Author: smallforce

Sharks keep Flyers grounded 3-1

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~ (Photo: Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Though Philadelphia scored an early goal, that is all San Jose allowed in a 3-1 win Tuesday in the City of Brotherly Love.

The Flyers’ losing streak grew to nine games as they outhit the Sharks 34-12.

Logan Couture had two assists as he, Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Joe Thornton continued points streaks and Justin Braun continued an assist streak.

Aaron Dell was solid in net, as he made 22 saves.

Philadelphia got started early. Jakub Voracek got Dell looking as he shot from the left faceoff circle to Claude Giroux outside the right faceoff circle along the goal line. Giroux now has a five game point streak.

Chris Tierney made a windup shot to even the score at 10:29, aided by Brent Burns and Brenden Dillon.

Trouble began when San Jose got a power play at 16:51. The 5 on 4 then became 5 on 3 when the puck left the ice at 17:32 due to Michael Raffl. Thornton capitalized at 18:42, helped by Couture and Joe Pavelski as the Sharks scored a power play goal for the third game in a row.

The Flyers also incurred another penalty 12 seconds after Raffl’s penalty expired.

Vlasic topped the scoring off at 16:04 of the second period as the puck found its way to the net from near the blue line. Couture and Braun assisted.

Game notes: Braun’s four game point streak is a career-high (Darin Stephens). Sharks’ opponents are now 0-5 in their power play attempts. San Jose’s Melker Karlsson returned for the first time since November 18 and had two hits and one block amidst 11:20 of ice time. The Sharks took 34 shots for the second game in a row. San Jose’s four game road  trip continues on the first day of December, Friday at 4:30pm.

Sharks grab lead in the third hold for 2-1 over Kings

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~ Photo – The Associated Press

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– In a tight game between the NHL’s top two defenses, San Jose prevailed over the Kings Sunday with a 2-1 win in the second of a back-to-back.

Los Angeles led for the majority of the game but the Sharks scored two in the third to mount a comeback. According to Elias Sports, that is just the third time the team has won trailing after two in Southern California.

Both San Jose’s Melker Karlsson and Joel Ward scored their third goals. The Sharks were backed by goalie Martin Jones, who stopped 26 of 27 shots.

San Jose took the lead when Ward (back to the net)’s left skate scored off a shot by Barclay Goodrow at 12:50. Regarding the fourth line, Coach Peter DeBoer remarked, “Yeah they give us momentum, they get over the boards. They play big, they play heavy, they play hard, and they tilt the ice in our favor…even when they’re not scoring. The goals are a bonus, and a big one tonight…”

The Kings had two power plays to one and scored on their first opportunity. After a bit of give-and-go between Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty, Kopitar shot from inside the faceoff circle and Dustin Brown tipped the puck into the net at 8:30. It was Brown’s second goal and third point in three games.  

The second period saw double-digit shots for both teams, the Sharks edging 15-11. Los Angeles had more power plays again though.

San Jose evened up power play opportunities at 2:19 but it was cut short and the teams played 4-on-4 when Joe Pavelski was called for tripping. ‘

The Kings then had a fresh two minutes when Ward was called for goaltender interference. The game’s first scuffle followed.

Los Angeles’ Tyler Toffoli and the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon and Mikkel Boedker each had three shots and seven more players got involved for San Jose with the attack versus four for the Kings.

The Sharks’ top line started the game with a new combo of Logan Couture, Tomas Hertl and Pavelski but went back to Kevin Labanc, Joe Thornton and Pavelski in the third.

San Jose’s other nifty goal came when Karlsson picked up a rebound off Hertl from Couture to tie the game up at 5:42.

The Sharks were the only one with a power play in the final period as they outshot Los Angeles 14-8.

Game notes: The rivalry is now tied 1-1. Labanc, who was recalled Sunday, had two shots on goal and one hi. San Jose next hosts the Florida Panthers Thursday at 7:30pm.

Whitecaps get first franchise playoff win; Quakes eliminated shutout 5-0

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~ Photo credit: (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ A both painful and sweet match depending on your side, Vancouver asserted themselves over the San Jose Earthquakes, as the Whitecaps advanced past the Knockout Round match 5-0 Wednesday.

