Author: philliptorres2013

Sharks blow out Avalanche for 50th Win

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (50-22-9) hosted the Colorado Avalanche (52-22-7) on Friday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks defeated the Avalanche 5-1 in an offensive explosion for San Jose. Marty Havlat recorded a hat trick in the third period to give the Sharks some insurance goals and assure the win for San Jose.

The Sharks took the early 2-0 lead in the first period. Dan Boyle put San Jose on the board first with a goal at 3:01. Boyle’s wrist shot was assisted by Brent Burns and Joe Thornton. Patrick Marleau doubled the lead at 10:11 with a slap shot goal that was assisted by Logan Couture and Havlat.

Colorado scored their lone goal in the second period. Patrick Bordeleau scored on a wrist shot at 15:18 to prevent the shutout for Colorado. The loss for Colorado prevented them from clinching the Central Division title.

Havlat completely took over the third and final period as he registered his sixth career hat trick. Havlat scored at 5:26, 13:40, and 15:04. Havlat’s last goal on the night was scored on an empty netter. The Sharks will be back on the ice on Saturday as they will be hosted by the Phoenix Coyotes in the regular season finale. The puck will drop at 6:00 pm.

Sharks get Shutout out by Predators

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (49-21-9) hosted the Nashville Predators (35-32-11) on Saturday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. The Predators defeated the Sharks 3-0 on their home ice in a game that was controlled by Nashville throughout the contest. The first period was a great defensive display by both teams were able to hold each other scoreless.

The Predators won the game with their great play in the second period of the game. An offensive explosion by Nashville gave them a 3-0 lead going into the third and final period. Patric Hornqvist started off the scoring at 3:48. Hornqvist’s wrist shot found the net past the stick side of Sharks’ goaltender Antti Niemi. Hornqvist stood right in front of net as he received the rebound off of teammate Colin Wilson. Wilson and Matt Cullen earned the assists on the play.

Hornqvist doubled the lead with his second goal of the game at 8:59. The slap shot goal was assisted by Nick Spaling and Calle Jarnkrok. The goal was Hornqvist’s 20th goal of the season. Nashville put up another goal at 13:16. Roman Josi scored the last goal on a backhanded shot to make it 3-0. The score held up at 3-0 and the Sharks were not able to pull back into the number one seed in the Western conference.

Carter Hutten made 35 saves for the Predators on the night as he recorded the shutout and earned the victory. Hutten was awarded the first star after the game and helped the Predators continue there playoff push.

San Jose will be back on the ice on Wednesday as they will be hosted by Anaheim Ducks in Anaheim. The puck will drop at 7:30 pm.

Sharks Come up Short in Mile High City

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By: Phillip Torres

COLORADO-The San Jose Sharks 47-20-9) were hosted by the Colorado Avalanche (47-21-6) on Saturday at in Colorado. The Avalanche came away with an impressive 3-2 victory to earn a playoff birth against a possible opponent in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Colorado goaltender Semyon Varlamov recorded a season high 47 saves on the night to preserve the one goal victory.

Colorado never trailed in the game as they got the scoring started off early in the first period. Paul Stastny knocked in a wrist shot at 1:33 in the opening period. His wrist shot that found the net passed Antti Niemi was assisted by Gabriel Landeskog and Nathan MacKinnon.

The Sharks tied the game back up at 1-1 less than two minutes later with a goal from Joe Pavelski. The score was Pavelski’s 38th goal on the season, and it came via a backhand shot, assisted by Joe Thornton and Brent Burns. Although San Jose answered back fast, the tie did not remain for long. Cody McLeod put the Avalanche back on top before the first intermission with a wrist shot at 10:34.

With the score 2-1 Colorado heading into the second period, Colorado put the game away with the eventual winning goal at 6:32 in the middle period. John Mitchell made it a 3-1 game with a wrist shot on a power play goal. The goal was assisted by Jamie McGinn and Erik Johnson.

