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NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: Sharks on brink of elimination after 5-0 blanking

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Photo credit: nbcsports.com 

By Pearl Allison Lo

Max Pacioretty led the Vegas Golden Knights with a four-point night over the San Jose Sharks in a Game 4 win 5-0 at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday.

Pacioretty had a goal and an assist for the third straight game, two apiece at the end. Vegas had an identical game score March 21.

The last time the Sharks were held scoreless was February 21. It was their biggest margin in a loss since November 24.

Marc-Andre Fleury made a perfect 28 saves in the victory.  

Meanwhile, San Jose used two goalies again like in Game 2, but this time, Martin Jones took the loss and Aaron Dell gave up more goals.

The Sharks were still without defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic and also without Micheal Haley and Joe Thornton, who served his one-game suspension for a hit to the head in Game 3.

Vegas scored their third and fifth goals on the power play. San Jose went 0-for-4 and were outhit 54-37.

The game-winner ended up being the fourth straight goal that came within the opening two minutes of a period and involved two familiar players. The Sharks failed to keep the puck within the Knights’ zone and Mark Stone picked up the loose puck at the far blue line. He then dropped the puck back for Pacioretty before moving the defenseman, as Pacioretty shot from the top of the right faceoff circle near the slot at 1:11.

Both teams then got two penalties apiece when they committed four penalties in the span of six minutes. San Jose generated momentum on both of their power plays, with four shots during the first one and six in the second.

However, the Sharks’ enthusiasm was curbed when Shea Theodore managed to nab a 2-0 goal with less than a minute remaining.

San Jose led shots 18-7 by the end of the first period.

The start of the second period marked a change in goalies as Dell came in for Jones.

Vegas’s William Karlsson hit the goal post.

Dell lost his immunity in the game when he made an initial save versus Pacioretty and then inadvertently transferred the puck over to the right for a long rebound back to Pacioretty. Stone made a long pass across the ice past four San Jose players right before.

The Sharks’ Kevin Labanc hit the goal post with one minute to go.

Alex Tuch and Jonathan Marchessault had their first goals of the playoffs at 6:37 and 16:24 of the third, respectively.

San Jose was outshot 13-2 in the final period.  

Up Next: The Sharks face the Knights with their backs against the wall. Game 5 is Thursday in San Jose at 7 pm.

Sharks hold Draisaitl to under 50 goals in 3-2 win over Oilers

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Photo credit: (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) (Associated Press)

By Pearl Allison Lo

The Edmonton Oilers almost had a hat trick with goals number 48 and 49, but the San Jose Sharks were able to hold Leon Draisaitl and his team at bay in the Rogers Place Thursday.

Draisaitl had early goals in the first two periods at 2:03 and 3:22, but Edmonton continued on a five-game losing streak. He and the Sharks’ Logan Couture were tied for a game-high seven shots on goal.

San Jose broke a three-game losing streak on the road in their regular season road finale. They are also now 31-0 when giving up two goals or fewer.

Brent Burns got to 80 points and had a goal and assist for San Jose as he gave his postgame interview without removing all the strings of long hair all over his face. Both of his points began with faceoff wins by Tomas Hertl.

Aaron Dell had his first win since four appearances ago as he made 26 saves on 28 shots. Dell had his best save percentage (.929) in a start since November 23.

San Jose coach Pete DeBoer said after the game, “I don’t know anything yet,” re an injury that occurred when Darnell Nurse accidentally fell on top of Timo Meier.

Draisaitl’s 48th goal came short-handed and was the second game in a row the Sharks gave up such a goal.

The Sharks’ Marcus Sorensen scored his first goal since March 12 at 8:52 of the first, when Joe Thornton made a sneaky and suave pass from behind the net. Jacob Middleton earned his first assist on the play.

Burns’ goal then came at 10:04 with a wrister under the crossbar from the middle of the left faceoff circle. It was not a sure thing at first, but the goal prevailed.

Joint roughing penalties were issued to Meier and Milan Lucic at 10:37 of the second, questionable on Meier’s end.

Gustav Nyquist ended up getting the game winner at 18:48. Nyquist got a piece of Burns’ hard shot from behind him. Nyquist had four shots on goal.

Both teams had a power play in the third and five (San Jose) and six (Oilers) shots apiece.

The Sharks’ Melker Karlsson returned from injury and played 12:05.