The score reflected the name of the match. San Jose, who recently got back into the playoffs for the first time in five years, saw their postseason ambitions cut short in a harsh way.

After the first half, it was just a one goal difference. However, though both teams had seven shots in the second half, the Quakes could not convert while Vancouver had the scoring touch. San Jose had majority possession time throughout the game.

Nicolás Mezquida, who entered in the 68th minute, scored two goals two minutes apart.

The only score they needed though, began in the 33rd minute, off a corner kick. Cristian Techera sent the ball in, Kendall Waston headed it and Fredy Montero put in the final header as he finally got his first playoff goal. It was also the Whitecaps’ first home playoff goal.

Shots were 10-3 in favor of in the first half but both teams had the same amount of shots on target, three.

For the Quakes, the 39th minute saw one of Anibal Godoy’s chances, followed by one of Victor Bernárdez’s chances in the 40th minute and one of Danny Hoesen’s two offside calls in the 41st minute.

In the second half, San Jose’s Chris Wondolowski had a chance in the 52nd minute. Hoesen had a free kick attempt that sailed just high in the next minute.  

Techera’s free kick in the 57th minute, did not miss though, as he picked the top of the net. His status was tenuous for the game when he suffered an injury in the first half.

Vancouver kept on humming as they made it 3-0 in the 64th minute. It started with a corner kick then went to a number of Whitecaps players. At one point, it hit goalie Andrew Tarbell’s leg and then Waston got Tarbell out of position with the scoring touch.

Goal number four occurred when Christian Bolanos passed to Mezquida instead of shooting and Mezquida’s ball hit the post and bounced into the net.

Mezquida then scored one-on-one versus Tarbell in the 80th minute to cap the scoring.  

 

Jones and Sharks stand tall

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~ Photo credit: NHL.com/NBC Sports California

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ As San Jose played their third road game in the last four days, the Sharks prevailed against a heavy New York Rangers’ attack Monday.

Goalie Martin Jones made a season-high 33 saves against a season-high 34 shots faced. He posted his second highest save percentage of the season. Jones and San Jose had to kill six penalties, including a 5-on-3. They have now been successful facing their last 18 power plays.

Seasoned and new players combined for success as the Sharks’ Logan Couture stayed hot (four goals, five points in last two games), Tim Heed scored his first NHL goal and Joe Thornton made #20 on the all-time points chart.

In the first period, the Rangers had double the amount of shots (16-8). San Jose also scored the most goals in this period (two) while facing their most penalties (four).

Couture began where he left off last game, scoring his seventh goal less than two minutes into the game, aided by Brent Burns and Mikkel Boedker.

New York’s best chance came on a power play by Ryan McDonagh, but the puck hit the post.

Heed then added to the lead at 12:45, helped by Tomas Hertl and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.

The 5-on-3 came during the intersection of the last two penalties of the period.

Goals number three and four came during the final minute of the second and under the three minute mark of the third. Joonas Donskoi was assisted by the two Joe’s, Thornton and Pavelski and Melker Karlsson was aided by Couture. The assist by Couture was his 200th.

New York avoided their first shutout of the season, when Mika Zibanejad scored his sixth goal at 4:23, helped by Pavel Buchnevich.

Game notes: In their last seven games, Rangers’ opponents have scored at least two goals. The Sharks have scored at least three goals apiece in their last four games. Three of them have been won by three, all wins. San Jose will play road game number four out of five versus the Boston Bruins Thursday at 4pm.

Quakes move above blue in hostile territory; SJ gets 1-1 draw in Vancouver

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~ Photo credit: San Jose Earthquakes

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose kept their playoff hopes alive with an even 1-1 score against the Vancouver Whitecaps Sunday.

The Quakes now sit in sixth place, as they spoiled the Whitecaps’ attempt to clinch first place in the Western Conference with just their second positive result on the road.

Vancouver’s Yordy Reyna scored in the first half and San Jose’s Valeri Qazaishvili aka “Vako” scored in the second half.

The Quakes have scored in each of their last three outings with all different results. The Whitecaps have also had different results in their last three matches.

San Jose held most of the possession time, 59% to 41%.

