Author: Sports Radio Service

Kings deal Warriors a 129-99 drubbing at Chase Center

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The Sacramento Kings guard Devin Carter (22) drives on the Golden State Warriors forward Lindy Waters III (left) in first half action at the Chase Center in San Francisco Sun Jan 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SAN FRANCISCO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Sunday night. On Sunday, the Kings traveled west to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors. Neither the Warriors nor the Kings have had the best of seasons so far this year. Entering Sunday, the Warriors held an 18-16 record and were eighth in the Western Conference.

After a strong start to the season with a 12-3 record in their first 15 games, the Warriors have since struggled, going 6-13—a stark contrast for a team with championship aspirations, especially as Stephen Curry, now 36 years old, continues to lead the squad. Conversely, the Kings didn’t enjoy a hot start like the Warriors; they’ve hovered around or below .500 all season, entering Sunday’s game with a 16-19 record.

On Sunday, the Warriors were shorthanded, missing Jonathan Kuminga due to a sprained ankle. This marked a significant loss for the Warriors, who are reportedly exploring potential trades involving the young player.

On the other side, the Kings were without De’Aaron Fox, sidelined by a right glute contusion sustained during a hard foul on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies. The game tipped off at 5:30 PM PST at Chase Center as the Kings ultimately defeated the Golden State Warriors on the road with a commanding 129-99 victory.

Game recap: In the first half, the Kings came out firing on all cylinders offensively. They scored an impressive 75 points in the first half compared to the Warriors’ 51. The Kings’ offense was dynamic, with excellent ball movement that consistently left the Warriors’ defense scrambling in rotation.

Sacramento shot an impressive 66.7% from two-point range and 47.8% from beyond the arc in the first half. According to Kings PR via Basketball Reference, this marked the first time in franchise history that the Kings scored 75 or more points in consecutive first halves (The Kings scored 78 in the first half against the Grizzlies on Friday night).

On the other hand, the Warriors weren’t entirely ineffective, shooting 44% from both the floor and from deep in the first half. However, turnovers proved costly as the Warriors committed 13 turnovers, which the Kings capitalized on by scoring 20 points off those mistakes.

In the second half, the Kings maintained their dominance. The Warriors made a few small runs early in the half but couldn’t match Sacramento’s offensive output. The Kings added 54 points in the second half, while the Warriors managed 48, sealing the 129-99 victory.

Malik Monk stepped up significantly for the Kings in Fox’s absence, contributing 26 points and 12 assists. Domantas Sabonis added a 22-point double-double, while Devin Carter scored his first NBA points, finishing with 13 points and seven rebounds. For Golden State, Curry led the way with 26 points and seven rebounds.

Postgame Reflections The Kings improved to 17-19, while the Warriors dropped to 18-17 and continued to struggle. The Kings’ victory marked their fourth consecutive win.

When asked about the team’s turnaround, DeMar DeRozan said, “We are just going out there, playing freely with joy and for one another.” Head Coach Doug Christie added, “The guys played with a high level of competition and competitive nature.”

When I asked about the team’s preparations for upcoming games against Miami and Boston, Christie humorously replied, “You do know I just got this job, right?” Fair enough, Doug.

Up Next The Kings return home to face the Miami Heat on Monday at 7 PM PST at Golden 1 Center. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler, who has been suspended for seven games for conduct detrimental to the team. Additionally, he was fined $532,000 per game by Heat President Pat Riley.

San Francisco On the Losing End of Season Finale Against the Cardinals 47-24

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San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Joshua Dobbs (5) looks to pass against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale AZ on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (AP News photo)

By Barbara Mason

The final game of the season finished in much the same way as the San Francisco 49ers (6-11) season went. It was another in a long list of disappointments this season for San Francisco losing to the Arizona Cardinals (8-9) 47-24.

Going from playing in last year’s Super Bowl to being a Super Bowl contender at the start of the season to self-destructing throughout was a shock to many. The litany of injuries this season was crazy. Today’s loss was a rough way to go into the off-season.

Game recap: The first quarter was a tight one with only a field goal apiece for each teams. After the first fifteen minutes of play the score was knotted up 3-3. San Francisco was first up on the board with a successful 51 yard field goal kick from Jake Moody for the early 3-0 lead.

Moody has struggled significantly in the latter games of the season and the successful kick was a welcome sight. The Cardinals tied up the game with 56 seconds left in the quarter. Chad Ryland also kicked a 51 yard field goal tying the game 3-3 going into the second quarter.