San Jose’s recent power play remained perfect in their last 13 tries. Still, Joe Pavelski and Logan Couture saw room for overall improvement. Pavelski replied, “we gotta stay on the attack and stay aggressive…There’s always another level this team can get to.” He also noted, “we kind of beat ourselves at times, but guys were committed to getting back.”

Up Next: The Sharks play their regular season finale Saturday at home versus the Colorado Avalanche at 7:30 pm.

Canucks score three in third period, defeat Sharks 4-2  

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Photo credit: @SanJoseSharks

By Pearl Allison Lo

San Jose had a 12-0-1 record versus Vancouver, but the Canucks were able to treat their fans in the home finale with a 4-2 win at Rogers Arena Tuesday.

After a scoreless second period, former Los Angeles Kings player Tanner Pearson had the first goal in the period again. With 8:42 to go, the score was initially waved off with a whistle, but was subsequently overturned. Pete DeBoer then followed the call up with a challenge for goalie interference, but the referee’s decision stood.  

One goal later, the Sharks had a 6-4 power play in the final five minutes of the period for the third time, but it was the first time they were down during it. The scenario went quite the opposite way, as Troy Stecher scored at 18:30, shortly after goalie Martin Jones vacated his post.

San Jose fell behind early after Pearson scored at 1:28 of the first.

Kevin Labanc though, was able to tie the game at 5:09. It was his second goal in two games  and marked a six-game point streak

Then Joe Pavelski made a triumphant return, after missing a week’s worth of games which spanned over two weeks. He replied, “felt good to be back with the guys and the game.”

After being stuffed on the left side, he passed behind the net to Joe Thornton, who passed to Tomas Hertl and back to Pavelski, who scored the go-ahead goal on the man advantage at 10:47. Hertl continued a a five-game point streak and Thornton earned his second straight assist, matching him on the all-time assist list with Steve Yzerman (8th place). Thornton commented, “That’s the reason I wear #19. It’s pretty cool.”   

San Jose outshot Vancouver 12-6.

In the second, Stecher passed up ice to Loui Eriksson, where Jones robbed him up close.

The Sharks’ Jacob Middleton earned his first NHL penalty, when he was called for tripping at 5:03. It was Middleton’s second game. He last played January 5.

With under five minutes to go in the middle period, Jones went post to post to block Brock Boeser.

San Jose’s Micheal Haley blocked Luke Schenn’s shot with his hand during the opening five minutes of the third and headed to the locker room.

Markus Grandland scored the game-winner at 13:30 off a deflection.

The Sharks had 35 shots on net after just 15 versus the Calgary Flames. San Jose has now killed ten straight penalties.

Despite the turn of events in the game, Thornton expressed optimism, “We got two kind of practice shots at this again and then the real season starts.”

Up Next: The Sharks finish their road regular season against the Edmonton Oilers Thursday at 6 pm.

Sharks lose to Ducks 4-3 in OT

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~ AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Ducks ended up with a winning homestand, as they scored 38 seconds into overtime to snuff out San Jose Friday 4-3.

Back and forth on the power play was the name of the game in the third period. Three of the four penalties resulted in goals. By nature of this overtime though, there was no chance for a comeback after a score. Jakob Silfverberg capped off a three-point night with the game-winner 38 seconds into extra time.

The last time Anaheim played an overtime game was January 13. The Sharks had played to an overtime win March 9 and are now on a five-game losing streak. Despite the results, it was the closest game San Jose had been in and the third period especially, showed the grit and competitiveness of both teams. The season series ended in a 2-2 tie, with each team winning a game in the extra period.

The teams traded goals all the way throughout the game.

Timo Meier, speaking about the loss, noted, “we might face a lot of adversity now, but we’re gonna learn out of this…playoffs are close, so you’d rather go through a slump like that now, learn out of it, get stronger as a team, get tighter as a group, and learn…‘cuz there’s gonna be a lot of ups and downs coming up, so…we gotta react the right way.”

The Ducks’ Rickard Rakell also had a three point game. For the Sharks, Marc-Edouard Vlasic had two assists and Meier, Justin Braun and Kevin Labanc each had goals.

The game’s first goal occurred when San Jose’s Brent Burns lost the puck to Ryan Getzlaf in the Sharks’ end. Silfverberg passed back left to Rakell, who pinpointed the top shelf left corner at 7:58.

It was Anaheim’s third shot of the game and first goal since 15:17 in the third period of Sunday’s game.

