Author: Matthew Harrington

Avs, Grubauer Shutout Sharks to Split Series with 4-0 Win

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Photo credit: nhl.com/avalanche

By Matthew Harrington

The search for consistency continues for the San Jose Sharks after they failed to build on a 6-2 victory over the Avalanche Monday, falling to the same Colorado side 4-0 Wednesday evening at home. Philipp Grubauer made 26 saves for his 3rd shutout of the season and Mikko Rantanen scored twice and picked up for points, Gabriel Landeskog had a goal and three assists and Samuel Girard scored for the Avs (12-7-1). Nathan MacKinnon didn’t return after taking a hit from Sharks rookie Joachim Blichfeld late in the third that earned the winger an ejection. For the Sharks (8-10-2), another chance to win back-to-back games slipped away.

“It’s disappointing right now any time you lose,” said Sharks goalie Martin Jones when asked about his thoughts on standing toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best for five periods of the two-game series. “We could play with those guys, we could play with anybody when we play a certain way. It’s just wrapping our heads around playing a certain way. Guys just have to do it.”

One could argue that this was the first game the Sharks dearly missed the impact of Tomas Hertl, one of the team’s top centers on the shelf after a positive COVID-19 test last Wednesday. Sure, he could have made a difference in Saturday’s gong show against St. Louis, but the team managed six goals without him. In Monday’s contest, the faceoff stats weren’t great for the team, but overall it was the Sharks’ best performance of the year. But on Wednesday the Sharks were still in the game, trailing 2-0 before the five-minute power play from Blichfeld’s penalty. Hertl’s ability to control play in the offensive end could have helped the Sharks break through, but his impact in the faceoff dot is what really hurts.

Trailing 1-0 already on a faceoff draw, Landeskog batted the puck toward Brent Burns on the halfwall, a faceoff loss for Logan Couture and the Sharks (They won 39.6 % of draws). Burns tried to knock the puck up to Kevin Labanc, but instead Rantanen picked it up and fed Girard at the point. Girard’s point blast beat Jones, hit iron and went in for a 2-0 Avs lead 5:29 into the third. For Girard, half of his four goals this year have come in the last two games against San Jose.

“We’ve played some pretty good faceoff teams,” said Jones. “(Hertl’s) obviously an important centerman for us. It’s tough to get the puck. Anytime you can start with the puck it, that’s going to make life a little easier.”

The Sharks still were a couple strong shifts away from working their way back into the game when Blichfeld, making his NHL season debut after a strong AHL start, hit MacKinnon with the shoulder in the chest and head area as he neared the Sharks bench 8:08 into the third period. He was assessed a match penalty for intent to injure and MacKinnon left the game, but the Avs went on a five-minute power play.

The penalty kill did well, limiting Colorado to just one goal on a Landeskog rebound putback just 15 seconds into the power play, but the Avs outshot the Sharks 18-10 in the final frame after leading in SOGs 20-16 after two. Rantanen buried the dagger wrap-around goal with 5:26 left in regulation.

Rantanen scored the first goal of the game late in the second, but otherwise Martin Jones was sharp in net through two, making 19 saves against a potent Avalanche lineup.

“We did enough to keep the game close,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “Win a period, win the game kind of attitude. We couldn’t get it done in the third period.”

Next up, the Sharks will welcome the Vegas Golden Knights in a back-to-back homeset starting Friday night at SAP Center.

Notes: Nikolai Knyzhov was paired with Erik Karlsson on defense…Joachim Blichfeld was making his season debut with the Sharks after picking up nine points in six games with the AHL Barracuda….The Sharks had to Danes in the lineup with Blichfeld and center Alexander True both on the fourth line…The Sharks haven’t had a faceoff percentage higher than 45% in the three games Hertl has missed and haven’t won the faceoff battle since a February 11th loss to the Los Angeles Kings.

Sharks Score 6 Unanswered goals in 6-2 Statement Win Over Avs

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The scores says it big after the Colorado Avalanche opened up the game with two goals the San Jose Sharks scored six unanswered goals at SAP Center in San Jose for the win on Mon Mar 1, 2021 (photo from @SanJoseSharks)

By Matthew Harrington

The sting from Saturday’s 7-6 shootout loss to the St. Louis Blues seemed like it was still fresh for the San Jose Sharks Monday at the SAP Center. Facing a test of their mettle against Stanley Cup contenders the Colorado Avalanche, the Sharks fell behind 2-0 and looked punchless against a faster, more skilled opponent.