The second quarter was productive for both teams. Greg Dortch caught a 23 yard pass from Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray, the first of two touchdowns he threw in the second quarter. The strike gave Arizona a 10-3 lead in the early play of the quarter.

The Cardinals continued to lead throuout most of the quarter. At 5:43 San Francisco scored their first touchdown of the game. Quarterback Joshua Dobbs rushed for one yard and with the successful Moody PAT this game was all tied up 10-10.

The final two minutes of the half turned out to be a scoring frenzy. With 1:51 left in the half Kyler Murray connected with Trey McBride for two yards and the touchdown taking a 17-10 lead.

San Francisco marched downfield scoring: a Joshua Dobbs to Ricky Pearsall 6 yard pass tying up this game at 17. With 16 seconds left in the half this game would more than likely be tied going into the locker room.

The Cardinals thought otherwise and were able to drive to within field goal range to take back the lead at halftime 20-17. Arizona’s Chad Ryland kicked a 49 yard field goal in a wild two minutes of this first half.

Going into the third quarter, this was anybody’s game in a hotly contested affair. The way these two teams were playing one would think there was something at stake more than merely pride. Kyler Murray connected with Greg Dortch for two yards and his third touchdown of the day at 8:28.

The two-point conversion failed as the Cardinals extended their lead to 26-17. With under five minutes left in the quarter San Francisco’s Joshua Dobbs connected with Ricky Pearsall for six yards. Trailing 24-26 San Francisco was still very much in this game going into the fourth quarter.

The final quarter of this game was all Arizona. They would go on to score three times in the fourth quarter with Kyler Murray throwing his fourth touchdown of the game. San Francisco would come up empty in the quarter.

The Cardinals Michael Carter rushed for four yards to open the quarter giving the Cardinals a 33-24 lead. Kyler Murray passed to Marvin Harrison Jr. for 12 yards and a 40-24 Arizona lead. They would finish off San Francisco with 1:47 left in the game. Tony Jones got open and romped for 46 yards. Arizona had scored their sixth touchdown of the game, the final 47-24.

San Francisco’s Joshua Dobbs finished the game with 326 passing yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Ricky Pearsall had another solid game with six receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown. Rushing honors for the 49ers went to Patrick Tayler Jr. with 109 yards.

Arizona had a killer fourth quarter. Quarterback Kyler Murray finished the game with some amazing stats. He had 242 passing yards, 22 rushing yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Cardinals receiving core was solid with Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., Greg Dortch and Zay Jones all contributing to the win.

Game notes: Sunday afternoon the 49ers traveled to Arizona taking on the Arizona Cardinals. At the start of this season, the 49ers were thought of as Super Bowl contenders. It hardly went that way. The injuries began to rear their ugly head early in the season. One key player would return from injury when another would go down.

This had to be so frustrating for the Niners. The injuries continued throughout the entire season; there was no end to the misery. The Cardinals have had a rough season as well with injuries and disappointing play.

The game Sunday was be played in pleasant temperatures with the roof open at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Both teams were looking to close out their season on a winning note. San Francisco did not play a lot of their starters with Brock Purdy being the most notable with Joshua Dobbs starting in his place.

Both of these teams will now go into the off season with a lot to contemplate. San Francisco has a lot of questions to answer as they now look ahead to the 2025 season. It would appear that Head Coach Kyle Shanahan will remain with the team according to reports.

This is good news for San Francisco. Much of what went wrong this season had little to do with the coaching and much to do with the multitude of injuries they suffered all year. It will be a long off-season for the team as they look ahead to a new start this fall 2025.

Barracuda score early then hold on for 4-3 win over Eagles, split series

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The San Jose Barracuda celebrate Thomas Bordeleau’s first period goal during their 4-3 win over the Colorado Eagles at Tech CU Arena on Sunday JAN 5, 2025. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The San Jose Barracuda jumped out to an early lead and then held on for dear life as they defeated the Colorado Eagles 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose split the weekend series and has won two of its past three games. Colorado has lost for just the second time in their past seven games with the split.

San Jose (19-11-0-2-40 points) drew first blood in a three-goal first period. ‘Cuda captain Andrew Poturalski led a counterattack up the ice. Tristen Robin skated inside the Eagles zone where he found a trailing Justin Bailey in the middle of ice and Bailey beat Eagles goaltender Kevin Mandolese with a one-timer for his sixth goal of the season at the 8:30 mark.

