Author: Matthew Harrington

Bears Fly, Barracuda Fall in 3-2 Loss to San Diego Gulls

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The fuzz flew Saturday at the SAP Center, but the home team couldn’t claw back in time to complete a comeback. The San Jose Barracuda fell to the San Diego Gulls 3-2 Saturday afternoon in front of 4,053 fans and hundreds of their closest plush pals after tying the game late in the third period.

Forward Barclay Goodrow scored to set off the first Teddy Bear Toss in Barracuda history and Nikita Jevpalovs lit the lamp, but a late goal from Joseph Cramarossa spoiled the Barracuda’s otherwise charitable mood.  Mike Sgarbossa scored a pair of goals for the Gulls (8-2-0-0) and netminder John Gibson denied 30 of 32 Barracuda shots to leave San Jose (3-4-0-1) fans empty-handed of both bears and a win.

“It was an entertaining game,” said Barracuda coach Roy Sommer. “The fans saw a good push back from us.”

Sgarbossa netted his first goal of the game on Gulls rush in the first period. Defenseman Brandon Montour jumped up on the play and ripped a shot from the left faceoff dot. Grosenick made the save, but Sgarbossa pounced on the loose puck to bang home a goal 8:15 into the game.

The Gulls forward would net his second goal of the period, again on a deflection from one of his teammates with just under 33 seconds left in the period. Nick Ritchie cut across the slot attempting to fire a shot from dead center. A Barracuda defenseman managed to block the shot, but the puck rolled to Sgarbossa for the easy tap-in on his second goal of the game and season. The Gulls outshot San Jose 11-6 in the first.

“You get the first goal, you’re probably going to win the game or get somm point,” said Sommer. “On either side that seems to be what’s been happening to us. I told those guys ‘hey, go for it’. The team that gets the first goal wins 80, 90 percent of the time so go for it.”

Goodrow, playing in his first game with the Barracuda after a demotion from the San Jose Sharks, pulled the Barracuda within one while initiating an ursine avalanche. Linemate Scott Timmins fired a shot on Gibson that was stopped, but a falling Goodrow managed to backhand the puck over Gibson’s pad at the 18:37 mark. The bears will be donated to local charities to give to children in need during the holiday season.

“I was just trying to find the puck,” said Goodrow. “I was able to poke it in.”

The Barracuda managed 15 shots on goal in the second to take a 21-20 edge over the Gulls. The San Jose effort gave the Barracuda their first goal against the Gulls in a game two games’ worth of time. The Barracuda scored two goals in the first period of an October 21st contest at SAP before getting shutout for the remainder of the game and held completely scoreless on the following Friday.

Nikita Jevpalovs tied the game on a rebound goal of his own, beating Gibson for his second goal of the season with 7:21 left in the game. The tie would be short-lived, with Joseph Cramarossa sniping one past Grosenick blocker side for his first point of the season just over five minutes to play. San Jose again outshot the Gulls 12-8 in the final period.

“I thought we had a really good third period,” said Sommer. “It was one of the better thirds we’ve had all year. We kept the pressure on them, they didn’t have a lot. The third goal could have been prevented. I thought we could have pushed it instead of backing in. It was just a bad goal.”

With the attacker pulled, the Barracuda lit the lamp literally but not figuratively. Melker Karlsson, appearing in his first game since October 23rd, poked at a loose puck in a netfront scramble. The linesman saw differently from the goal judged and ruled the play dead.

“It was on the goal line,” said Karlsson. “I missed it two times. I hit the puck, the goalie saved it. It was lying there but I couldn’t get one.”

After facing a team they haven’t had much success against Saturday, the Barracuda get a crack at a team they scored their most recent victory over. The Barracuda host the visiting Ontario Reign Sunday, just under a week removed from San Jose handing the Kings’ affiliate their only regulation loss this year. Karlsson is expected to play.

“I felt a lot better today, more energy,” said Karlsson. “I’ll see how I feel tomorrow, but I felt pretty good.”