Instead, San Jose (8-9-2) rallied for it’s most impressive win of the season, scoring six unanswered goals in the second and third periods combined to beat the Avs 6-2 Martin Jones made 33 saves against a potent Colorado offense, Timo Meier had his first career three-assist night and a pair of Sharks defensemen not named Brent Burns lit the lamp.

Six different Sharks scored and 11 players picked up a point for San Jose. Samuel Girard and Gabriel Landeskog scored for Colorado (11-7-1) in the defeat.

Girard opened the scoring late in the first, scoring on a wrist shot with 1:28 left in the period for a 1-0 lead, and Landeskog potted his fifth of the year on the power play 4:21 into the second to put Colorado firmly in control for what was shaping up to be a long night for the Sharks. It was a player that coach Bob Boughner called on the carpet specifically after morning skate, Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who helped start the rally.

Vlasic, who generally looked like he’d received his coach’s message with inspired play all around, activated in the offensive end. He found a seam in the slot for another defenseman known more for his defensive work than offensive panache, Radim Simek. Simek slipped a wrist shot through Philipp Grubauer’s five-hole to cut the lead two at 1 6:13 into the period. For the Sharks, it was the first goal scored by a defenseman other than Brent Burns this season. Rudolfs Balcers also assisted on the goal.

Kevin Labanc tied the game with 3:12 left in the period to stay hot and score the first of two goals for the top line Monday night. Evander Kane and Logan Couture assisted on the goal.

“They’ve got a little bit of everything,” said Boughner about his top line Monday. “(Kevin Labanc) has really worked hard on his two-way game. I think you can see he has a nose for the puck, he’s working hard. He’s never forechecked like he’s forechecking now. (Evander) Kane and (Logan Couture) have chemistry where they don’t throw pucks away. They’re both big, strong guys. It works.”

Balcers picked up his second point on the night, firing a shot that Grubauer saved but Nazem Kadri put into his own net while being pressured by Timo Meier 4:18 into the final period which ultimately became the game-winner.

After looking dangerous and motivated in his first game back from a groin injury Saturday, Erik Karlsson built on his last performance by lighting the lamp for the first time this year on the power play 7:53 into the third. He slipped a wrister under Grubauer, with Kane picking up his second point of the night with an assist with San Jose on the power play.

“It seems like he’s got a good reset,” said Boughner. “He’s doing those little things with the puck that we’re used to seeing him do. You’re seeing him exploding out of traffic. He has that separation speed back in his game. I just thought he’s been a real confident player.”

Meier sprung rookie John Leonard on the breakaway 2:18 later, with Leonard burying the puck past Grubauer for his third goal of the season. It was the third-straight goal Meier assisted on. Kane potted the empty net goal for his third point of the night and eighth goal of the year.

For the Sharks to sweep the series against Colorado, they’ll need a near-identical effort, but Monday proves that despite some early-season struggles the Sharks have the talent to hang with the top teams in the division when at their best. They’ll be challenged to replicate the results from Monday when they host Colorado again Wednesday night in San Jose to continue the long homestand.

Notes: Tomas Hertl missed his second game after going on the Covid-19 protocol list last Wednesday…Without Hertl the Sharks went 22-29 at the face-off dot…Alexander True made his season debut, playing 6:29 with two shots on goal and two penalties…Simek’s goal was his first in almost a year, last scoring March 3rd, 2020 against Toronto…It was Karlsson’s first goal since February 10th of last season…The Avalanche were without last season’s Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar, he missed Monday’s game with an upper body injury…Timo Meier has three games with three points or more this season…Kevin Labanc has six points over his last four games.