The Barracuda doubled its lead just over three minutes later with an even strength goal. A shot from the point by Jimmy Schuldt was initially saved by Mandolese but Lucas Vanroboys, who crashed the net, cleaned up the rebound for his eighth goal of the season at the 11:37 mark.

70 seconds later, Thomas Bordeleau made a great individual effort to score the Barracuda’s third unanswered goal of the opening frame. Bordeleau pick pocketed the puck off of Jayson Megna at the Eagles blue line. Bordeleau skated down the left wing and blasted a slap shot to the far corner for an unassisted goal, his seventh of the season at the 12:47 mark.

Colorado (17-10-1-2-37 points) cut into San Jose’s lead early in the second period. A shot from the point by John Ludvig pinballed around in front of the crease. Maros Jedlicka poked home the rebound with a backhander past ‘Cuda goalie Georgi Romanov for his second goal of the season at the 3:15 mark.

The Eagles made it 3-2 with a four-on-four goal. Matthew Phillips skated down the right wing and centered a pass from behind the ‘Cuda net out to Jack Ahcan who buried a one-timer past Romanov for his third goal of the season at the 7:26 mark.

San Jose stole one back off a lucky bounce to regain its two-goal lead. Scott Sabourin sent a puck into the Eagles zone. Donovan Houle tried to center a pass out in front from behind the Eagles net. The puck deflected off the skate of Mark Seden and past Mandolese on the far side for Houle’s seventh goal of the season at the 13:21 mark. Jack Thompson was credited with the secondary assist.

“I saw I was actually just kind of trying to pass the puck to Sab (Scott Sabourin). So, I saw him driving to the net, tried to give him a pass, but (when you) gets pucks to the net good things happen. I got lucky there,” Houle said.

Colorado once again made it a one goal game with 22 seconds left in a wild middle frame. The Eagles had pressure inside the ‘Cuda zone when Ahcan fed a cross-ice pass over to Jacob MacDonald who slammed home a one-timer past Romanov for his ninth goal of the season.

San Jose were more focused and more disciplined on this afternoon staying out of the sin bin and limited Colorado’s opportunities both with the man advantage and even strength.

“I thought we did a nice job with the referees and staying off of them and letting them do their job. We also checked pretty well. We checked with our legs, we didn’t get ourselves, our sticks in a lot of feet. I think those two things put together equals, well we had a short penalty kill,” ‘Cuda head coach John McCarthy said.

The Eagles pulled Mandolese with just under three minutes remaining in the game for an extra attacker. However, Romanov and the ‘Cuda defense held down the fort and kept Colorado from scoring the equalizer as they escaped with two points on the afternoon.

Romanov (8-5-1) stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced to earn his eighth win of the season. Mandolese (9-7-2) made 31 saves on 35 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 0-for-4 on the power play. Colorado went 0-for-1.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Houle 2) MacDonald 3) Bordeleau.

UP NEXT: San Jose hosts the Bakersfield Condors on Friday 1/10 at 7:30pm at Tech CU Arena.

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez: Coach Pierce’s job in question after Sunday’s loss to Chargers 22-10

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Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce looks on as the Raiders warm up in preparation of their game against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (Las Vegas Review -Journal photo))

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Rich Perez:

#1 Rich in the first half the Raiders had some defense and looked like they were prepared to challenge the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. They took a 7-3lead 45 seconds into the first quarter when Alexander Mattison caught a 31 yard pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew.

#2 The Chargers kicker Cameron Dicker hit a 25 yard field goal 26 seconds into the second quarter to cut the Raiders lead by one 7-6 at the half.

#3 Third quarter at 9:08 Dicker hit another field goal 24 yards as the Chargers took the lead 9-7.

#4 The Raiders defense who played well up until the fourth quarter saw the Chargers open the flood gates with running back JK Robbins who scored at 14:55 for a 16-7 lead. The Chargers up 16-10 at 3:40 scored another touchdown on a ten yard Lloyd McConkey catch and the Chargers came away with a 22-10 win.

#5 As the Chargers are headed to the post season the Raiders are folding it up for the season and the question remains will Raiders coach Antonio Pierce remain with the club? Pierce coached the Raiders to ten straight loses and then recovered winning two in a row before losing today’s game to the Chargers?