Later, San Jose had power play opportunities at 9:40 (two shots) and 15:46 (one shot blocked). The Ducks had a power play that started at 19:39.

The Sharks had 10 giveaways compared to three for Anaheim in the opening period.

To start the second, the Ducks finished out their power play and Kevin Labanc scored at 2:29 with a diagonal shot versus goalie John Gibson to even the game. The play was set up with crisp and timely passing from Marcus Sorensen and Vlasic before reaching Labanc.

San Jose had another power play at 12:34.  

The Sharks ended up outshooting 11-4 in the middle period. One of Anaheim’s shots came shorthanded. San Jose had 11 of their attempts blocked.  

The visitors began the third with a penalty at 1:05 and the home team capitalized. Troy Terry passed between two Sharks to Adam Henrique who had a Shark himself in front, as the puck squeezed between goalie Aaron Dell’s legs at 2:41 to make it 2-1.

San Jose had another chance to make waves of their own when the Ducks were called for slashing at 4:36. The visitors did indeed capitalize, as Joe Thornton shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. It looked like Gibson saved the puck, but it ended up going over his left pad and Meier was there to finish the play off, re-tying the game.

Anaheim’s Hampus Lindholm was called for interference at 8:19 and then the Sharks’ Melker Karlsson for holding at 14:14. Karlsson’s penalty resulted in the period’s third power play goal as Rakell struck again, this time from the top of the left faceoff circle as he hit a similar area to his first goal.

San Jose then scored the only even strength goal of the period. Vlasic began the play with a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle. As the puck went around the back of the net, his former defensive partner Braun picked it up in the right faceoff circle to end the third period with the game’s third tie at 17:20. It was Braun’s 600th career game and also…

The Sharks had one out of three players that missed Thursday’s game back. Logan Couture returned after missing last game with flu-like symptoms. Those who were out for multiple games already though, remained that way. Erik Karlsson was out for his eleventh straight game (groin) and Joe Pavelski was out for the third straight game (lower-body injury).

Up Next: San Jose finishes off March with a four game homestand, taking off with the Detroit Red Wings first, Monday at 7:30 pm.  

Hertl provides half the Sharks’ goals as they roll to 4-0 victory  

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~ AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose had no even-strength goals in their win over the Pittsburgh Penguins Thursday.

I wonder if Tomas Hertl likes penguins as animals as he certainly had no mercy for the team. Back when the teams played January 15 in a 5-2 victory, on he was the first star again with a hat trick that included an empty-netter.

This time he started the scoring just 57 seconds in.

Martin Jones was a perfect 26-for-26 in net on the other end of the ice. This included shutting down Pittsburgh star Sidney Crosby who was on another season-high six-game points streak. Jones plus the Sharks’ defense held Crosby to three shots on goal.

Hertl last had two goals February 7 and the Penguins were last shutout February 5. The last time San Jose shut out a team was back on December 18 versus the Minnesota Wild by the identical score of 4-0.

Brent Burns was the second star of the game with one goal and two assists.

The Sharks finished 3-for-6 on the power play, taking advantage of their opportunities.

Hertl’s first goal came just one second after Jack Johnson was called for tripping.

Evander Kane doubled the lead short-handed at 10:01.

Hertl reappeared at 13:19, with his second power-play goal of the period. Kevin Labanc assisted on both of Hertl’s goals as the goal came on another tripping penalty by the Penguins.

This provided a tough hill for Pittsburgh to climb.

Neither team scored in the second with each taking nine shots on goal. The Penguins had two more penalties and San Jose another one.

That penalty action escalated in the third. It started with Hertl and Tanner Pearson called for roughing minors at 2:20. 15:24 was the highlight, with Pittsburgh’s Marcus Pettersson, Crosby and the Sharks’ Brenden Dillon and Micheal Haley, all receiving 10 minute misconducts. At that same time, Kane and Pearson again received a five minute fighting major. Two seconds later, Phil Kessel was called for a high stick. Kris Letang, who led with six shots on goal, received a cross check minor at 15:17 and Evgeni Malkin capped the period off at 19:47 with a 10 minute misconduct.

Burns managed to capitalize at the height of this in between as he scored at 16:51.

Up Next: San Jose plays the Columbus Blue Jackets Saturday at 2 pm.

