Kane took out defenseman Matt Benning in the corner on a borderline hit, allowing for the breakout to be sprung. Kane, however, is not shy to drop the mitts as is evidenced by his extensive youtube highlights, giving the Sharks some much needed sandpaper.

Kane picked up his second assist as a Shark just over five minutes later after Justin Braun’s point shot deflected ever so much off an Oilers stick past goalie Cam Talbot. Pavelski picked up an assist on the goal for his second point of the night.

Timo Meier picked up his 16th goal of the year after an impressive display of his power forward prowess. Meier drove from the corner to the front of the net, flipping a backhander that found its way through a leaky Talbot for a 3-0 lead. Pavelski picked up his second assist on the goal with 3:45 left in the second.

Logan Couture stuck with a chance curling off the boards a little over a minute later. Couture was trying to feed a cross-crease pass to Tomas Hertl at the far post, but Adam Larsson was able to block off the pass. The puck bounced off Larsson’s skate and Couture worked to the loose puck, flipping it over Talbot for a 4-1 lead with 2:22 left in the middle frame.

Puljujarvi found some chemistry with the Oilers deadline acquisition Pontus Aberg early in the third period. Aberg fed Puljujarvi for his 10th goal of the season 6:06 into the final period. The Oilers would remain silent over the remainder of the contest and Chris Tierney would pot an empty-netter with 55 seconds left for his 16th goal of the season to cap the 5-2 win in Kane’s debut.

The Sharks continue the homestand with contests against the Blackhawks Thursday and Columbus Sunday. They continue to hold on to the second spot in the Pacific Division after leaders Vegas fell to the Los Angeles Kings 4-1. Los Angeles is just two points behind San Jose for second with 75 points with fourth place Anaheim three back at 74.

 

Jones Stands Tall, Sharks Beat Canucks 4-1

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks knew the top players not amongst the injured would need to perform Thursday night if they’d like to escape with a win over the Vancouver Canucks at the SAP Center on Wednesday night. The big name players all pitched in, but the depth pieces also helped out with San Jose down Joe Thornton and now Tomas Hertl as well.

Martin Jones made a season-high 43 saves and Brent Burns registered a two-point night to lead the Sharks to a 4-1 win over the Canucks at home. Mikkel Boedker scored for the second consecutive game and depth pieces Chris Tierney and recent call-up Marcus Sorensen also lit the lamp for San Jose. Long-time lineup stalwart Daniel Sedin scored for Vancouver.

Mikkel Boedker started the Sharks scoring 8:41 into play, beating netminder Anders Nilsson for his ninth goal of the year in second in as many games. Chris Tierney and former Canuck Jannik Hansen assisted on the strike.

The Sharks second goal came from Brent Burns, who happened to be playing his natural defense at the time. Like in the loss to Arizona, Burns saw some time at wing, starting the game on the opposite side of Timo Meier with Joe Pavelski centering the top line. After a period of ineffectiveness, coach Peter DeBoer moved Burns back to the blue line. Burns responded by ripping one of his patented bombs that beat Nilsson 4:47 into the second period.

The Sharks escaped the second period leading 2-0 after Jones, a North Vancouver native, stood on his head in the middle stanza. The keeper turned aside 22 shots, the highest single period total of the season.

The goalie would be rewarded early in the third after recent San Jose Barracuda call up Marcus Sorensen unleashed a downright filthy wrist shot, beating Nilsson 3:06 into the third. Vancouver would answer back though, finally cracking through Jones 6:43 into the final frame on Daniel Sedin’s 14th goal of the season.

Burns, now firmly locked in as a defenseman, rewarded his coach again for returning him to his natural position with 7:27 left in regulation. Burns snaked a perfect pass to Chris Tierney who was waiting on the far post. Tierney redirected the puck into the neat for his 14th goal of the year. Boedker also picked up an assist for a two-point night for the Dane.

All wasn’t positive for the Sharks though, as the power play struggled again with two key cogs in Thornton and Hertl missing. San Jose went 0-3 Thursday night after going 0-for-4 Tuesday night against Arizona. The penalty killing unit was a perfect 1-for-1.