Goalie-wise, the Quakes’ Andrew Tarbell had five saves, facing six on target including three against Fredy Montero. Vancouver’s Stefan Marinovic had four saves, facing five on target including three against Vako.

The remarkable saves started in the 26th minute with Tarbell facing Brek Shea.

A full field play initiated by Montero opened up scoring with multiple great passes from Cristian Techera and Jakob Nerwinski to Reyna up front in the 29th minute. Reyna has scored in his last two 90 minute games played and has points in his last three of the same length.

San Jose’s stay in the hunt goal came by way of Darwin Ceren and Chris Wondolowski. Vako has goals in his last two MLS games and points in the last three. Wondolowski also now has points in his last three games.

Game notes: The Quakes won both of the two regular season series games. San Jose’s Decision Day matchup will be next Sunday at 1pm versus Minnesota United FC.

Kings (1-4) fall behind in second half drop fourth straight game 104-87 to Clippers

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~ Photo credit: AP

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ LOS ANGELES– Sacramento lost for the fourth time in a row, as the Clippers (2-2) won by 17 Thursday, 104-87.

In their past three games, the Kings’ scoring has increased but so has the amount of points given up to their opponents.

Meanwhile Los Angeles continued their loss-win trend, scoring 100 points for the third time this preseason.

For the Clippers, Blake Griffin led all with 18 points. Wesley Johnson had 16 points with four three’s. DeAndre Jordan had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. Milos Teodosic had a game-high six assists. Tyrone Wallace scored six points off the bench.

Zach Randolph led Sacramento with 14 points.  Off the bench, Frank Mason, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Garrett Temple each scored 13 points. Kosta Koufos scored 10 rebounds.

In the first half, neither team leading for the majority of the quarter mattered.

Los Angeles had the lead for most of the first quarter, with their biggest lead five points, but the Kings ended up top at the end. Jordan missed two free throws and Sacramento started out with the 2-0 lead. All of the Kings’ leads only lasted one possession. Sacramento got the lead again with 7:12 left. Randolph tied the game at 15.  The Kings led again with 2:19 left, before several lead changes. The first then ended with Mason’s 24-22 jumper with 21 seconds left. There were four ties with Griffin and Randolph leading the way.

Johnson started off the second with a game-tying shot. A strong dunk by Wallace then gave the Clippers the lead. Mason responded with two straight shots as the Kings retook the lead at 8:50, which they held until the end of the quarter. Sacramento’s biggest lead was eight points with the help of two three’s from Bogdanovic. Los Angeles came to within one with 2:59 left. Griffin made a free throw after scoring against Vince Carter. Jordan then tied the game at 44 apiece with 1.9 seconds left, making both of his free throws.

The tie was broken by Randolph in the third with 9:49 left and then the lead switched until 8:34 left. The Kings took control of the score with 6:36 left. The game difference reached a high of nine points as the Clippers shot 47.5% at the end of quarter. Sacramento got as close as three.  

Los Angeles kept on scoring in the fourth while the Kings’ shooting stayed as it had been. C.J. Williams extended the Clippers’ lead to 18 points with 3:33 left.

Game notes: Sacramento’s George Hill and Bogdanovic exited the game with a hurt right groin and a right ankle sprain respectively, but both do not seem serious. The Kings end the preseason on Friday the 13th versus the Golden State Warriors at 7:30pm.

Ducks get 3-0 revenge

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Photo credit: San Jose Sharks

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ ANAHEIM– San Jose found themselves on the losing end this time as the Ducks shutout the Sharks Thursday before a 15,439 preseason crowd.

It was the San Jose’s first preseason loss.

Both teams started the preseason when the Sharks shutout Anaheim 5-0. In this game, San Jose had 11 different players and the Ducks had 10.

The game-winner emerged in the third. Chris Wagner scored a wraparound goal at 5:28, aided by Dennis Rasmussen and Korbinian Holzer through Martin Jones’ five hole.

The first period saw two Sharks’ power plays and a 5-1 shot advantage until Francois Beauchemin had Anaheim’s second shot with 8:46 left. By the end of the period though, it was a one shot differential with San Jose leading 6-5.