Rich Perez did the Raiders podcasts after every home and away game for the 2024-25 Raiders season at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

G League action: Kings make comeback in 4th quarter defeat Rip City 118-111 at the Moda Center and remain undefeated

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The Stockton Kings continue to roll staying undefeated beating the Rip City Remix at the Moda Center in Portland on Sun Jan 5, 2025 (Stockton Kings X image)

By William Espy

The Stockton Kings are on the road for the first time of the regular season. They’re in Portland, OR to face off against the Rip City Remix at the Moda Center, a team they played twice during the Tip-Off Tournament. The Kings came out a 118-111 winner over Rip City.

The two teams kept the game close for most of the first quarter, but as it neared its end, Stockton started to pull ahead. After the first, the Kings led 30-22.

The Kings maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second quarter, but with a few minutes remaining the Remix fought back and brought it much closer. By the end of the quarter, the Kings’ lead was down to just four points with a score of 56-52.

The Remix momentarily took the lead late in the third quarter, but Stockton quickly recovered and took it back. They wouldn’t be able to pull away though, as heading into the final frame they had a narrow, two-point lead. It was 89-87 and either team could walk away victorious.

Rip City quickly took the lead in the fourth quarter, and started to pull ahead a bit. The Kings kept fighting though, and did their best to keep it close despite momentum being firmly in the hands of their opposition. Eventually that effort would pay off, as Stockton would regain the lead late in the fourth quarter, and it would ultimately be enough for them to walk away with the win, 118-111.

The majority of the Kings’ offense came from two players, Mason Jones and Skal Labissiere. Jones finished with 34 points, while Labissiere had 31 of his own. The only other player in double-digits for Stockton was Terry Taylor with 17.

Meanwhile, Rip City was led by Bryce McGowens who has been phenomenal for them so far this season. He finished with 28 points. Henri Drell finished second in team scoring with 18, but was very efficient shooting 7-11 from the field.

The two teams will face off once again on Monday night, as the Remix will look to get back over .500 and the Kings try to remain undefeated in the regular season.

Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel Dullum: When will actual construction begin on Vegas ballpark for A’s?

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Athletics president Sandy Dean addresses the Las Vegas Stadium Authority regarding the construction finance for the A’s Vegas ballpark. Dean said is working the planning stages for zoning, traffic, parking and designs to name a few. Dean is seeking to get some of the SB1 funding to get the project moving by March 2025 (LV SportsBiz photo)

On the Athletics Relocation podcast with Daniel:

#1 Those who are following the progress of the Athletics new Las Vegas Stadium project ask the ongoing question when will construction get off the ground for the new park on the corner of Las Vegas Blvd and Tropicana Blvd?

#2 The A’s and Clark County are still working out the details of how funding will go to begin the process of the ground breaking for the Tropicana Park which be build on nine acres on the 35 acre property of the old Tropicana.

#3 The cost overruns since the A’s and the Las Vegas Stadium Authority came to an agreement in 2023 have increased to from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion and A’s president Sandy Dean said that talks are in the early stages with Clark County on how the money will be spent on construction.

#4 Ground breaking is scheduled around March 2025. The nuts and bolts of getting the construction of the park underway is between April and June 2025 with a target date of completion of March 2028.

#5 Right now Dean says the A’s need to get funding from Clark County to cover land use, zoning, traffic and parking plans, design, occupancy details and needed offsite improvements.

Daniel Dullum does the A’s Relocation podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Headline Sports podcast with Charlie O: Raiders go for third straight win against Chargers today at Allegiant; 49ers start Dobbs at QB in Arizona today; plus more news

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Owner Mark Davis (left) and Head coach Antonio Pierce (right) and the Las Vegas Raiders will try and win their third straight game today at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas against the Los Angeles Chargers in the final regular season game for 2024-25. A win would most likely save Pierce’s job as head coach. (AP News photo)

On Headline Sports with Charlie O:

#1 Season comes to a close for the Las Vegas Raiders today as they close it out against the Los Angeles Chargers at Allegiant. The Raiders since coming off a ten game losing streak have won two straight against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints. The Chargers are playoff contenders and have one of the smartest coaches in the NFL on the sidelines with Jim Harbaugh at the helm. How do you see this match up today and the Raiders really want to finish the season with a win.

#2 The San Francisco 49ers have run into all sorts of problems all season long with numerous injuries and having lost six of their last seven games and coach Kyle Shanahan will not be starting quarterback Brock Purdy but Joshua Dobbs will be under center against the Arizona Cardinals for a 1:25pm PST kick off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale to conclude the regular season.