“As far as I know, he’s in,” stated Sommer.

Pavelski Scores a Pair But Sharks Stumble Against Blue Jackets

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks saw Tuesday night’s contest at SAP Center against the reeling Columbus Blue Jackets as an opportunity to take advantage of a team in turmoil. Instead, the Sharks (6-6-0) now find themselves looking answers after losing 5-2 in a match-up against a team with only a pair of wins on the season.

Joe Pavelski scored both goals for the Sharks and goalie Martin Jones struggled through a 17 save, 4 goal performance against a Columbus team that recently fired their coach and was struggling under new coach John Tortorella.

“It was not good enough,” said Jones. “We played a backwards game, let up an early goal and let in a few soft ones in the 2nd. We need to be better. Everyone needs to be better. We got outworked tonight.”

The Sharks dug an early hole after committing two penalties in the opening five minutes. They managed to kill off a Chris Tierney stick infraction a minute and a half into the game, but weren’t as lucky after defenseman Brenden Dillon skated to the box 4:23 into the game.

With the man advantage, Brandon Dubinsky skated to the left faceoff dot and took a shot on Sharks goalie Martin Jones. Jones stopped the initial attempt, but Brandon Saad was waiting in the goal crease to tuck the loose puck home for a 1-0 lead with 12 seconds left on Dillon’s infraction.

“We got the first kill,” said Pavelski. “We almost got through the second one which would have given us a boost. We were on our heels early. It has to change, we have to break this mold where we’re getting scored on first.”

The Sharks Captain matched the team-best of 7 goals on the season in the waning seconds of the first period. Pavelski crept into Sergei Bobrovsky’s crease, redirecting a point shot from Justin Braun past the Russian netminder with 1:04 left in the period.

The Blue Jackets regained their lead nearly halfway through regulation after Scott Hartnell beat Jones for his 5th goal of the season at the 8:54 mark. Hartnell started the play behind the Sharks net, skated out towards the faceoff dot to Jones’ right then spun around and ripped a shot rapid-fire that beat Jones over the near post shoulder.

Pavelski again drew the Sharks three minutes later, receiving a backhand feed from Joonas Donskoi before deking out Bobrovsky to move past Joel Ward for the team lead in goals.

Pavelski’s goal was the result of a heads-up forecheck from Donskoi along the offense boards. Donskoi snuck behind Nick Foligno preparing to move the puck out of the Columbus defensive end and sent it back towards the goal line for Pavelski’s tally. The assist on the play was Donskoi’s 2nd career NHL point and first since returning from injury October 28th.

“It’s hard to come back after an injury,” said Donskoi. “I think it’s getting better but I’m not happy. We still lost. It’s disappointing.”

The tie was short lived due to miscommunication by Jones and defenseman Brent Burns. Jones went to play a dump-in behind his net and settle the puck for Burns. Burns, however, didn’t react in time to stop an advancing Blue Jacket from springing the puck loose. Columbus forward Boone Jenner snuck in to net his 7th goal with 1:28 left in the 2nd.

If the Jenner goal didn’t deflate the Sharks heading into the 2nd intermission, defenseman Ryan Murray’s strike with 59 seconds left in the period certainly did. Murray slid a point shot through a crowd in front of the net to put Columbus up 4-2 and chase Jones from the contest.

“I think it went off one of our guys’ gloves,” said Jones. “It was a bit of a deflection, a bit of a screen.”

Over his 40 minutes of ice time Jones allowed 4 goals while making 17 saves. His replacement, Alex Stalock, faced only 2 shots over the final period, but Matt Calvert scored an empty netter for the final 5-2 marker.

At the other end of the ice, Bobrovsky stood on his head for most of the contest to earn his third win of the season. The former Vezina trophy winner turned aside 41 of 43 shots he faced, keeping the Sharks power play off the board after four opportunities.