Next up for San Jose is a visit from Tyler Seguin and the Dallas Stars. After that, Team Teal hits the road for four straight games against Central Division foes. With a win Thursday, San Jose will enter that stretch still two points ahead of the Calgary Flames for second place in the Pacific Division.

Sharks Lose Hertl and Then Lose 2-1 to Coyotes

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Photo credit: nhl.com/sharks

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks’ depth took another major hit Tuesday night, forcing head coach Peter DeBoer to get a little creative with his lines. With Tomas Hertl exiting the game with an undisclosed injury, DeBoer moved reigning Norris Trophy Winner for best defenseman Brent Burns to the top line’s wings for alternating shifts. Burns’ move upfront wouldn’t be enough to spark the Sharks though, as Team Teal fell to the visiting Arizona Coyotes 2-1 at the SAP Center.

The Sharks outshot the Desert Dogs 41-26, but goals from defensemen Kevin Connauton and Alex Goligoski proved to be the difference makers. Former Coyote Mikkel Boedker scored for the Sharks, but Scott Wedgewood and Antti Raanta combined to snap the Sharks win-streak at two games. The Sharks powerplay went 0-4 in the loss, failing to gain ground with the teams directly behind them in the standings, Los Angeles and Calgary losing to Eastern Conference teams.

Connauton opened the scoring 7:58 into the game, crashing the net on a Nick Cousins point shot, tipping home the loose puck while another Coyote crashed into the far post behind Sharks goalie Martin Jones. The net was knocked off its moorings, but the collision had no effect on the result of the play, so a brief discussion between the officials confirmed a good goal.

Boedker responded just 1:20 later, channeling team captain Joe Pavelski by tipping a Justin Braun point blast past starting goalie Wedgewood to tie the game. Marc-Edouard Vlasic joined d-partner Vlasic in picking up the assist on Boedker’s strike.

Goligoski, appearing in his 700th game, picked up the game-winner for the Western Conference cellar dwellers. Goligoski took advantage of a powerplay opportunity, blasting a point shot 9:35 into the second period for a 2-1 lead.

First star Wedgewood took a puck off the helmet in the second, but was near perfect through two periods. He made 28 of 29 saves, but exited the game early in the third period after his defenseman pushed a Sharks player on top of him. The collision caused Wedgewood to hit the crossbar with his head, leading to his exit from the game.

The Sharks tested Raanta immediately, sneaking the puck behind him on their first shot. Goligoski was there to pull it off the line before the Sharks could tie the game. Raanta made 12 saves to finish out the win.

The Sharks get to face another struggling western conference team in game two of a three-game homestand. The Vancouver Canucks come to town Thursday before the Dallas Stars stop by for a Sunday start. Coach DeBoer hasn’t ruled out if Burns would make an appearance at forward if Hertl is unavailable.

Vegas Still Top of Deck After Third Period Rally; Achieved 5-3 Win Over Sharks

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Matthew Harrington

The Vegas Golden Knights continued their tear through the Pacific Division Thursday night, rallying from a 3-2 deficit in the third period to best the San Jose Sharks 5-3 at the SAP Center.

Vegas rode its trademarks that have them in first place in the Pacific Division in their inaugural season, receiving outstanding goaltending from a now healthy Marc-Andre Fleury and goals from five different players.

Joe Pavelski scored two goals for the Sharks and Timo Meier continued his breakout second half with his 13th goal of the season.

San Jose opened the game with a boost after Joe Pavelski netted his 11th goal of the season 4:40 into a near-perfect first period. The Sharks held Vegas shotless for the majority of the frame, but a blocked shot bounced back to Erik Haula who beat Martin Jones for his 21st goal of the season on Vegas’ first shot at the 14-minute mark of the first.

Karlsson scored just 37 seconds into the second period, but unfortunately for Sharks fans it was William, not Melker. Then came Meier’s 13th goal with Brent Burns pick up his second assist of the game, tying the score 2-2 at the 11:47 mark into the middle frame on the power play.