Wild Hand Sharks 6-2 Loss to Open Long Homestand

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Minnesota Wild left wing Jordan Greenway (18) puts the puck on net only to be blocked by the San Jose Sharks goalie Martin Jones (31) during Mon Feb 22, 2021 NHL game at SAP Center in San Jose (AP News photo)

By Matthew Harrington

The Minnesota Wild rode a three-goal second period to a 6-2 win over the Sharks at SAP Center Monday night. Marcus Foligno notched a Gordie Howe hattrick, Mats Zuccarello had three points in just his fourth game this season and the rookie Kaapo Kahkonen made 31 saves for the Minnesota (9-6-0) win.

Brent Burns scored (another) highlight reel goal against the team that drafted him and Logan Couture netted his team-leading tenth goal. The Sharks (7-8-2) scored first and early, but saw the lead evaporate after two Wild goals just 11 seconds apart.

Burns opened the scoring 45 seconds into play with nifty self-chip before a silky smooth finish on the backhand. Timo Meier and Ruldolfs Balcers each assisted on the goal.

Minnesota answered back when a Sharks rush up the ice was broken up at the Wild blue line. Calder Trophy favorite Kirill Kaprizov fed the puck to Victor Rask going the other way. Rask outwaited Mario Ferraro’s sliding block attempt to feed Zuccarello for the easy one-timer and a 1-1 tie 7:49 into the period.

Coach Dean Evason stuck with that line on the ensuing faceoff and they rewarded their coach’s faith 11 seconds later. Kaprizov, waiting on the back post, took the shot-pass from Zuccarello for the easy tic-tac-goal and a 2-1 lead.

“You never want to do that,” said Burns. “You want to keep up momentum. Those next couple shifts are big ones right after that goal. Any goal. You don’t want to give up one. You definitely don’t want to give up two.”

The flood gates opened in the second period for the Wild after Ian Cole, a mid-season trade acquisition, used a Nikolai Knyzhov slip screen on to beat Martin Jones for his first goal of the season 3:36 into the middle frame.

Foligno chased Jones on a shot that knuckled off Nicolas Meloche’s stick and fluttered into the net behind the frustrated Sharks netminder. Devan Dubnyk relieve Jones after allowing four goals on 20 shots.

The Sharks captain Logan Couture brought Team Teal within a pair of goals after some solid work by Evander Kane behind the Wild net. Kane dropped as pass to Couture, who pulled the puck from behind the Minnesota net to quickly put one past Kahkonen to make it 4-2 with 8:03 left in the period.

Jonas Brodin would score in the final five seconds of a Knyzhov double-minor for high sticking to give the Wild the three-goal lead with 2:45 left in the second period. Victor Rask added an empty netter in the third for the final margin of victory.

“They have some good depth,” said Sharks coach Bob Boughner. “Their D are very active. Their guy in net played a good game tonight. I don’t think we were at our best but we definitely had spots in the first couple periods where I thought one bounce either way it could have been a different game.”

The Sharks continue their eight game homestand with a meeting with the Golden Knights Thursday evening. Vegas picked up a shutout over Anaheim Monday night courtesy of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Notes: Nikolai Knyzhov dropped the gloves with Marcus Foligno in the end of the first period, the Sharks first fighting major this season…Rudolfs Balcers had four shots on goal in the game after having just four shots on goal in his six previous games of 2021….Logan Couture leads the Honda West Division in Goals with ten…

Foligno’s Gordie Howe hattrick was the first one in nearly eight years against the Sharks with the last player to do so being Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars…Brent Burns has four goals on the season, no other Sharks defenseman has a single goal….Sharks Coach Bob Boughner pulled Dubnyk with over five minutes left in regulation for the extra attacker.

Down A Pair of D-men, Sharks Beat Ducks 3-2

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The San Jose Sharks John Leonard (43) is fired up after scoring a first period goal against the visiting Anaheim Ducks at SAP Center in San Jose on Mon Feb 15, 2021 (AP News photo) 

By Matthew Harrington

The San Jose Sharks (6-7-1) bounced back from the dismal 3-1 loss to Vegas in their home opener Saturday night, beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-2 Monday night for their first home win of the season.

Rookie John Leonard picked up his first career goal, Kevin Labanc broke a ten-game scoreless streak and Logan Couture added to his team lead with a 7th goal and added an assist.