#3 After the truck attack in New Orleans French Quarter on New Years Day on Wednesday that killed 14 victims that suspect Shamsud-Din Jabbar ran over. Jabbar had fire arms and explosives in the truck after it was found by law enforcement authorities. It got worse as Georgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart’s father had fallen and broke his hip and died in surgery. Smart’s father Sonny fell in New Orleans and it was reported that complications arose but Sonny was not able to overcome his injuries. The game was played on Thursday even though it was suggested that it should have been canceled the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dominated the Bulldogs 23-10.

#4 Taking a look at the San Francisco Giants inability not being able a headliner free agent either last season with players like Carlos Correa, Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani, or this year with Juan Soto, Blake Snell, Corbin Burnes, and most likely high profile pitcher Roki Sasaki will not choose to come to San Francisco either. So after taking a look at last season and this season it can’t be the faults of former Giant president Farhan Zaidi or current president Buster Posey it’s obvious they don’t have a final say on how the money is spent. Baseball players and agents talk amongst themselves and they can’t be fooled. Do you think it’s the way the Giants top brass have either tightened their belts or just some of the behind the scenes politics or the way they operated that involves CEO Larry Baer or owner Charles Johnson that may play into players not signing in San Francisco?

#5 Just a question on the Sacramento Kings after losing six game in row, five of them under former head coach Mike Brown and rebounding winning three in a row under new interim head coach Doug Christie is it too early to say the Kings are back on track or are they back on track?

Join Charlie O for Headline Sports podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Eagles, down two, comeback for 4-2 win over Barracuda

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San Jose Barracuda forward Scott Sabourin (#49) attempts a shot on goal while being checked by Colorado Eagles defenseman John Ludvig (#10) at Tech CU Arena on Saturday JAN 4, 2024. (San Jose Barracuda)

by Marko Ukalovic

SAN JOSE — The Colorado Eagles scored four unanswered goals en route to a 4-2 comeback victory over the San Jose Barracuda on Saturday evening at Tech CU Arena.

San Jose has lost two of its past three games. Colorado has won five of its past six games.

San Jose (18-11-0-2-38 points) drew first blood late in the first period with an even strength goal. A shot from the right point by Joey Keane pinballed around the crease. Anthony Vincent’s chance was saved by Eagles goaltender Adam Scheel, but Lucas Vanroboys slammed home the rebound for his seventh goal of the season at the 17:26 mark.

Colorado (17-9-1-2-37 points) was dominated in the opening frame by San Jose as they were outshot 17-6. Jean-Luc Foudy took two minor penalties at the 9:32 mark and 19:57 mark.

Scheel kept the Eagles in the game during the first 10 minutes of the second period. He stopped two ‘Cuda short–handed breakaway attempts, one by Justin Bailey and the other by Ethan Cardwell. San Jose killed off both penalties.

The Barracuda doubled its lead with a power play goal late in the middle frame. Tristen Robbins found ‘Cuda captain Andrew Poturalski down below the left faceoff circle. Poturalski made a move in before wiring a wrist shot that beat Scheel to the short side for his team leading 13th goal of the season at the 14:21 mark.

The Eagles cut the lead in half just under three minutes later. Foudy slid a pass over to Jake Wise between the faceoff circles. Wise’s shot deflected off of Donovan Houle and past ‘Cuda goalie Aaron Dell to the short side for his eight goal of the season at the 17:18 mark.

“We controlled the game in the beginning, then I thought our puck decisions slipped in the second period and started to turn against us. (We) took too many penalties. We were (penalty) killing the whole third period. We can’t win that way,” Barracuda head coach John McCarthy said.

Colorado scored the equalizer with a short-handed goal early in the third period. Wyatt Aamodt cleared the puck out of their own zone up the ice to TJ Tynan who just stepped out of the penalty box. Tynan skated around Anthony Vincent, who also just stepped out of the penalty box, and beat Dell with a shot to the short side for his fourth goal of the season at the 4:57 mark.

The Eagles gained its first lead of the game with a power play goal, and its third unanswered. A shot from the point by Jack Ahcan deflected off of Tynan over to Jacob MacDonald who beat Dell with a backhander to the short side for his eighth goal of the season at the 8:35 mark.

San Jose spent the majority of the final frame killing penalties, but was also the victim of some calls and non-calls by the officiating late in the game that went Colorado’s way that helped prevent a comeback by the Barracuda in the final minutes of the contest.