“For our power play we demand a lot out of ourselves,” said Pavelski. “We expect a lot. It’s just unacceptable. It was a big momentum swing for us. We’ve created some momentum off it when we’ve had chances. It doesn’t do anything for the wins.”

“Everybody goes through tough stretches,” said Jones. “We know we have a good group in here. We know we’ll respond. We’ve got the group in here to do it. The main thing is to show up tomorrow, have a good practice and move on.”

The Sharks will have to move on quickly with the Florida panthers coming to town Thursday night followed by a visit from another reeling team, the Anaheim Ducks. The Southern California rivals come to town Saturday night with a lowly 2 wins and six points, tied for the lowest mark in the NHL.

Rinne, Predators Fourth Line Prey on Sharks

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – The San Jose Sharks hoped having a pair of forwards return to the line-up Wednesday night might bring about scoring depth, especially at home where coach Pete DeBoer had final change and a chance at exploiting mismatches. Despite the returns of Joonas Donskoi and Ben Smith, the Sharks (5-4-0) scoring woes continued in a 2-1loss to the visiting Nashville Predators (7-1-1). Pekka Rinne held the Sharks to a lone goal, a goal by center Joe Pavelski, on 21 shots.

“He’s a good goalie,” said Pavelski. “He’s one of the better ones in the league. With all the goalies you have to get traffic. If they see it, they stop it.”

The Finn shut down San Jose to one goal or less for the fourth time in the last six games. In those games, the Sharks are 1-3-0, topping the New Jersey Devils 2-1 in the shootout for the sole victory on October 16th.

Nashville winger Eric Nystrom baffled Jones early, unleashing a dart from the left circle that beat the San Jose netminder to his stick side at the 3:22 mark of the 1st.

“You need a save there,” said Jones. “Early in the game you need a save there. It’s tough to come back from. That’s a tough defensive team with a good goalie.”

The Sharks held a 9-7 advantage in shots on goal after the period, but goalie Pekka Rinne and the Predators withstood a San Jose power play to get the home team off the stat sheet after 20 minutes.

It took 15 shots, but the Sharks final snuck a puck past Rinne in the 3rd period, with the Sharks captain tying the game 1:28 into the frame. Pavelski pounced on a rebound in the crease off a Matt Tennyson shot for his fourth of the season. Matt Nieto, taking a turn on the top line after playing the majority of the game on the third forward unit, also picked up an assist.

“It feels good to score,” said Pavelski. “But that’s that moment, then you move on for the next one. They got the next one. It takes away from it.”

Calle Jarnkrok gave Nashville that next one halfway through the period, taking a Gabriel Bourque pass and ripping it over Jones’ glove for his first goal of the season, the game winner Wednesday.

“The difference tonight was that their fourth line had two goals,” said Sharks coach Peter DeBoer. “That was the difference in the game. Everyone else cancelled each other out.”

In total, Nashville scored on 2 of 24 shots against Jones.

“They didn’t have much,” said Pavelski of the Predators offensive chances on the night. “We didn’t have much. That’s how it is against those guys. The power play has to start putting one in.”

The Sharks special teams was 0-2 on the night, extending a scoreless streak to six straight opportunities with the man advantage. They also went 2-2 on the penalty kill.

“The special teams battle was even tonight,” said DeBoer. “They didn’t get one either. We need to start scoring there for sure. We had some great looks. Eventually something is going to go in.”

The Sharks will be looking for some treats from their nearly-whole lines and power play unit on Halloween when they visit the Dallas Stars Saturday before continuing the road trip with a pit stop in Colorado. After that, the team returns to SAP for four-straight home contests.

Barracuda Shut Out By Gibson, Gulls

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

SAN JOSE, Calif. – It will continue to be a season of firsts in the inaugural campaign for the San Jose Barracuda, but with the highs will also come the lows. Friday night at the SAP Center, the Barracuda earned an inevitable and unenviable first after falling to the San Diego Gulls 3-0.