Dan Boyle made it a 3-2 game later in the period but that goal capped the scoring on the night for both teams. The third period was a defensive showing by both opponents, especially Colorado who was great on the penalty kill all night. The Sharks had their fair share of opportunities in the final period to send the game to overtime, but it came to no avail.

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Tuesday April 1st as they will be back at the SAP Center in San Jose. The Sharks will host the Edmonton Oilers and the puck will drop at 7:30 pm.

Giants Fall to A’s 4-1

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN FRANCISCO-The San Francisco Giants hosted the Oakland Athletics at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Friday night. It was the second exhibition game in as many days at China Basin against their rivals from across the Bay. Tim Lincecum faced off against Jesse Chavez who entered the game with a 4-1 Spring record. The Giants were coming off of a 4-0 defeat last night from Oakland, and they fell 4-1 again tonight as Chavez carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning.

Lincecum was a little wild on the night in his four innings before a line drive by Daric Barton ended his night early when it bounced off of his left knee. Buster Posey defended the ball nicely to through out Barton to end the inning, but the hit caused Lincecum to leave his last Spring Training outing earlier than expected. Lincecum ended the night with four innings pitched. giving up one run and three hits, and three walks while striking out four. His spring record fell to 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA. ”The Freak” luckily avoided a freak injury right before the season opener on Monday, as he sustained only a left knee contusion.

The Lone run that was given up by Lincecum came in the third inning as John Jaso blasted a leadoff homerun onto the right field arcade. Before Angel Pagan’s one out double in the sixth inning, Chavez had only allowed two base runners, and that was a walk to Michael Morse and when he hit Hector Sanchez with an inside breaking ball that cut a little too much. Chavez earned the victory on the night and closed his spring with a remarkable 5-1 record and a 2.22 earned run average.

Oakland added onto their 1-0 lead in the sixth inning with a three run rally to give them a cushion heading late into the game. Sam Fuld knocked in a bases loaded, bases clearing triple off of lefty Dan Runzler to extend the lead to 4-0.

San Francisco could not get any type of offense going all night until the ninth inning. Joaqiun Arias knocked in Juan Perez with a two out RBI single to put the Giants on the board for the first time in the past two games. the run made it a 4-1 Athletics lead but the Giants managed to get the tying run to the plate against closer Jim Johnson as Tyler Colvin followed the Arias single with a base hit of his own. The threat was short lived though as Sanchez then popped out on the first pitch with a towering pop fly to center field.

The last Bay Bridge exhibition game will continue on Saturday, but it will be played across the Bay Bridge in Oakland. First pitch on Saturday will be at 1:05 PM at the O.co Coliseum. It will be the last game of the Spring Training season as opening day will be on Monday March 31, 2014 as the Giants will be hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Sharks denied playoff clinching win

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (48-18-8) hosted the Washington Capitals (34-27-11) on Saturday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. Washington rallied from behind to beat the Sharks 3-2 in a shootout and keep San Jose from clinching a playoff spot on the night.

It looked as if the Sharks were going to clinch their playoff birth on Saturday as they were playing the Washington Capitals, a team that hasn’t beaten the Sharks in San Jose since October of 1993, over 20 years ago. The victory for Washington was also just it’s second against San Jose in their past 19 meetings. But, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Nicklas Backstrom scored the two goals in the shootout that took hone the victory for the Capitals.

The Sharks lead 2-1 going into the third period but were denied the win after a goal from Chris Brown at 12:30. The score was Brown’s first career goal and it sent the game into overtime. San Jose had a chance to take the lead and win the game as they were on the power play with a little over two minutes remaining in regulation. But, despite having the puck in Washington territory throughout, the Sharks could not put the puck in the net.

Despite the loss San Jose was able to earn it’s 100th point on the season Because the game reached the overtime posted. They also sit atop the Pacific Division, three points ahead of the Anaheim Ducks. The Sharks will be back on the ice on Monday as they will be hosted by the Calgary Flames.