Martin Jones made 26 saves after an early stumble and Brent Burns lead the Sharks with 26:46 minutes on ice. Sam Steele and Maxime Comtois scored for the Ducks (6-7-3).
Pressure was high for San Jose entering the game.

Not only were they without two key defensemen in Radim Simek and Erik Karlsson (both injured Saturday against Vegas), their head coach called out the team for a lack of response particularly after Simek went down to a cross-check from Jonathan Marchessault that warranted, but didn’t receive a physical response.

While the game wasn’t filled with hard hits or a parade to the penalty box, a win is ultimately the best response. The short-handed Sharks defensive corps looked like it would be in trouble early after it’s arguable top pair fumbled their way into the opening goal.

Mario Ferraro, blocking an incoming rush from Anaheim’s Sam Steele, wound up heel-kicking the puck past Jones for a 1-0 visitors lead 50 seconds into the game.
Just under halfway through the period on the power play, Leonard broke through for his first goal and first point since the season opener, curling just below the faceoff dot to Anaheim netminder John Gibson’s left.

Leonard waited for Ryan Donato to screen the Ducks goalie before wristing the puck past Gibson. Leonard’s former UMass-Amherst teammate Mario Ferraro assisted on the tying goal at the 9:43 mark of the period.

After taking a team-friendly deal last season, Labanc signed a four-year, $18.9 million deal in the offseason with the expectation that he’d be a key contributor on offense. Entering play Monday, he hadn’t lit the lamp since January 18th against St. Louis, his only marker on the year. Sometimes getting off the skid takes creativity.

4:48 into the 2nd period Labanc caught a rebound from an Evander Kane shot in mid-air brought it down to the ice, took a shot in the slot, followed his rebound and banked the puck off Gibson from below the goal line to give the Sharks the 2-1 lead.

Couture picked up the secondary assist on the goal, setting him up for a multi-point night later in the period. The Sharks captain capitalized on a Ryan Getzlaf turnover with 8:45 left in the 2nd period for his team-leading seventh goal of the season in what was one of the Sharks better periods of the season.

San Jose out-shot Anaheim 13-4 and outscored them 2-0 in the frame.
Maxime Comtois put the pressure on the Sharks to hang on to the win early in the third period, scoring his seventh goal two minutes into the final frame. The puck once again was deflected off Ferraro. Anaheim outshot the Sharks 9-6 in the period but never found their equalizing goal.

The Ducks won’t be confused for contenders in the West division this season as they continue to restock their cupboards with talent, but the Sharks need to stack up the wins against the teams they’re expected to beat in order to nab the final division playoff spot over Arizona, Los Angeles, Minnesota and Anaheim.

San Jose will have a better idea of how they’ll withstand the shortage of healthy d-men over the next nine games after moving out of the division cellar Monday. They’ll face St. Louis for four, Vegas for three and Colorado for two before facing the Ducks on the road in back-to-back games on the 12th and 13th of March. The aforementioned three clubs are near-locks to be playoff squads, if not Stanley Cup contenders.

Notes: The Sharks took warm-ups in jerseys honoring Black History Month….Fredrik Claesson made his San Jose debut being signed as a free agent on January 11th, playing 9:01 with one shot on goal and one hit registered…..The Sharks second power-play unit had a youthful feel with Rudolfs Balcers, John Leonard and Ryan Donato all on board…Logan Couture has scored in all three games against Anaheim this season.

Join Matt every Saturday night for the San Jose Sharks podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com 

Stalock Stymies Sharks, Wild Win 3-2; Loss ends SJ’s three game win streak

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photo from seattletimes.com: Minnesota Wild forward Alex Galchenyuk, left, celebrates after scoring a goal against San Jose Sharks’ Martin Jones, right, in the second..

By Matthew Harrington 

SAN JOSE–The San Jose Sharks longest win streak since November came to an end with the visiting Minnesota Wild getting a desperately needed 3-2 win. Former Shark Alex Stalock made 40 saves and Alex Galchenyuk scored the game-winner. Former Shark Gary Suter’s nephew Ryan scored for the Wild as well and Zach Parise added the insurance goal.