The man-advantage again struck, with Joe Pavelski tipping home his 12th goal of the campaign 7:45 into the third. Consecutive goals by Brayden McNabb, James Neal and a power play strike from Jonathan Marchessault doomed San Jose in the fateful final frame. In total, the Sharks threw 38 shots on net, while Martin Jones turned aside 28 Golden Knights shots.

Vegas now improves to 2-0 against the Sharks who are 2-4-1 during the absence of top line center Joe Thornton with a knee injury.

San Jose next squares off against wunderkind Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers, once reeling but now hitting full stride thanks to their young superstar. The Sharks will have seek revenge for a first round playoff exit last season at the hands of the Western Canadian team.

Defense, Not Offense Issue for Jumbo-Less Sharks in 6-5 Loss to Rangers; Second Straight Loss at Home for SJ

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photo by sjsharks.com

By Jerry Feitelberg

When news broke that Joe Thornton would miss an undisclosed amount of time with a knee injury, San Jose Sharks fans immediately were concerned about how the team would continue scoring without its future Hall of Famer. Thursday night, the Sharks offense did just fine, putting up five goals against the visiting New York Rangers. Unfortunately, the defense was the letdown, with the Sharks falling 6-5 to the Blueshirts.

Logan Couture scored two goals, Kevin Labanc picked up three assists and Marc-Edouard Vlasic, Tomas Hertl and Barclay Goodrow all scored for San Jose. Aaron Dell, starting in place of the injured Martin Jones once again, made 23 saves but allowed 4+ goals in back-to-back game for the first time ever in his career. Rangers Captain Ryan McDonagh scored his first two goals of the season, Brady Skjei netted a short-handed goal and J.T. Miller scored the game-winner with 1:50 left on the clock.

Kevin Hayes staked the Rangers to a 1-0 lead 5:45 into the first period, but a goal from Barclay Goodrow and Logan Couture’s first of the game gave San Jose a 2-1 just over halfway through the first period. Jesper Fast beat Dell with 2:07 left in the period to tie the game.

Couture wrested back the lead in the opening moments of the second period, slipping the puck past backup netminder Ondrej Pavelec 2:36 into the middle period. The Rangers fired back with three unanswered goals in the period, with Ryan McDonagh scoring on a two-on-one with Kevin Hayes then a point shot and Brady Skjei knocking a clearing attempt into the Sharks net off his shinpad with San Jose on the power play for a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic beat a vulnerable Pavelec for his eighth goal of the year, one shy of his career-high, 10:51 into the third, but Miller extended the cushion with his 11th goal of the year late in the frame. Hertl, who missed a number of grade-A opportunities, finally converted with 50 seconds left in regulation.

The Sharks head into the NHL All-Star break looking at the possibility of Jones rejoining the team for their next game against the Pittsburgh Penguins Tuesday night on the road.

San Jose beat the Pens 2-1 at home on January 20th, with Aaron Dell making 31 saves in the win.

While #19 is out, the Sharks will count on players like Jones and team leaders like Vlasic and Couture to continue to step up if the team wants to hold on to its second place spot in the Pacific Division, two points away from being on the outside of the playoff picture.

Sharks Rally to Earn a Point, But Jets Win 5-4 in Overtime

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–Things could have gone worse for the San Jose Sharks during Tuesday night’s contest against the Winnipeg Jets at SAP Center, but then again, things could have gone a lot better. The Sharks managed to erase 3-0 and 4-3 deficits, but fell in overtime 5-4.

Joe Thornton was injured in the final moments of the contest and his status is currently unknown.

Winnipeg’s Bryan Little scored easily 18 seconds (remember that amount of time for later) into overtime, his second goal of the game, to hand Sharks goalie Aaron Dell his first loss in five games. Dustin Byfuglien circled the Sharks net, then passed from the goal line cross-crease to Little on the backdoor for his 10th goal of the year.

It almost looked like the Sharks wouldn’t need overtime to pick up a point (possibly two) in this game after a huge momentum swing in the final five minutes of the game. Timo Meier did an excellent job staying strong on his stick in the slot to find a rebound of a Marc-Edouard Vlasic shot to score with 4:20 left in regulation and tie the game at 4-4.