Sharks beat Islanders in Big Apple

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By: Phillip Torres

NEW YORK- The San Jose Sharks (44-17-7) defeated the New York Islanders (25-24-9) in New York on Friday night. The Sharks defeated the Islanders 4-3 pushing their winning streak to five games. The win came against Evgeni Nabokov, the former San Jose Shark’s goaltender.The victory put the Sharks in first place tie with the Anaheim Ducks in the Pacific Division. 

San Jose got on the board first at 13:27 after Matt Nieto scored his tenth goal of the season on a wrist sheet. Patrick Marleau and Logan Couture earned the two assists on the play. The sharks doubled their lead to make it 2-0 after a goal from Jason Demers. His wrist shot at 14:46 was assisted James Sheppard and Marty Havlat. 

New York answered quickly in the second period with a goal less than one minute in. Anders Lee knocked in a backhand shot into the net at 32 seconds into the second frame. Kyle Okposo and Frans Nielsen assisted the score to pull the Islanders to within one goal. 

The second frame of the game was the most explosive period offensively in the contest. Joe Thornton put the Sharks lead back to two goals with his tenth of the season. Thornton’s wrist shot into the net was assisted by Brent Burns at 9:32. 

Brock Nelson made it a 3-2 game with a goal for the Islanders late in the frame. Nelson tipped the puck in after assisted by Josh Bailey and Matt Donovan. The last score of the period belonged to the Sharks. Havlat knocked in a wrist shot at 18:15. Sheppard earned the lone assist on the play.

Nielsen scored the last goal of the game with less than one minute remaining to make it 4-3. The score was the eventual final score and the Sharks victory made it their fifth consecutive.

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Sunday as they will stay in New York to face off against the New York Rangers. The Rangers will be a tougher challenge as they are currently have 26 wins on the season. The puck will drop at 1:00 PM. 

Niemi shutout Canadians

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (41-17-7) defeated the Montreal Canadians (35-24-7) 4-0 on Saturday night at the SAP Center in San Jose. Antti Niemi recorded his second shutout of the Canadians of the season with a spectacular performance, recording 27 saves on the evening. 

Tommy Wingels got the scoring started early at 2:26 with a slapshot. The assist was earned by Logan Couture. The goal was the loan goal in the opening period and it set the tone for what was coming from the Sharks for the rest of the night. 

The Sharks scored early in the second period as well to keep the pressure on Montreal. At 1:54 in the second period Wingels scored his second goal of the game and fourteenth on the season. Wingels tipped the the puck into the net to make it a 2-0 advantage early. Raffi Torres and Matt Irwin earned the two assists on the play. 

Less than six minutes later Matt Nieto made the score 3-0 with his eighth goal of the season. Nieto’s slapshot was assisted by Couture and Patrick Marleau earned the assists on the play. 

The last goal of the game was scored by Couture at 0:43 in the third and final period. Couture’s backhand shot found the net to extend the Shark’s lead to 4-0. Nieto earned the loan assist on the play. The final score of the game stood at 4-0

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Tuesday as they will host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck will drop at 7:30 PM. 

Sabers best Sharks in Buffalo

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By: Phillip Torres

BUFFALO-The San Jose Sharks (38-17-6) were defeated by the Buffalo Sabers (18-34-8) 4-2 in a disappointing game at First Niagara Center on Friday. This was a game that San Jose normally a does not lose, as the Sabers entered the game with double the amount of losses as they had wins. 

The Sharks never held a lead throughout the entire game. Buffalo took the early 1-0 advantage in the first period at 10:59 on the power play goal. Cody Hodgson knocked the puck into the net with a wrist shot on the power play. Christian Ehrhoff and Tyler Meyers earned the assists on the play. The power play was set up for the Sabers because of a Tyler Kennedy holding penalty.