Wise completed the scoring with an empty net goal as time expired for his second goal of the game and ninth of the season.

Scheel (3-0) finished with stopping 38 of the 40 shots he faced to earn his third win of the season. Dell (1-1-1) made 34 saves on 37 shots in the losing effort.

GAME NOTES: San Jose finished 1-for-5 on the power play. Colorado went 1-for-7.

The Three Stars of the Game: 1) Tynan 2) MacDonald 3) Poturalski.

UP NEXT: San Jose and Colorado complete their two-game weekend series on Sunday 1/5 at 3:00pm at Tech CU Arena.

Sharks Celebrate the win against New Jersey Devils

Sharks Win 3-2 over New Jersey Devils in San Jose

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Sharks Celebrate the Win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday Action at SAP Center in San Jose on Sat Jan 4 (Sharks Media)

By: Fernando Abarca

SAN JOSE–Will they repeat it? That is the question for the Sharks as they host the Devils at SAP. They walked out with 3-2 a win.

The Sharks are back for an early afternoon showdown against the New Jersey Devils. The Devils, coached by former Toronto Maple Leafs Sheldon Keefe, did not have a great time in California as the team suffered defeats by the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks. Saturday, The Sharks will try to seal the Devils trip with another loss.

Conversely, the Sharks had a great start to 2025 as they hosted the Tampa Bay Lightning on Jan 2nd, where the Teal won for the first time in eight games. It was a needed victory as they sit last in the Western standings, they will try to replicate the same formula.

Throughout the period, the Devils dominated the period with many shots on goal. Again, Askarov has been a star for this team, as he recorded 11 saves and kept the net at zero.

The action took force towards the later minutes of the game as Nikolai Kovalenko (15) showed great effort with assistance from William Eklund and Luke Kunin. The Sharks went on intermission with the lead.

2nd Period

The Sharks had lots of chances to score as eight shots hit the post, and none hit the back of the net.

The Devils found ways to score, and so they did, at 15:41, Nico Hischier made it even at SAP Center with an assist by Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. When the Devils scored, the pace of the game changed. The Teal showed aggressiveness and back-and-forth hockey.

The stars Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith got penalties during the second period, Celebrini for High-Sticking and Smith for too many men on the Ice.

Despite the goal, Askarov has been showing great skill with lots of saves, adding another amazing performance from the Rookie.

The period ended in a tie at the end.

3rd Period

The Cellies and the goals did not take that long to make an appearance again. Macklin Celebrini scored a beauty to give the sharks the lead to a 2-1 with a little bit of help of Will Smith, again showing how lethal this combination is because whenever they have the put, magic happens.

Soon after, Luke Hughes assisted Paul Cotter to put a second goal for the Devils and make it a tie game.

This did not prevent the Sharks from backing down and slowing down. The Team showed great resiliency and seemed they were on the try to find the formula to win games In the final seconds of the third, Cody Ceci sealed the win with a late goal assisted by Alexander Wennberg. In the last two games, the Sharks proved that the key to winning is to keep the puck in their possession.

With this win, the Sharks have started the second game of 2025 in great and outstanding shape and they will be back at SAP Center on Tuesday Night against Vegas.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa: Sharks relieved to snap 8 game skid; Host New Jersey today

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San Jose Sharks Tyler Toffoli is mobbed by his teammates after scoring a first period goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning at SAP Center in San Jose on Thu Jan 2, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the SJ Sharks podcast with Mary Lisa:

#1 The San Jose Sharks Tyler Toffoli and Mario Ferraro scored a goal a piece that helped snap the Sharks eight game losing streak at SAP Center on Thursday night defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1.

#2 Toffoli scored his 15th goal of the season in the middle of the first period and Ferraro’s goal proved to be the game winner. The Sharks picked up their first win since Nov 29th.

#3 The win also says a lot about the goaltending as Yaroslav Askarov stopped 24 Tampa Bay shots which was good enough to hold off the Lightning to just one goal.

#4 The Sharks were 0-7-1 in their last eight games and had not won a game since Nov 29th and started their losing streak against these same Lightning which started on Dec 5th.

#5 The Sharks get after it again Saturday at 1pm against the New Jersey Devils. New Jersey are second in the Metropolitan Division. They have are on a three game losing streak and the Sharks would like to catch them off balanced.

Join Mary Lisa for the Sharks podcast each Saturday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com