Stefan Noesen and Joe Thornton had the Sharks tallies and Martin Jones made 24 saves in his third-straight start. Suter scored his eighth of the year 8:34 into the first, but Noesen responded on a San Jose power play with 5:20 left in the frame. Noah Gregor and Tim Heed had the assists. 

The Wild capitalized on poor defense in the second period, scoring a pair of goals in the period. First Galchenyuk was given room to break towards the net, taking a Parise rebound to the net on the backhand for a 2-1 Wild lead 11:30 into the period. Suter also assisted on the goal for his second point of the night. 
Parise would finish off a cross-crease pass after he was left unmarked when a pair of Sharks defenders went after the Puck carrier Luke Kunin. After taking Kunin’s pass, Parise went five-hole on the backhand to beat Jones for his 25th goal with 5:32 left in the period. 

Joe Thornton scored on a net front scramble 9:08 into the third to make it 3-2 Minnesota. Despite an absolute flurry of shots, 20 by San Jose to just three for Minnesota, the Wild closed out the game. They hopped over a couple teams to now take the first wild card spot in the Western Conference. 

The Sharks next welcome the Senators to the Shark Tank for a Saturday afternoon tilt, then hit the ice Sunday night against another playoff bound squad, the Colorado Avalanche. 

Matt Harrington does the NHL podcast each Saturday for http://www.sportsradioservice.com 

Sharks Spoilers Again in 5-2 Win Over Leafs

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sfgate.com photo from sfgate.com: Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, left, scores a goal against the San Jose Sharks during the second period of an NHL hockey game in San Jose, Calif., Tuesday, March 3, 2020.

By Jerry Feitelberg

Playoff contenders coming into the Shark Tank have officially been put on notice: the San Jose Sharks will not be doormats for the top teams of the league as the season winds down. The Sharks scored two goals in less than a minute in the third period to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-2 Tuesday night after embarrassing the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0 Saturday night at home. The Sharks peppered Jack Campbell with 38 shots on goal Tuesday. 


Evander Kane scored twice, Antti Suomela and Stefan Noesen had a goal and an assist and Martin Jones made 25 saves to give the Sharks the victory over a Toronto squad sitting in third place in the Atlantic division five points ahead of the Florida Panthers. Auston Matthews scored his 46th goal of the year, trailing only David Pastrnak (47) of the Bruins for the league lead. The Maple Leafs superstar also added his 33rd assist on a Mitch Mariner goal.


The teams were tied 2-2 entering the third after Toronto twice erased a one-goal deficit, but the Sharks pulled ahead just over five minutes into the final period. Stefan Noesen used the Sap boards to his advantage, tracking down Suomela’s shot that whistled wide left of the Toronto net. It bounced off the end boards on the opposite post where Noesen was waiting to tuck it in for a 3-2 Sharks lead 5:48 into the third.


Evander Kane added his second goal of the game and 24th of the year just 50 seconds later. The winger skated to Leafs net minder Jack Campbell’s left and ripped the puck under his glove for a 4-2 lead. Radim Simek put in the empty netter for the final score. 


Kane opened the scoring in the first, tipping a Brent Burns point shot on the power play 6:38 into the game, but Matthews would answer back 2:48 into the second. Suomela scored his first goal of the year 66 seconds later after Noesen put the Puck on Campbell and Suomela found the rebound on the goal line for the no-angle strike. Marner scored with 2:33 left in the second to tie the game 2-2 on a great individual effort.

The Sharks fan once again play spoiler Thursday in game three of a five game homestand when they face the Minnesota Wild. The Wild currently sit one point back of Winnipeg for the final wild card spot in the Western Conference and look to avenge a 2-0 loss at home to the Sharks earlier in the year. 

 

Sharks Beat Devils 3-2 in OT, Couture Wins It With First Goal Since Injury Return

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photo from sfgate.com: The San Jose Sharks Marcus Sorenson scores past New Jersey goaltender Cory Schnieder at SAP Center in San Jose on Thursday night 

By Jerry Feitelberg

It’s good to have the captain back, or at least that’s what Sharks fans are saying after Logan Couture scored in overtime to cap a 3-2 comeback win after trailing 2-0 and snap a five-game losing Streak. Marcus Sorensen scored a short-handed goal and Mario Ferraro also lit the lamp to give San Jose its first win after the trade deadline.