Ducks goalie John Gibson made 23 saves to shut out San Jose for the first time this year and give the Barracuda losses in two-straight for the first time this season. The Barracuda also fell to the undefeated Gulls (4-0-0-0) 3-2 in a shootout Wednesday night at home.

“There’s still plenty of things to work on,” said San Jose coach Roy Sommer. “We’re still young. We’d like to get a home win here.”

The Gulls scored twice in the first period on miscues from the Barracuda. Chris Wagner scored the first goal of the game at the 5:02 mark after cherry picking behind a Barracuda defender at the Gulls blue line. After defenseman Brandon Montour chipped the puck up, Wagner scooped it up and skated down the wing unimpeded before beating Barracuda goalie Aaron Dell’s glove hand for the goal.

Dell’s glove would come up short with 1:49 left in the period when he appeared to glove down a Gulls shot only to have the puck pop out where Chris Mueller could tap in his first goal of the season and double the Gulls’ advantage. One gaffe aside, Dell played well for the Barracuda, turning away 31 shots.

“We didn’t have any hold ups, we had a few miscues,” said San Jose forward Micheal Haley. “They had a lot of steam coming into our end. It’s hard to get out of your end when they’re coming at you full speed.”

While the Barracuda didn’t beat Gibson in the 1st 20 minutes, they came close on a 5-on-3 power play just about halfway through the period. Twice San Jose ripped perfect cross-crease passes just off the goal line, but twice one of the top goalie prospects in the AHL Gibson robbed would-be goals.

“That was the turning point in the game,” said Sommer. “We had two good looks where he made two great saves. After that we didn’t have much.”

First Gibson robbed Nikolai Goldobin on the glove side, then kicked away a stick-side shot pad-high from Melker Karlsson. Goldobin also hit the post on the man advantage in the third period on a night when San Jose’s power play unit was snakebit (0-for-5).

“He’s covering the bottom so we have to go up top,” said Karlsson. “If it’s there you have to hit it. That should be a goal.”

San Diego added a power play goal in the 2nd after Nick Ritchie received a pass from Brandon Montour to Dell’s right. Ritchie’s wrist shot beat Dell blocker side to give the Gulls a commanding lead with 4:04 left a period that saw the visitors outshoot the home team 15-5.

“They had a very good forecheck,” said Haley. “They didn’t give us very much time or options which makes it very hard for us to get our forecheck going. It was just one of those days where it felt like we were chasing and not supporting.”

For the Barracuda, it’s back to work after a quick bus trip to the Inland Empire. San Jose takes on the Ontario Reign, affiliate of the rival Los Angeles Kings

“We’ve got a hard game tomorrow,” said Sommer. “That’s a team that’s undefeated. They’re not missing much from the team that won the Calder Cup (as the Manchester Monarchs). We’ll have our hands full tomorrow.”

Notes: The regulation loss snapped a three-game point-streak for the Barracuda. After losing to Rockford on opening night, the Barracuda twice beat Bakersfield before falling to San Diego in a shootout Wednesday…Melker Karlsson played in his second game with the Sharks affiliate, finishing with a shot on goal. “I’m getting better and better but I still have some things to work on. I haven’t practiced that much so my conditioning isn’t where it should be,” said Karlsson…Micheal Haley was returned to the Barracuda for Friday’s game after skating on the Sharks fourth line in their game against the Kings Thursday night. He saw 6:48 of ice time. Haley is expected to play Saturday against Ontario, his third game in a row. “It’s the American Hockey League. If you don’t want to play three-on-threes go play up top,” Sommer said with a smile…Barracuda captain Bryan Lerg played 8:51 with a shot on goal. He remains with the parent club…Defenseman Karl Stollery missed the game with an injury.

Karlsson Suits Up for First Time This Season, But Barracuda Fall to Gulls in Shootout 3-2.