Durant gets MVP as Team LeBron wins second title 178-164

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~ (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ With the 2019 All-Star game hosted in Charlotte, North Carolina, Team LeBron overcame Team Giannis 178-164, which had Hornets ambassador Kemba Walker and Stephen Curry, who grew up in the city.  

Golden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant received the MVP award for the second time. He finished with the second-highest point total in the game, scoring 31 points on 10-of-15 shooting with six threes on 6-of-9 shooting, 5-of-5 from the free throw line, seven rebounds, two assists, two turnovers, one steal and two blocks.   

Team LeBron also won in 2018 in the inaugural All-Star format, beating Team Stephen narrowly, 148-145.

$350,000 was awarded to the screams of Right Moves for Youth, LeBron James’ charity and  $150,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s charity.

Damian Lillard said the talk during halftime was, “They (Team Giannis) were scoring too easy…We had to make them work a bit more…we got better shots.”

Antetokounmpo led all with 38 points on 17-of-23 shooting, two threes, 2-of-2 on free throws, 11 rebounds, five assists, three turnovers and one steal.

In the first quarter, Team Giannis tied a record with 53 points as they shot 66% from the field led the man himself with 16 points, as he went 8-8 from the field, followed by Milwaukee Bucks’ teammate Khris Middleton with 12 points. Durant led Team LeBron with 10 points and honorary All-Star Dirk Nowitzki went perfect with two three’s. Team Giannis established their lead that they would hold onto for awhile with Joel Embiid’s layup with 7:16 left in the opening quarter.

In the second, Team LeBron’s honorary All-Star Dwayne Wade had his first three and shot as he pedaled back grinning.

On the third possession after, Nowitzki finished 3-for-3 in the first half as he had another three. James Harden was unable to duplicate on the other end. Nowitzki then went back to the bench referring to his threes, saying “That’s what I do.”  

Karl Anthony-Towns had two dunks within a minute, the second one a heavy-handed jam as he  raced down the lane. “We were down 15, now down 13, gotta do something…Lot of money on the line,” commented Towns later.

Paul George had a reverse 360 dunk and a highlight replayed often, was Curry with a high bounce pass to Antetokounmpo with the high dunk, followed by airplane arms and flying reactions from both players. “I’m not sure anyone else on the floor could have finished that one,” noted Curry.  

After missing his first five shots, Curry’s first field goal was a three with 5:36 left in the second.

During halftime, Embiid did not think the score would run up to 200 points because he said “at the fourth quarter, they’re going to start playing more defense.”

Team LeBron nearly matched Team Giannis’s total from the first in the third with 50 points.

Walker stole the ball from Durant and scored to start the third. Wade made a dunk 14 seconds later.

George gave Team Giannis three-digit points with 10:44 left to make it 101-87.

Former teammates connected in-game with Wade putting the ball off the backboard for James.

The game reached its highest 20-point deficit when Antetokounmpo made it 109-89 with 9:30 to go in the third.

Durant got the 99th point and after Harden, Kyrie Irving and James all missed threes, finally got Team LeBron’s 100th point with a free throw.

Durant’s two free throws were part of a 33-13 run as things got more competitive. Bradley Beal, Lillard and Klay Thompson combined for seven threes. Westbrook was particularly active for Team Giannis when he was subbed in the game, making four of his seven attempts.

With 3:17 left, Thompson made a three and Lillard made the 124-124 downtown bucket before Kyle Lowry took back the lead, followed by Lillard hitting a three again. Lowry tried to follow suit but missed.

Team LeBron made it 132-131 with 39.2 seconds left in the third on Ben Simmons’ hook, finishing the third with the advantage.

Curry kicked off his fourth with 9:18 left when Golden State’s Thompson ran into Curry before he Curry knocked down a three. “If I could have one shot out of the 23 I took, it’d be that one,” laughed Curry. He missed seven shots the rest of the quarter, the majority of them threes.

Starting with 7:39 left, Team LeBron went 13-0 to run up the score before Giannis said “No” with a driving dunk shot with under five minutes left.

11 of Durant’s 19-point second half came in the fourth.

One of his Warriors teammates was not done yet though, as Curry capped off the night alley-ooping to himself for a reverse slam with four seconds remaining. It was foreshadowed a bit, as Curry did the same in pregame warmups.

Up Next: Curry finished with 17 points on 6-of-23 shootings, four threes on 4-of-17 threes, one free throw, nine rebounds, seven assists and two turnovers. Thompson finished with 20 points, on 7-of-16 shooting, six threes on 6-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds, four assists and one steal.