More confrontation, shots and the first power play marked the second. Shots went the same direction as the first. The period started with the Sharks’ third power play. San Jose’s Joel Ward and the Ducks’ Andrew Cogliano had a scuffle in the second, short of a fight. Jacob Middleton gave the Sharks their first penalty when he cross-checked Corey Perry. Perry’s teammate Kale Kossila came in to defend.

Anaheim started the third period with new goalie Reto Berra. This time the period started with a Ducks’ power play. It became a two-man advantage when Tomas Hertl was called for hooking midway. San Jose killed the power plays but a minute after the last was when Wagner scored. He said, “We picked up a little energy after that goal. We started playing more in their end. We got better as the game went on.”

Anaheim doubled their lead at 16:17. With Jones positioned short side, Antoine Vermette got it into the open net far side. 40 seconds later, Kosila made it 3-0 when he directed the puck into the empty net.

The Ducks’ Head Coach Randy Carlyle felt, “we won the game ugly…scored some dirty goals.”

Timo Meier from the Sharks commented, “We played some good hockey at the end, but we let up a goal and then another one and then it broke down a little bit.” Head Coach Peter DeBoer thought, “Our defensive game was good. I thought Jones was solid. Again, you have to score to win in this league. We looked like we could have played for another hour and a half and not scored a goal.”

Game notes:  Anaheim outshot San Jose 14-9 in the third to win that battle overall 26-24. In Ward’s first action since surgery, he was on the ice for 14:01, had three shots, three attempts blocked and one missed shot. DeBoer said, “I thought as the game went on he go better. We know what he can do. We’ll be working him in.” The Sharks continue preseason with their second game against the Arizona Coyotes Saturday at 7pm.

Kershaw keeps record clean against Giants

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~ (AP Photo/Michael Owen Baker)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw (18-4) backed by double play defense equaled a 3-1 win over San Francisco in the teams’ last 2017 meeting Sunday.

Kershaw, now 25-0 versus the rival Giants, pitched seven scoreless innings until giving up a homer in the eighth. He struck out six and has had that many for the fifth outing in a row. San Francisco peppered Kershaw with eight hits like last time, but the Dodgers defense turned four double plays.

Brandon Morrow earned the save.

Yasmani Grandal had the game-winner with a two-run shot off starter Chris Stratton in the fourth. Grandal also brought in the other run and walked. Joc Pederson had two walk, one single and a stolen base.

For the Giants, Mac Williamson was a perfect 3-for-3 with the home run and two singles. Hunter Pence was also a perfect 3-for-3 versus Kershaw with two singles and an infield hit.

San Francisco pitchers threw three 1-2-3 innings.

Pence got the first hit of the game with a leadoff single but was stranded in the second.

Los Angeles followed with their first hit from Curtis Granderson. Logan Forsythe got the game’s first extra-base hit, which allowed Granderson to go to third. One out later, Grandal hit a fly ball that allowed Granderson to score.

The game winner was set up when Chase Utley reached on an infield hit and Grandal followed with a home run. It could have been worse after Pederson walked, moved to second on a sacrifice from Kershaw and moved to third on a wild pitch. However, after review, a call was overturned when a fan interfered with a catchable ball by Pence that gave the Giants the final out of the inning.

San Francisco got a leadoff runner in scoring position when Hernández hit a double in the sixth, but a poor baserunning choice ended that threat.

Like the previous game, a rally began in the eighth with Williamson’s  home run. However, the Giants were unable to do more. An interesting occurrence was when Hernández was at the plate and his bat went flying towards Kershaw. Kershaw had to jump and then retrieved the bat.

Game notes: The Dodgers’ Chris Taylor finished 0-for-11 in the series. San Francisco finishes their road trip against the Diamondbacks, starting Monday at 6:40pm.

San Francisco Giants Saturday game wrap: Giants hold on for 2-1 win

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~ (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

LOS ANGELES– San Francisco maintained their lead against a late rally attempt by the Los Angeles Dodgers Saturday.

Giants catcher Buster Posey threw out Yasiel Puig at second to end a Dodgers’ comeback that started in the eighth.

Los Angeles was scoreless entering the inning with only three hits. San Francisco had several scares as the Dodgers finally broke through starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner, when catcher Austin Barnes hit a one-out home run. Charlie Culberson doubled and Cody Bellinger came in to pinch hit. Bellinger hit the ball long but not long enough. Culberson then moved to third and the Giants brought in Hunter Strickland (H, 19). Right fielder Hunter Pence caught that out on the warning track after eight pitches.