Byfuglien, known for his antics after the whistle, clipped Meier with his stick in the celebration and was sent off for a penalty. The Sharks would get caught with too many men on the ice 1:07 into the man-advantage though, and then had to kill off a Jets power play to hold on for overtime.

If the first few moments of the game were any indication, the Sharks should be satisfied with just the loser point. The Jets sucked any energy out of the SAP Center crowd after Mathieu Perreault scored just 18 seconds into play, then just over four minutes later Joel Armia really silenced the hometown fans after his backhand toss ricocheted past Aaron Dell for a 2-0 Winnipeg lead.

The situation went from bad to worse for the Sharks after Tomas Hertl found himself making his way to the showers after being handed a game misconduct for his hit on Dmitry Kulikov 8:13 into the period. The Czech forward was also assessed a five-minute major, putting his team on the shorthand for five minutes.

The Sharks were “fortunate” to survive the penalty kill only yielding one goal to the second best power play in the NHL. Bryan Little beat Dell for a 3-0 lead just 11:56 into play.

Leaders step up when times get toughest, so it was Sharks captain Joe Pavelski who changed the morale of team teal in the waning seconds of the first. After a flurry of shots on Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck couldn’t find the back of the net, Pavelski crossed the blue line into the slot to pick up a turnover and rifle the puck into the net.

With believability back in the Sharks locker room trailing 3-1 heading into the first intermission, San Jose still had its work cut out for them. Perhaps inspired by Kristi Yamaguchi’s presence at the Shark Tank, Logan Couture followed up a perfect pirouette with a shot to Hellebuyck’s right for his 18th goal of the season with half the game in the books. Joel Ward and Brendan Dillon assisted on the goal to bring San Jose within one at 3-2.

Chris Tierney, pressed into power play placement following Hertl’s ejection, ran with his opportunity. Tierney slipped into the slot in perfect one-timer position with the perfect one-time assister Joe Thornton holding onto the puck on the other side of the ice. Thornton threaded the puck through the Jets penalty killing box, Tierney dug in for a full-power one-timer and with 6:35 left in the second period, suddenly San Jose was tied 3-3.

Joel Armia would pot his second goal of the game 11:38 into the third to give Winnipeg their 4-3 lead, which set up Meier’s game-tying strike and the overtime period. A collision in front of the Sharks bench in the final seconds cost the Sharks their top center in the three-on-three skate.

Up Next: San Jose continues its home stand, welcoming the New York Rangers to the SAP Center Thursday night.

The Sharks topped the Rangers 4-1 October 23rd at Madison Square Garden behind stellar play of Martin Jones, who’s currently out with a lower body injury.

Sharks Bank on Labanc’s 4 Points in 5-4 OT Win over Canucks

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Photo credit: @PR_NHL

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose Sharks defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in overtime at the SAP Center Thursday night, thanks to a four-point night from Kevin Labanc. The rookie forward capped a career night with the game-winner at 1:53 of overtime, his first goal in 23 games.

Joe Thornton netted a pair of goals and finished the night in sole possession of 18th place on the all-time points list with 1,416.

The Sharks coughed up 3-1 and 4-3 leads in the game, but Labanc buried his fourth goal of the year to pull out the two-point effort. Labanc took Tomas Hertl’s feed from beside the net and ripped a shot from the slot for a goal to go along with his three assists.

Labanc last scored on October 14th against the New York Islanders and lit the lamp twice Opening Night against Philadelphia.

Daniel Sedin scored his eighth goal of the season just 2:09 into the third period, tying the game at four apiece. The Sharks had taken the lead at the end of the second period on a 5-on-3 man-advantage that saw Joe Pavelski feed Tomas Hertl with a cross-crease pass that Hertl pulled from his feet and buried for his ninth goal of the season.

Hertl’s goal was the fifth goal of the second period, with the Sharks opening the scoring in the period on Timo Meier’s fifth goal of the year, burying a slot pass from Dylan Demelo at 5:20 into the frame, and Thornton’s second beautiful shot of the game on the power play 6:29 into the middle frame for a 3-1 lead. Jake Virtanen would score a 4-on-4 goal and Brock Boeser would add a rebound tally late in the frame to tie the game at 3-3.