The next All-Star Game is Feb. 16, 2020, in Chicago. The players return from All-Star break Thursday with the first games at 4 pm and Golden State slated to play the Sacramento Kings at 7:30 pm.

Jones, Sharks keep Flames at bay with 5-2 win

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Photo credit: @BrodieNBCS

By Pearl Allison Lo

Despite San Jose’s seven penalties, goalie Martin Jones had 36 saves backed up with goal power, as the Sharks won over the Flames 5-2 Thursday.

As the top two teams in the Western Pacific came to a head, the result was San Jose moving two points closer to the Flames and now two points away from the lead position.

Joe Thornton received his 1000th point with the Sharks and Tomas Hertl and Evander Kane scored two goals and an assist apiece.

San Jose scored three goals in a span of 1:24 and never trailed after.

“Coming from Winnipeg, big win, you don’t want to let it down,” noted Thornton.

The beginning half of the first was marked by a goal from Mark Jankowski at 4:36 as he deflected Mark Giordano’s shot. Calgary also had a power play chance.

The second half started when Dalton Prout was called for interfering with Kane at 10:55. The Sharks’ first power play was cut short by a slash from Hertl, but San Jose capitalized 4-on-4. Thornton earned his 1000th point with the primary assist after a turnover by Johnny Gaudreau on the other end. Kane’s shot looked like it was blocked, but it slowly slid between goalie David Rittich’s legs at 12:39.

The Sharks then scored shorthanded with the Flames’ remaining time on the man advantage. Brent Burns stole the puck with Rittich moving to the top of the right faceoff circle to clear. However, it was Burns who won the battle, as he made his way past Rittich to score second in the empty net.

This prompted a goalie change from Rittich to Mike Smith.

But San Jose was not done yet. Smith was no less immune as the Sharks’ third goal was scored 5-on-5 with Hertl tipping Radim Simek’s shot from the point.

Calgary came out gunning in the second period with six shots on goal and five blocked shots in the first six and a half minutes. A wraparound attempt by Gaudreau inspired a sprawled out toe save along the post by Jones after he stopped the puck on the other side off teammate Justin Braun’s stick. The Flames earned a power play at 6:33, during which the Sharks were luckily able to avoid a goal. It took two other Sharks besides Jones in net to achieve that.

It took until 16:27 for more scoring action. Kane earned his second goal on his second attempt to give him two goals twice in four games. Joonas Donskoi made a nice pass up ice beforehand.

Calgary was not left out though. Tim Heed took a slashing call at 17:19 and 23 seconds later, T.J. Brodie scored on the power play from the point through traffic. His shot went off Braun to give the Flames a 4-2 goal.

In the third, San Jose’s Brenden Dillon took a penalty at 2:42.

Later, both goalies exchanged tripping penalties with Smith charged at 10:10 and Jones charged at 12:35. Right before Smith, Thornton had an attempt clang off the post.

Kane got a cross checking minor at 15:45. The Flames’ chance at an advantage were then interrupted with interference on Giordano over a minute later, during which the Sharks scored their final goal on a power play. Hertl’s goal came at 18:37.

Up Next: San Jose go for five straight wins and a 3-0 Canadian road trip when Game Three starts on Saturday versus the Edmonton Oilers at 4 pm.

Sharks make up for mistake with third overtime win 3-2

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~ Photo credit: Trevor Hagan/The Candian Press via AP

~ By Pearl Allison Lo

~ San Jose’s styling in the extra period came shorthanded as they won their third straight, 3-2, halting the Winnipeg Jets Tuesday.

Brent Burns created a turnover and initiated the pass to Joe Pavelski as he went top shelf at 2:49. Coach Pete DeBoer called both plays “world class”.

Pavelski was leaving the ice and Evander Kane entering as they took a penalty for too many men on the ice at 1:20.  

The Jets were on a three game winning streak and a longer seven-game one at home.

“I think PK won that game for us,” replied Pavelski with Logan Couture agreeing  “the kill getting it done,” and Justin Braun echoing the same.

Winnipeg went scoreless through their five power play advantages. “We got fortunate on the first one. Laine had 3-4 open looks,” DeBoer asserted.

The Jets’ Blake Wheeler kicked it off with his second in as many games at 3:08 of the first.