Couture scored his first goal since returning to the lineup in the previous game, beating Schneider 38 seconds into the overtime for the win. Brent Burns had circled the cage and fed Couture in the slot, but his shot ricocheted off the goalie.

Evander Kane picked up the rebound with his back to the net, hooked his stick to pass to Couture at the far post. Couture buried it for the win and his 15th goal of the year.

Ferraro started San Jose’s comeback with his second goal of the year 2:20 into the third when his point shot fluttered through traffic, beguiling Devils net minder Corey Schneider to cut the lead to 2-1. Noah Gregor, one of the young players who will see an expanded role after the deadline departures, picked up his first career assist on the play. 

Joel Kellman, filling in on the penalty kill for an injured Melker Karlsson and the traded Barclay Goodrow, managed to force the puck the other way on a two-on-one with Marcus Sorensen. Kellman feathered the pass to Sorensen perfectly, allowing the Swede to bury his seventh goal of the year with 4:02 left in the second to tie the game.

New Jersey’s pair of first period goals came off Sharks miscues, with Travis Zajac managing to score on a no angle shot that Martin Jones saved but ultimately was pulled off the post for. The puck was sitting in the crease when Marc-Edouard Vlasic, attempting to clear it, may have put it across the goal line 11:09 into the game.

Nikita Gusev scored just under four minutes later when Jacob Middleton had a chance to clear the puck, but was pickpocketed by Gusev right in the slot. Gusev outwaited Jones for the easy goal and a 2-0 Devils lead at the time.

The Sharks continue a six-game homestand when they face the Pittsburgh Penguins Saturday night in a homecoming of sorts for one player. Patrick Marleau will face the team that traded him to the Eastern Conference in Monday’s dealings ending his second stint in Teal.

Short-handed Sharks Fall to Desperate Panthers 5-3

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photo from sfgate.com: Florida Panthers’ Mike Hoffman, right, celebrates after scoring a goal against the San Jose Sharks in the second period of an NHL hockey game Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, in San Jose, Calif.

By Jerry Feitelberg

SAN JOSE–The desperate Florida Panthers started the first game of the dreaded three-team California gauntlet with a 5-3 win over the San Jose Sharks in a Monday matinee. Sergei Bobrovsky made 29 saves and Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Hoffman and Colton Sceviour scored for the Cats while Dylan Gambrell, Kevin Labanc and Timo Meier scored for San Jose who were coming off two-game road winning streak.

Florida avoided a three-game losing streak and now sits three points back of Philadelphia for the second Eastern Conference Wild Card spot.

The Sharks continue to be without a core group of players with Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and now Erik Karlsson out with injury and Evander Kane in game two of a three-game suspension for an elbowing penalty Friday in Winnipeg.

They may add another player to the walking wounded after Antti Suomela exited the game after the second period after taking a hit from Josh Brown.

Dadonov opened the scoring for Florida when the Sharks defense loosened up enough for him to slip in and take a Frank Vatrano feed to beat Aaron Dell 4:52 into play. Gambrell picked up the equalizer, his fourth goal of the year, on a pass from Suomela right into the slot 11:30 into the period.

The Sharks fell behind 2-1 halfway through the game when Mike Hoffman picked off a d-to-d pass in his defensive end and went end-to-end before burying the puck 22nd goal of the year. A wild third period started with Colton Sceviour firing a puck on Dell, following up on his rebound and scoring at 10:04.

Kevin Labanc answered back with a strike with 5:26 left in regulation to open up a six minute span that saw teams swap four goals. Anton Stralman, Meier and Vincent Trocheck all scored down the stretch for the 5-3 final.

Next up for the Sharks is a four-game road swing through the Tri-State area, facing off against the New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers before returning home to the Shark Tank to face the Devils once again February 27th.