Vancouver scored first in the contest just 1:58 into the game, but Thornton went top shelf on Canucks goaltender Jacob Markstrom for the first of 3 San Jose power play goals in 5 opportunities. It was career point No. 1,415, moving Jumbo past Doug Gilmour for 18th best all-time. Jumbo also picked up an assist, putting him just 4 points behind no. 17, Adam Oates.

San Jose finished the game with 32 shots on goal while the Canucks put up 40. Sharks netminder Aaron Dell made 17 saves in the second period alone to hang on for his fifth straight win.

The Sharks continue the homestand with a Christmas Eve eve tilt against the reviled Los Angeles Kings. The Sharks currently sit in third place in the Pacific Division, eight games back of the leading Kings and six back of second place Vegas.

Burns’ OT Winner Caps Special Night By Special Teams in Sharks’ 5-4 Win Over Hurricanes

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – There are going to be a large number of San Jose Sharks fans standing around the water cooler tomorrow morning talk about turning the TV off in the middle of another Sharks blowout. They’ll talk about how it was déjà vu, the Sharks getting blown out for the third-straight game after losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Washington Capitals by a combined 9-3 margin then falling behind to the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 3-0 after 20 minutes at home Thursday night.

“It’s not how we would draw it up to start a game,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “We dug ourselves out of a hole. You’re going to win all kinds of different ways over 82 games in this league.”

But something special happened. Or rather something special teams happened. The Sharks scored a pair of power play goals and shorthanded goals to overcome a 3-0 deficit, forcing overtime against the visiting Canes. A storybook comeback deserves a happy ending, so Brent Burns scored just 22 seconds into overtime to cap a furious 5-4 Sharks comeback. Burns, the third Sharks’ skater to enter the offensive zone, skated around Sebastian Aho to pick up the puck in close and beat goaltender Cam Ward for his second goal of the year.

Joe Thornton moved up the all-time points list with two points (one goal, one assist). Barclay Goodrow, Logan Couture and Melker Karlsson also scored for San Jose, while Paul Martin returned to the lineup finishing with a +/- of -2.

“It was his first game back,” said DeBoer. “It looked like it was his first game back, trying to get some of the rust off. I don’t think that was the story of the game.”

Trailing 3-0 heading into the second period, the Sharks used the second-best penalty kill in the league to break up Cam Ward’s shutout. Melker Karlsson fed Chris Tierney to start a two-on-one rush down the ice. Tierney returned the favor, feeding Karlsson right on the opposite post. Karlsson’s blistering up-close shot ricocheted off the back of the net and out for his fourth of the year in his first game back in the lineup since December 1st.

“Coach [Peter DeBoer] said if we can get one it would change the momentum of the game,” said Thornton. “It definitely did.”

The Hurricanes briefly stymied the momentum the Sharks were gaining after Karlsson’s shorty, striking after a lax defensive effort around their own net. The Hurricanes managed to fire off a number of in-tight shots on Jones with the puck bouncing throughout the goal area with Jeff Skinner ultimately pushing the puck through a pile of bodies for a 4-1 Carolina lead with 5:16 left in the period.

The other half of San Jose’s special teams stepped up to cut the Carolina lead to two with Joe Thornton scoring a power play goal with 2:09 left in the period after Trevor Van Riemsdyk was given the gate for holding the stick in a scramble. The Sharks man-advantage entered the game tied for 24th in the league with a 16.7 percent success rate.

The power play did it again in the third period, using crisp passing by Brent Burns to set up a one-timer for Logan Couture. Joe Thornton picked up the secondary assist to help the Sharks pull within one 4-3 with 11:29 left to play. The helper pushed Thornton to 19th place on the all-time points list, tied with Dale Hawerchuk and his 1,409 career points.

“We haven’t been getting any,” said Thornton on power play opportunities. “It’s tough to get into a rhythm when you’re not getting any. Tonight we could finally get into a rhythm getting 3 power play chances. It’s nice to see you score some goals.”

The PK had to catch up to the PP goal-for-goal, so Barclay Goodrow did the trick, tying the game with 8:04 left in regulation. Jannik Hansen led the rush up the ice, but it was Goodrow’s hustle to beat two Hurricanes skaters across the blue line for a breakaway on Ward that made the difference.