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

If Bryan Lerg was disappointed by his demotion from the San Jose Sharks to their AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda, his play didn’t show it Wednesday night. The 28-year-old scored a goal and picked up the primary assist on another in the Barracuda’s 3-2 shootout loss to the unbeaten San Diego Gulls (3-0-0) at the SAP Center.

“Work hard,” said Lerg on his mind set heading in to his first game since being returned to the Barracuda (2-1-1). “We were looking for the win at home.”

“I thought (Lerg) was our best player by far,” assessed Barracuda coach Roy Sommer.

Lerg opened the scoring at the 5:11 into the first period, firing a shot from the slot into Gulls netminder John Gibson’s pads. The 6-foot-3 keeper made the initial save, but Lerg continued his course to the net to flip in his rebound for his 3rd goal of the season.

“I went to tee off on it and didn’t get all of it,” admitted Lerg. “The goalie tried to kick it to the corner and their D was flat footed. I beat them with my speed.”

The AHL vet added his first assist of the season with 1:20 remaining and the Barracuda on the penalty kill. Lerg pressured Gull rearguard Shane O’Brien at the red line, forcing a rushed O’Brien to spill to the ice. Lerg rushed up the ice on the breakaway, guiding a backhander to Gibson’s left in the Gull crease. Gibson made the sprawling save, put fellow penalty killer Scott Timmins jammed the loose puck home for his second goal of the season.

An unfortunate bounce led to a late San Diego goal with Barracuda defenseman Mark Cundari deflecting a Brandon Montour point shot around San Jose goalie Troy Grosenick. The goal, a power play strike with 5.4 seconds left in the period, marked the 4th goal in 14 short-handed situations for San Jose.

The Gulls scored again on the power play in the 2nd period, this time on a deflection from a San Diego skater. Defenseman Shea Theodore ripped a point shot on net. Gulls pest Harry Zolnierczyk was skating past Grosenick right as the shot came and managed to tip it over his blocker side for the goal at the 6:26 mark. The 2-2 deadlock would hold through the third period and into a back-and-forth three-on-three overtime despite a total of 5 power plays for the Gulls on the night.

“That’s a pretty good team over there,” said Sommer. “They have lots of veteran guys who have been around and know how to put the puck in the net.”

The Gulls’ Nick Ritchie and Stefan Noesen would beat Grosenick in the skills competition to earn the second point for the visitors, keeping their record unblemished. Gibson turned away attempts by Lerg and Nikolai Goldobin, another player returned by the Sharks this morning.

One player hoping to join the Sharks sooner rather than later, rehabbing forward Melker Karlsson, saw his first time on ice this season. Karlsson finished the night with an assist and a +1 rating while nearly scoring in 3-on-3 overtime.

“He was good,” said Lerg, who joined Karlsson in the 3-on-3 session. “I thought he played well. He’s getting back into the swing of things. It was his first game in a while. We tried to keep it simple and get him in deep and use our speed.”

Once the thrill of returning to the ice wore off, Karlsson realized he still has some work to put in before he is ready for an NHL assignment.

“It felt pretty good in the beginning,” said Karlsson. “But my conditioning is not where it should be. With my game, I have to have energy for it to work.”

“We’ll see how long it takes before I get in condition,” said Karlsson. “It shouldn’t be too long, just a few practices them I’m going to feel good.”

Whether it’s next week against the Nashville Predators or further down the line, Karlsson is ready to return to the top tier.

“That’s where you want to play,” said Karlsson. “That’s where I’m going to play later I hope.”

With the injuries stacking up for the parent club, the Barracuda bench boss acknowledges call-ups may be early and often in the next few days.

“Any one that is playing here right now knows,” said Sommer. “They’re banged up up top. You play good you’re probably playing against LA tomorrow. We want guys to realize that.”

Quakes Keep Playoff Hopes Alive with Blanking of Sporting KC

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The San Jose Earthquakes kept their Western Conference playoff hopes alive Friday night at Avaya Stadium, besting Sporting Kansas City 1-0 to pick up a critical three points. Anibal Godoy scored in the 47th minute to put San Jose tied with the Portland Timbers and Seattle Sounders for the final two slots in the West with 47 points riding a three-game lossless stretch.