The Sharks tied the game in the second period at 9:38 after a goal from James Sheppard. The goal was Sheppard’s second of the season. The wrist shot that found the net was assisted by Dan Boyle and Marc-Edouard Vlasic. The rest of the frame was scoreless and the score remained 1-1 heading into the third and final period.

The third period was an offensive explosion for the Sabers as thy put up three goals, as the Sharks managed to just get one more on the board. Brian Flynn scored the first goal of the period to regain the lead for Buffalo. The next goal was scored by Matt Moulson. This goal extended the Sabers lead to 3-1, and eventually served as the game winning goal.

Meyers scored an empty net goal shortly after Patrick Marleau pulled the Sharks to within one goal with left than two minutes remaining.

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Sunday as they will be hosted by the New Jersey Devils. The puck will drop at 12 PM. 

Sharks earn win before Olympic Break

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (37-16-6) defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets (29-24-5) 3-2 at the SAP Center in San Jose on Friday night. The victory was just was the Sharks were looking for before heading into the Olympic break. Not only was it the last game before the 2014 Sochi Olympics, but it was also Sharks head coach Todd McLellan’s franchise-record 435 game with San Jose.

The Sharks jumped out to the early advantage as they took the 1-0 lead at the 3:23 mark in the opening period. John McCarthy scored his first goal the year after he deflected the puck into the net after James Sheppard’s shot did not find the net.

San Jose’s fast start continued as they found themselves up 2-0 after another goal less than five minutes later. This time it was Patrick Marleau finding the net with a slapshot. Scott Hannan earned the assist on the play. The Sharks dominated early and finished the first period with a 2-0 advantage.

The lone goal of the second period came at 18 seconds as the Blue Jackets cut the deficit in half. Ryan Johansen scored the unassisted goal for his 24th goal on the season and pulled his team to within one. The rest of the period was played with very stout defenses and both respective teams could not find the net. The score remained 2-1 San Jose heading into the third and final period.

Tommy Wingels gave the Sharks their two goal lead right back early into the frame. At 5:11 Wingels knocked a back hand shot into the net. Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Jason Demers picked up the assists on the shot.  The goal proved to be the eventual game winner as Columbus would tack on one more goal, but ultimately fall short 3-2 on Friday.

With the victory the Sharks finish at the break with 80 points, just five behind the Anaheim Ducks for first place in the Pacific Division.

 “We would have been probably pleased with that at the beginning of the season. Considering some of the players we lost over and throughout the year, we go into the break satisfied. Coming out of it we have work to do,” said McLellan.

With the Sochi Olympics set take off, the Sharks will not be back on the ice until Thursday February 27th. San Jose will be Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia. The puck will drop at 4:00 P.M Pacific Standard Time. 

Sharks beat Champs in shootout

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By: Phillip Torres

SAN JOSE-The San Jose Sharks (35-15-6) defeated the defending Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (33-10-14) 2-1 in a shootout at the SAP Center in San Jose on Saturday night. Another sellout crowd at SAP witnessed a tough physical battle against the defending champions. There was no score until the third period.

The first two period of the contest was a defensive struggle as both teams remained scoreless. The game was a tough physical contest with hard hits coming from both respective teams. Both teams had there chances to score but could not come up with a goal to take an early advantage.

The first score of the game came from the Sharks’ Joe Pavelski, his 29th goal of the season. Scott Hannan assisted on the score. Pavelski’s goal came at 6:10 in the period as he broke away on a short handed goal to take the 1-0 advantage.

It came as no surprise that Chicago didn’t take long to tie up the game as Brandon Saad scored past Antti Niemi 1:03 later to tie the game at one. Kris Versteeg and Marian Hossa assisted on the game tying goal.

After a scoreless five minute overtime period, the game went into a sudden death shootout. The Sharks converted all three shootout opportunities against Chicago’s one to take the 2-1 victory. Pavelski, Patrick Marleau, and Joe Thornton scored in the shootout.

The Sharks will be back on the ice on Monday as they will host the Philadelphia Flyers. The puck will drop at 7:30 PM.