In the ninth, Los Angeles pinch hitter Curtis Granderson singled. Puig then replaced Granderson in a force out before Puig was caught stealing.

Bumgarner (4-9) had four 1-2-3 innings including three consecutive as he ended his four-game losing streak. He threw 99 pitches in 7.2 innings, gave up five hits, one run, one walk and struck out five.  Bumgarner also pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits in his last start versus the Dodgers July 30, but did not get a decision

San Francisco only had two innings where they didn’t get on base. Left fielder Gorkys Hernández went 3-for-4 with a walk and stolen base as he crossed home plate twice.

Los Angeles starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu (5-8) had to leave in the third inning with a left forearm contusion. X-rays were negative.

Hernández started the game with a leadoff double, moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Joe Panik and with two outs, Posey hit the ball up the middle to give the Giants a 1-0 lead in the first inning for the third game in a row. Posey now has a four-game hitting streak.

It was Panik’s hit that got to Ryu. Ryu was able to retrieve the ball and make the out at first but after, had to leave the game. Ross Stripling entered the game in relief. Ryu’s line was 2 and ⅓ innings, three hits, one run, one strikeout and 23 strikes out of 36 total pitches.

San Francisco doubled their lead in the fifth. With one out, Hernández singled, stole second, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a single by Denard Span. Span also stole second.

The Dodgers almost had another 1-2-3 ending but the third out, Hernández’s hit, went in and out of Puig’s glove after he had to run for the catch.

Game notes: At game end, Puig may have twisted his ankle as he left limping. Giants’ Brandon Crawford had a save up the middle and Panik robbed Corey Seager with a sliding catch. Sam Dyson earned the save. Los Angeles pinch hitter O’Koyea Dickson got his first Major League hit in the third. The teams finish the season series at 1:10pm Sunday.

Wendle lifts A’s with slam over Phillies

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~ (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ In a 2-out, 1-run down situation, Joey Wendle hit a game-winning grand slam over Philadelphia in a 6-3 win Sunday.

The native Philadelphian hit his first career slam on the first pitch thrown to him in the inning. Oakland started off the sixth with a leadoff walk and single but Hoby Milner struck out Matt Olson and Matt Chapman struck out versus Edubray Ramos. However, Wendle rescued the A’s after Canha walked.

Oakland scored at least four runs in two of the three-game series they won. They have now homered in five straight games. In fact, all of their runs this game came via the long ball.

The Phillies’ Maikel Franco went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Chapman had an error that enabled one run to score immediately and then one more later. Two of Philadelphia’s scoring runners were able to advance a base in different innings due to a wild pitch.  

1-2-3 innings preceded both teams’ first scoring innings.

After a rough start, Sean Manaea (11-10) earned the win in five innings, giving up six hits, one earned run, two walks and striking out four.

Henderson Alvarez (0-1) took the loss in his first return to the Majors since 2015. He also pitched five innings, giving up four hits, four earned runs, two walks and striking out four.

Blake Treinen got his eighth save in one inning, giving up one walk and striking out one.

Manaea faced seven batters in his first inning. Two outs after a leadoff single, Cesar Hernandez moved over on a wild pitch. He then scored on an error by Chapman. Two more singles resulted in a second run.

To start the fourth, the A’s Chad Pinder homered on the first pitch and three pitches later, Matt Olson duplicated his effort to tie the game. Olson homered in each game of this series.   

The Phillies’ J.P. Crawford scored the 3-2 go-ahead run in the fifth with a leadoff walk. He moved over on a wild pitch and with two outs, scored on a single.

After Wendle’s grand slam, there was only a double by Oakland’s Matt Joyce and two walks by Crawford the rest of the game.

Game notes: Philadephia threw five 1-2-3 innings versus Oakland’s three. The A’s were able to keep Rhys Hoskins hitless in the series. Including another error by Chapman in the bottom of the fourth, Oakland has now had four errors in the last two games. The A’s will now face the Detroit Tigers for three, starting Monday at 4:10pm.