If Godoy’s goal is a sign of where the football gods’ allegiance lies, the Quakes should start prepping for postseason travel. The difference maker came after Shea Salinas volleyed the cross into the box, looking to connect with Chris Wondolowski, named team Most Valuable Player in a pregame ceremony, on the right post. Wondolowski’s toe flick skittered past a stumbling Kansas City keeper Tim Melia, but was trickling wide left of the goal. There was Godoy to tip in the ball and give San Jose the lead.

Goalkeeper David Bingham held Sporting KC at bay down the stretch, saving all 3 shots he faced to seal the clean sheet for San Jose in his final regular season home contest as starting keeper.

The Quakes still face an uphill climb to lockdown the sixth and final playoff slot. Seattle and Portland still have a game in hand and can pass the Quakes with a victory. Not only that, but San Jose faces conference leaders FC Dallas, winners of 16 this season, on the road in the season finale next weekend at Toyota Stadium.

 

Suns Reserves Outshine Kings

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The Sacramento Kings fell to the Phoenix Suns 102-98 Wednesday night at the Talking Stick Resort Arena for their first loss of the preseason.

Rudy Gay led the team with 27 points, DeMarcus Cousins had a team-high 8 rebounds and 15 points and Marco Belinelli chipped in 12 points off the bench. Point guard Rajon Rondo, signed in the offseason, scored 5 points on 2 field goals over 5 attempts and added 5 assists. Darren Collison also dropped a quintet of dimes to match the Kings game-high.

In his second season with the Suns, TJ Warren opened his preseason with a hot start. The former North Carolina State forward scored 17 points off the bench. NBA journeyman Jon Leuer also scored 17 points off the pine, picking up a double-double with his game-high 13 rebounds. Guards Brandon Knight (16) and Eric Bledsoe (13) were the only two starters to break double figures in scoring.

The two teams traded leads 11 times, with 10 lead changes coming in the first three quarters. Sacramento held a 3-point lead, 79-76, but the Suns outscored them 26-19 down the stretch to put the Kings preseason record at 1-1 following Monday’s 109-105 overtime win in Portland.

The two teams shot the ball at a 40% clip, but the Suns managed to haul in 55 rebounds to the Kings 46 as the difference maker. The Kings were also outrebounded 52-50 on Monday.

Sacramento gets its first dose of home cooking during the exhibition slate tomorrow night. The Kings return to the Sleep Train Arena to face perennial Western Conference powers San Antonio in the second half of a back-to-back.

Semien, Venditte Play Heroes in Extras One Last Time in 2015

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

The season is just about over for the Oakland Athletics with only one game remaining for the Green and Gold. That didn’t keep the A’s from milking every last moment of the 2015 season Saturday at Safeco Field where Oakland (68-93) topped the Seattle Mariners 7-5 in extra innings.

Marcus Semien launched a two-run shot in the top of the 13th inning to give the A’s a two-run lead and lefty Felix Doubront notched his first save of the season. The A’s blew a 4-0 lead but received 7 innings of scoreless ball from the bullpen after Daniel Coulumbe blew the 4-run edge.

Midseason acquisition Danny Valencia continued to impress , launching his 18th home run of the season off Roenis Elias in the top of the 1st inning. The homer also plated Brett Lawrie and Mark Canha for a 3-0 lead. The A’s added a run in the 3rd inning on a fielder’s choice ground out by Stephen Vogt with the bases loaded.

The M’s (75-76) responded in the bottom half of the frame, touching A’s starter Sean Nolin up for a trio of runs on Robinson Cano’s 21st homer of the season. The long ball came with a pair of runners on base and two outs in the inning.