“That’s what guys have to do to try to stay in the lineup,” said DeBoer. “He’s playing with that desperation.”

The comeback was great, but San Jose video coach Dan Darrow might as well delete any footage from the first period after a listless start domed the home team. The Hurricanes took advantage of a sleepwalking Sharks club, with defenseman Noah Hanifin crashing from his spot on the blue line to wind up in the slot unfettered. Hanifin took Derek Ryan’s pass from below the faceoff dot and rifled a one-timer that Jones saved. The rebound bounced to Sebastian Aho though, who beat Jones 9:10 into the period for a 1-0 lead.

The Canes capitalized on a rare bad break from Marc-Edouard Vlasic whose clearing attempt aimed at the boards deflected into the slot instead. Center Elias Lindholm came up with the puck, then passed it to Victor Rask just inside the faceoff dot to Jones’ left. Rask fired the one-timer home for a 2-0 Carolina lead 11:37 into the period.

Aho pulled a similar move to Hanifin’s earlier in the game to score his second of the match. The winger slid into the slot alone, took a pass from Teuvo Teravainen and potted his second of the game and seventh of the season with 5:46 left in the frame. Despite the three goals, the Hurricanes only produced five shots on goal in the period to the Shark’s six and looked well on their way to a win.

“With the travel we’ve had over the last week or two it hasn’t been easy at times,” said Sharks captain Joe Pavelski. “It’s not an excuse. It took a few shifts to get it out of us.”

The five-goal performance Thursday might prove to be a preview for the weekend slate for the Sharks. San Jose will welcome a pair of opponents prone to giving up crooked numbers to the Shark Tank over the weekend, with the Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild making stops in Northern California over the weekend. Ottawa is currently sixth in the league, allowing 3.27 goals per game while the Wild allow 3, good for 13th place.

Sharks Rally on Donskoi’s Pair But Fall to Ducks in Shootout 3-2

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Anaheim Ducks center Antoine Vermette (50) scores a goal past San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (31) during a shootout in an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Monday, Nov. 20, 2017. The Ducks won 3-2. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Matthew Harrington

SAN  JOSE–The San Jose Sharks woes continue at home after Team Teal fell to their Southern California rivals the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 Monday night. Joonas Donskoi scored a pair of goals but former Hart Trophy Winner Corey Perry and Rickard Rackell scored for Anaheim. Anaheim led 2-1 heading into the third but San Jose rallied back before watching Antoine Vermette scored in the ninth round of the shootout for a Ducks victory.

The Sharks have now lost three-straight games at home against struggling opponents, losing to the Florida Panthers and Boston Bruins last week. The Ducks meanwhile have won three-straight after beating the Sharks in the second contest decided by the skills competition. The Sharks won the previous meeting on a Donskoi dazzler in the shootout in their only other overtime contest of the season.

One positive for the Sharks has been the reemergence of Joonas Donskoi this season. The Finnish winger matched his sophomore season goal total after beating Reto Berra 3:31 into the game. Logan Couture picked up the assist on Donskoi’s sixth goal of the year.

The Ducks answered back in the second period with a pair of unanswered goals. First Perry beat Martin Jones just 45 seconds into the second period on what appeared to be a set faceoff play. After the Ducks won the faceoff back to Rickard Rackell, Rackell dished the puck to Brandon Montour at the point to Jones’ left. Montour then fed a pass cross-seam to Perry waiting on the opposite post. From there Perry, a one-time 50-goal scorer knew what to do, positing the puck in the net for a tie game.

The Ducks have been depleted by injury this season, missing players like Ryan Kesler, Ryan Getzlaf and Cam Fowler for large chunks of time. While it has hurt the Ducks in the standings, it has given an opportunity for other players to thrive. Rickard Rackell has taken his opportunity and run with it, as evidenced by him scoring his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the second.

In the waning seconds of a Kevin Labanc penalty, Corey Perry picked up the puck in the slot. Jones stopped his initial shot, but Rackell crashed the net and put the loose puck between the pads of a sprawling Jones for a 2-1 lead at 11:39 into the second.