Flames Burn Sharks 6-2, Tkachuk Dives and Dazzles

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photo from sfgate.com: Calgary Flames’ Mark Jankowski, top right, celebrates after scoring a goal against San Jose Sharks goalie Aaron Dell, bottom left, during the second period of an NHL hockey game, Monday, Feb. 10, 2020, in San Jose, Calif

By Matthew Harrington

SAN JOSE–The Calgary Flames fourth line and power play were lethal Monday night at the SAP Center, with the Flames topping the host San Jose Sharks 6-2. Matthew Tkachuk scored a highlight reel goal, each member of Calgary’s fourth line scored and the Flames converted on three of six power play opportunities. Erik Karlsson and Brent Burns scored for San Jose. Aaron Dell made 31 saves, but the Sharks were outshot 37-36 in the loss.

Calgary had a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes thanks to Milan Lucic’s sixth goal on the man advantage and goals from fourth liners Tobias Rieder and Zac Rinaldo. Karlsson scored his 6th goal of the year with 7:13 left in the period to cut the lead and Brent Burns scored a power play goal on their lone opportunity 4:51 into the second. Calgary’s third bottom liner scored halfway through the second on a backhanded for a 4-2 Flames lead.

Matthew Tkachuk arguably took a dive early in the third period, then scored a goal that will surely be the talk of the league tomorrow morning. Much like his OT winner in Nashville earlier in the year or Tomas Hertl’s fourth goal against the Rangers years ago, Tkachuk pulled the puck between his legs and fired top shelf for a 5-2 lead. Mikael Backlund added a goal just six minutes away from the end of regulation for the 6-2 final.

The Sharks’ league-leading penalty kill was put to the test, sending a man to the box six times. Lucic, Tkachuk and Backlund all scored for a 50% PK conversion night for the Sharks. San Jose will have a while to think about this contest, they won’t play again until Friday against Winnipeg in the Great White North.

Hertl Exits Sharks 5-2 Loss to Vancouver Early with Injury

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photo from theprovince.com: Vancouver Canucks goalie Jacob Markstrom, left, blocks a shot from San Jose Sharks’ Tomas Hertl during the first period of an NHL hockey game Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020, in San Jose, Calif.

By Jerry Feitelberg

The San Jose Sharks suffered two losses Wednesday night against the Vancouver Canucks, first seeing Tomas Hertl exit the game in the 1st period with a lower body injury then following it up by losing a one-goal lead in the 3rd period to drop a 5-2 decision to the Canucks.

Hertl scored the first goal of the game before exiting with an injury and Brent Burns scored his 4th goal of the month but the Sharks ran into as tout Jacob Markstrom in net. The Canucks keeper made 38 saves to stifle the Sharks offense while the Canucks rallied to score 4 times in the 3rd period.

Hertl opened the game looking to build off his success at the All-Star Game in St. Louis where he scored 4 goals in one game and had the game-winner in the championship against the Atlantic Division. He took a pass from Timo Meier and wired it past Markstrom 4:15 into the game for a 1-0 Sharks lead.

He was using his skills as a power forward to create opportunities, but after a rush a few minutes after his goal Christopher Tanev didn’t ease up on pressure, lost his balance and pressed Hertl into the boards at an awkward angle.

Hertl lay on the ice briefly but skated off under his own power before heading down the tunnel to the Sharks locker room, ending his night after a little less than half a period.

The news after the game on Hertl didn’t sound positive. He has missed significant time with a right knee injury earlier in his young career and that area appeared to be close to the point of impact. If he is out for a prolonged period of time it may speed up the Sharks trade deadline plans with Logan Couture also still sidelined with an injury.

The early momentum for the Sharks seemed to slip away after Hertl exited the game and Quinn Hughes took advantage. His point shot worked its way through a crowd past Martin Jones 11:08 into the 1st to tie the game. Brent Burns gave the Sharks the lead 5:57 into the 2nd but Vancouver dominated the 3rd on the scoreboard.

Tyler Myers tied the game 2:36 into the period, then Marc-Edouard Vlasic took a double-minor for high-sticking 4:47 into the final period. The Sharks killed off the first penalty, but 16 seconds into the 2nd Jake Virtanen scored his 15th goal of the year. Brandon Sutter added one 59 seconds after the power play strike and Tanner Pearson scored the empty-netter for the Canucks. Markstrom turned aside all 12 third period shots for the win.

The road ahead doesn’t get easier for the Sharks who will hope to have Hertl back in the lineup Saturday. They face the red-hot Tampa Bay Lightning at home.