Couture then scored from the slot 13 seconds into Jacob Trouba’s tripping penalty to even the score at 10:54. It continued a now four-game point streak for Couture.

Winnipeg’s Mathieu Perreault retook the lead with his second point in as many games, this goal just under a minute into the second.

At 9:35, it looked like the Jets would take on an even bigger lead courtesy of Mark Scheifele. However, “Danny in the video room made a great call,” as video coach Dan Darrow noted Winnipeg was offsides and DeBoer was successful in his coach’s challenge. Thinking about the alternative, Braun commented, “going down 3-1 in this barn is tough.”

It was not until 2:35 of the third that Marcus Sorensen then pushed to re-tie the game before almost tripping over goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

A joint penalty was called at 11:51 to Perreault for interference and Timo Meier for embellishment.

Up Next: The Sharks continue toward game two of their Canadian road trip with their next opponent, the Calgary Flames, Thursday at 6 pm.

2019 NHL All-Star Game Feature

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Photo credit: @NHL

By Pearl Allison Lo

SAN JOSE — The 2019 NHL All-Star Game, played on a Saturday for the first time in years, also debuted Parley Ocean Plastic™ jerseys and player tracking at home on TV and on the Jumbotron inside the arena.

Asked if it felt different having the game being played on a different day, Calgary Flames’ Johnny Gaudreau uttered, “It didn’t feel too different, just get out of here one day earlier. It was a fun weekend. Had a blast. Wish we could have kept playing here, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. The Central division has some pretty skilled players right there, so I think they played well.”

The game jerseys were the first-ever NHL jerseys featuring repurposed and upcycled materials developed in partnership with Parley for the Oceans. The white and black jerseys, matching the on-ice elements, also marked the first time team logos were used for NHL All-Star jerseys. An ad after the second game, showed players commenting about the joint initiative with Adidas, including “plastic doesn’t belong in the ocean,” and “turning threat into thread.”

After the first game, Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid asked if the jerseys felt any different and the idea behind them, replied, “I think the jerseys felt the same. I l love the idea behind it. It’s good for the environment. It’s pretty remarkable what they can do with turning plastic into those jerseys…”  

On the Jumbotron below the score, it showed the top three on-ice time for either side. Also shown on the screen was the puck speed and players’ names and numbers at times. The score and on-ice time glitched out during the Championship game, with the score returning eventually, but not the on-ice time stats.

“The San Jose boys turned it on for a bit. 10-5 is better than 10-1,” Edmonton’s Leo Draisaitl mentioned, as Joe Pavelski, Brent Burns and Eric Karlsson combined for three goals and two assists.

During the beginning of the game, “Let’s Go Sharks!” was chanted and when Karlsson scored the first goal for the Pacific with a clutch breakaway and every Pacific goal after, the hometown team’s goal song buzzed inside the building.

Asked the percent of how much that made it feel like home, versus an All-Star Game, Burns replied, “The chants were pretty cool. Making it 3-on-3 is a totally different atmosphere. The crowd was awesome. It was good energy. Terrible outcome,” interjected Karlsson to raucous laughter.

Draisaitl gave Anaheim Ducks’ goalie John Gibson a reassuring stick tap after the Central Division scored their sixth goal versus him. “Ducks Suck” chants were also heard from the crowd.

On the booing from the crowd perspective, Draisaitl offered, “At the end of the day, it’s all for fun, so I think those fans enjoyed watching the best players in the world. Obviously, if they can make a joke or little fun..it’s all good.”

For Gibson, Gaudreau commented, “well yeah, it’s not his fault. He’s got 12 superstars coming down on him, 2-on-1s, 3-on-2s, breakways, can’t blame him. That’s what happens when you put 10-12 guys who can shoot the puck and make plays like that, so it kind of got away from us there for a little.”

Gaudreau’s dad was behind the Pacific bench as a Special Assistant. On how he would describe his dad as a coach during the game, Gaudreau conveyed, “He was quiet, first, for a little bit, but he hates losing more than me, so he started off, just giving guys little pushes on the back, saying “Let’s go, let’s go…He had a lot of fun with it.”

Another great announcement by the NHL was made during the second game intermission: To celebrate the contributions of Renata Fast (Team Canada), Brianna Decker (Team USA), Kendall Coyne Schofield (Team USA) and Rebecca Johnston (Team Canada), the NHL will donate $25,000 in each of their names to charities or hockey programs of their choice.  