The Sharks powerplay looked markedly improved following the call-up of Daniel O’Regan before the game against Boston Saturday. He contributed in a big way on the Sharks second goal, winning the board battle before passing the puck to Donskoi. Donskoi dropped the pass back for O’Regan whose shot laid lonely in the crease off a Berra rebound. Tomas Hertl took a swipe on it and whiffed, but ultimately Donskoi connected for his seventh of the year 8:19 into the third.

Neither team found the back of the net in the three-on-three overtime session. The Ducks had the hammer on the shootout and took an early advantage after Logan Couture missed and Corey Perry scored. Joonas Donskoi pulled a reverse move in from his previous shootout winner in the top of the third round with the Sharks down 1-0 and beat Berra to even it up, and Jones at the other end made the stop. Brent Burns’ backhander went in to give the Sharks a temporary lead, but Jones couldn’t stop Cam Fowler’s fourth round attempt to seal the win.

Both teams missed in the fifth round, but two rookie defenseman (San Jose’s Tim Heed & Anaheim’s Brandon Montour) scored in the sixth. From there it was all misses until Vermette tucked his shot inside the post for the win. The Sharks will head to the road to face the Arizona Coyotes for the first time all season Wednesday night, then continue a mini roadtrip by heading to Vegas for their first stop there Friday. After that, the Sharks return home to face the Winnipeg Jets for the first time this year as well.

Sharks See Pair of Goals Overturned, Fall to Panthers 2-0

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – In the battle of mentor vs. student, score one for the student. In the first head-to-head meeting between teams, former assistant coach Bob Boughner and his Florida Panthers scored a 2-0 victory over Peter DeBoer and the San Jose Sharks. Colton Sceviour and Nick Bjugstad scored for the Panthers while DeBoer protégé Boughner challenged not one, but two Sharks goals, proving victorious on both to help give netminder Roberto Luongo the 35-save shutout for career win number 457.

With neither team looking in sync with a number of passes not connecting throughout the game, it was clear if any team was going to score, it wasn’t going to be a highlight reel strike. Colton Sceviour lit the lamp one minute into the second period, using a gritty effort to jam home a wraparound and beat Martin Jones for his fourth goal of the season. Sceviour had circled the cage after taking a Connor Brickley feed, while Vincent Trotcheck added the secondary assist on the game-winner.

Tim Heed appeared to have the answering tally 4:37 into the middle period, plucking a puck off the blue line for a blistering slap shot that beat Luongo to the glove side. Boughner challenged that the puck came out of the offensive zone, risking taking a penalty if the call on the ice was not overturned. The replay officials determined the puck did come out of the zone, wiping out the tying goal for what would have been the Swede’s third marker of the year.

Another defenseman posited the theoretical tie-breaker 5:16 into the 3rd when Marc-Edouard Vlasic jammed a puck off Luongo’s left pad into the net in a goal mouth scramble. Boughner again challenged the play after his goalie jumped up incensed and making a shoveling motion with his stick. The officials agreed with Bobby Lou, saying that his pad was pushed over the goal line illegally. The goal was washed out.

The turnovers finally caught up to the Sharks with 7:37 left in the third after Tim Heed turned the puck over in the offensive end to Radim Vrbata, Vrbata passed the puck to ex-Shark Jamie McGinn who whirled a backhander cross-crease to Nick Bjugstad. Bjugstad had no trouble beating Jones for his fourth goal of the year and a 2-0 Cats lead.

DeBoer tried to create some offense as the game wore on, moving Joonas Donskoi down to the second line and auditioning Timo Meier and Melker Karlsson as the other wing on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski. Karlsson ultimately stuck, with Kevin Labanc finding himself on the fourth line but the Sharks couldn’t crack the stingy Panthers defense. Neither could the two Sharks power plays where they generated six shots on goal.

The Sharks have the opportunity to bounce back when they welcome the depleted Boston Bruins to the SAP Center Saturday night. The Bruins may be without Brad Marchand, David Krejci, Torey Krug, Anders Bjork, Adam McQuaid and David Backes, who all are nursing injuries.