The 6th inning proved to be the fatal inning for the A’s, with reliever Coulombe looking to preserve the one-run lead. After Seattle loaded the bases, Coulombe managed to induce a double play off the bat of Jesus Sucre that scored one. Ketel Marte pick up the two-out base hit, plating Shawn O’Malley to give Seattle a 5-4 lead.

The Fernandos, Rodriguez and Abad respectively, pitched a perfect 7th and 8th inning to give the A’s a chance with the final three outs of the contest. Former Mariner close Tom Wilhemsen entered the game in dubious fashion, walking Billy Burns then plunking Mark Canha to put the tying run in scoring position with no outs. A wild pitch moved the tying run within 90 feet, with Brett Lawrie cashing it in on a sacrifice fly to left field to knot the score at 5-5. Edward Mujica pitched a perfect ninth to force extra innings.

Switch pitcher Pat Venditte (2-2, 4.40 ERA) performed brilliantly in his relief stint. The ambidextrous reliever pitched three innings without surrendering a hit, punching out three Mariners. His outing earned him the win, setting Semien up for the clutch homer.

Stephen Vogt opened the 13th inning with a single to right off reliever JC Ramirez. Semien then came up to the plate, working a 3-1 count before tagging Ramirez (1-2, 5.32) for the homer and the loss. Doubront pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning for his first save since 2011 and 4th of his career.

Oakland and Seattle wrap up the regular season with a Sunday matinee, pitting the A’s Chris Bassit against Seattle’s Vidal Nuno.

Jones, Penalty Killers Lift Sloppy Sharks to 2-1 Preseason Win Over Canucks

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By Matthew T.F. Harrington

A win is a win any time of the year, even preseason, so Tuesday night’s 2-1 San Jose Sharks win over the visiting Vancouver Canucks is a great final result. How the Sharks got there, however, was a different story.

“It’s a good thing it happened in the preseason,” said Sharks forward Tommy Wingels on the team’s sloppy effort Tuesday. “It’s good that we grinded it out and found a way to win the game. You don’t have your best at all times but certainly lots tonight we have to improve on.”

“It’s not the kind of game you’d like to have,” said Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer. “We found a way to win but we were sloppy with our puck management. We have a lot of things to work on. The good news is I thought our goaltending was excellent and our penalty killing was excellent.”

The Sharks scored a goal each in the first two periods, then used a 4-for-4 penalty kill effort and a 30-save outing from Martin Jones to cling to a 2-1 advantage and improve to 3-1-1 in the exhibition schedule with one last weekend road trip still remaining.

“(Assistant coach Johan Hedberg) has done a great job with these guys,” said Wingels on Jones and returning goalie Alex Stalock. “They’ve been at the top of their game from day one.”

Wingels tipped in his first goal of the preseason at the midway point of the first period, redirecting a Paul Martin point shot past Canucks netminder Ryan Miller.

“You don’t want to get too cute,” said Martin on the goal. “We’ve seen that, when you put the puck on net, good things happen. We have guys that are good around the cage and make plays down there.”

The lead would be short-lived, with the visitors scoring in the final minutes of the period. Winger Matt Nieto picked up a loose puck in the corner boards of the defensive end and spun a drop pass in front of Sharks keeper Martin Jones to jump start the rush. Instead, the puck was picked up by opportunist Jared McCann. The unmarked McCann ripped a shot over Jones’ shoulder for a goal with 1:26 remaining in the period.

The Sharks leading scorer in the preseason put them back on top at the 7:43 mark of the 2nd period. Brent Burns received a pass from Mirco Mueller and skated up the left side, burying a wrist shot between Miller’s pads for a 2-1 edge. Burns has a team-high 2 goals and 4 points over 3 preseason contests playing on a pairing with offseason acquisition Paul Martin.

“He definitely makes my job easier,” said Martin. “The hockey sense and the size with the skill he has being that big is impressive.”

“Coach has been great keeping us together, allowing us to grow our chemistry,” said Burns on his rearguard partner. “There are going to be reads that happen in a game in a split second where you’ve got to know what the guy is thinking. It takes time.”