Sidney Crosby made his return to the All-Star celebration triumphantly, named the All-Star MVP by the fans with four goals and four assists, scoring two goals and one assist in Game Two and two goals and two assists in the Championship game.

On being able to play, Crosby remarked, “It was fun to be with the guys” and about his success here, “got some great memories here for sure.”

2019 NHL All-Star Game News and Commentary

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Photo credit: @NHL

By Pearl Allison Lo

SAN JOSE — The “hub of innovation,” as proclaimed by Commissioner Gary Bettman earlier in the day to media, kicked off 2019 NHL All-Star weekend for the first time since 1997, with the Skills Competition Friday.

Players who did not make Media Day on Wednesday were made available to the press before the Skills showcase. These participants included Braden Holtby (WSH), John Carlson (WSH), Marc-Andre Fleury (VGK), Kris Letang (PIT), Drew Doughty (LAK) and Nathan MacKinnon (COL). Sidney Crosby was absent due to illness and did not play in the competition.

Doughty, set to play in Accuracy Shooting, on his chances, replied, “I doubt I’ll win. Yeah, I don’t know. I have a decent shot, but I can say I’ve never just stood in front of the net and shots pucks at targets before, so this’ll be my first time, and I’m sure the crowd will probably be booing me, so I’ll probably be super nervous, and embararssed a little bit…Hopefully the shoot goes well.” Doughty ended up in third out of eighth place with a time of 14.423 seconds.   

First time NHL All-Star Carlson’s game was the hardest shot. Before, he said, “I’m looking forward to giving it a try. I haven’t ever been registered before, so I think we all have a chance this year with some of the guys that are in here…I like watching all of them (the competitions). I think they all showcase the talent of these great players in the league and that’s what it’s about and I like seeing some of the ways that our guys can handle the puck.” Carlson was the $25,000 winner, finishing with the top two quickest shots at 102.8mph and 100.6mph.

MacKinnon, an All-Star Captain for the first time, was on the shelf as well for the contest. HE responded, “I was forced, but I love coming here. It’s still fun. I’m still the captain…It’s just a bruise on the inside of my foot…we know it’s not broken…I’ll be good to go against Vancouver (February 2). Regarding not participating in the fastest skater competition, McKinnon replied, “I get killed every year…Connor’s so fast…McDavid won his third straight fastest skater contest with a time of 13.378 seconds.

The replacement for MacKinnon was the first woman to ever compete in the Skills match. Kendall Coyne from the U.S. Women’s National Team skated first and beat out Clayton Keller of the Arizona Coyotes. With chants of “USA,” Coyne gushed she was “super, super excited, super, super honored. Thanks for the NHL’s support.” Johnny Gaudreau of the Calgary Flames commented, “She was fast. I didn’t expect that…It’s pretty impressive, obviously…she’s American, which is even better.”

Going back to MacKinnon on his favorite skill, he said, “probably the shooting. I always have to do the skating, but I’d love to do the shooting one year for sure.”

Regarding his teammates’ chances in the skills competition, Gabriel Landeskog and Mikko Rantanen, MacKinnon analyzed, “Gabe has to do puck handling, so I don’t know. I don’t like his chances. He’s more of a forechecker.” For Mikko, he verified, “He’s got over 50 assists, so I think he’ll do pretty good at passing.”  Landeskog finished fifth out of eighth in puck control with 33.425 seconds and Rantanen got second out of eighth with 2 minutes and 17.379 seconds.

Sharks’ defenseman Erik Karlsson did participate in the All-Star Skills, despite his status being questionable due to recent injury. On being able to participate, he replied, “It’s great, especially being here in San Jose, I think it’s a great thing for this fan base and for this organization and community, so I’m happy I can be here.”  He finished seventh out of eighth in Premier Passer with 1 minute and 58.824 seconds. Teammate Joe Pavelski described the event well, “It seems like one of those events where you need a little momentum going in, and if you get a couple early, that’s good, if not, it’s pretty tough.”

An especially great moment of the competition for the hometown crowd, was when Toronto Maple Leaf’s Auston Matthews, playing in the last event of Accuracy Shooting, removed his jersey to reveal that of his now teammate and former Sharks’ legend Patrick Marleau, which he wore while partaking in the event.” Afterwards, he, along with San Jose’s representative of Karlsson, Pavelski and Brent Burns, took a picture with Burns’ and Pavelski’s boys.