The Canucks threw their weight around in the third period, drawing two power plays, including a 4-on3 to try to tie the game, but a valiant effort from the San Jose penalty kill kept the Sharks ahead. Chris Tierney, Justin Braun and Tommy Wingels all blocked shots shorthanded with just over 5 minutes left in the period. In total, the Canucks outshot San Jose 9-2 in the third (31-22 total), a period that saw DeBoer shuffle all four lines from the starting lineup.

“We wanted to give some guys some different looks in some different spots,” said DeBoer. “We weren’t really happy with where we were at in the game. We tried to shuffle the deck and it didn’t really work.”

The Sharks wrap up the preseason with two weekend road games, Friday in Arizona followed by a Saturday match-up in Anaheim. DeBoer is hoping to see a better performance out of his team, but understands knowing the team’s weaknesses before opening night in Los Angeles on October 7th is more important.

“You’re better having that now then next week,” said DeBoer. “We will know what we have to do better to have success on a consistent basis.”

Notes: After Joonas Donskoi received the opportunity on Friday to play on the top line with Joe Thornton and Joe Pavelski, it was rookie Nikolay Goldobin’s turn Tuesday. The 19-year-old Russian had one assist and was +1 with a shot on goal. “He did a good job. He definitely showed that he’s skilled enough to play with those guys,” said DeBoer… Chris Tierney left the ice early in the 2nd period after skidding into the Vancouver goal. He missed just one shift while visiting with the trainer and returned to play on his next shift…Tommy Wingels tongue-in-cheek after a successful night in the faceoff dot “I think we should expect that every night.”

Cal Holds Off Late Charge, Improves to 4-0 with 30-24 Win Over Washington

Published on by Matthew HarringtonLeave a comment

By Matthew T.F. Harrington

It’s been a while since the California Golden Bears left Seattle with a win over the Washington Huskies. In fact, the last time Cal left the Pacific Northwest a winner was over a decade ago. Entering Saturday’s contest in Washington, Cal (4-0)  last beat the Huskies on their turf September 10, 2015 in a 56-17 rout. Saturday would prove a much closer contest, but the Bears would hold off a late Washington rally to walk away with a 30-24 win, the first victory against Washington (2-2) in any contest since 2008.

Heisman hopeful Jared Goff again excelled under center for Cal, collecting 342 yard on 24 completions on 40 attempts, The top quarterback in the country connected with receivers Kenny Lawler and Bryce Treggs for a touchdown each, tying the Cal record of 64 in a career, while throwing one interception. The Bears defense forced five turnovers on three fumbles and a pair of interceptions to keep Washington’s offense in check.

Cal struck first after Matt Anderson’s 32-yard field goal went through the uprights with 7:04 left in the first, but Washington slipped by on a Dwayne Washington 14 yard run with 1:30 to go in the quarter. Cal held the Huskies scoreless in the second and scored three times to build a then-comfortable lead. First Vic Enwere ran one in from the 12 yard line, then Matt Anderson hit a 41-yarder, while Goff connected with Treggs in the end zone to complete the trio of unanswered scores and send the Bears to the locker room up 20-7 at the half.

Goff would connect with Lawler for a TD early in the third to put the Bears in cruise control up 27-7 with 10 minutes left in the third. Washington would take advantage of a Bears team on its heals, scorer on a 10-play 65-yard drive then cutting the lead to just one score on a 70-yard fumble recovery taken to the house by Sidney Jones late in the third.

Anderson split the uprights again with 5 minutes left in regulation to give Cal a two-possesion lead. They’d need every point of it, with the Huskies Cameron Van Winkle crossing the plane with 3:57 left in the game to make the score 30-24. The Bears defense would keep Washington off the board to keep the undefeated season alive.

Cal returns home for it’s contest next Saturday, a showdown against the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars are 2-1 and will open Pac-12 play coming off an off-week.