Stanford Cardinal game wrap: Cardinal Remains Perfect, after Fighting off Spartans 70-63, Wednesday Night inside Maples

Stanford Cardinal forward Maxime Raynaud (42) and forward Chism Okpara (10) try and stop the Norfolk State Spartans guard Christian Ings (0) from taking a shot at Maple Pavilion in Palo Alto on Wed Nov 20, 2024 (Stanford MBB X photo)

By Michael Roberson

STANFORD, Calif. — The Stanford Cardinal (5-0, 0-0 ACC) kept their untarnished 2024-25 season record alive (5-0), after defending the Farm from the charging Norfolk State Spartans (4-2, 0-0 MEAC), 70-63.

Norfolk State made the first basket of the game less than :40 after tip off. That would be the largest lead they were able to accomplish in the first 20 minutes, as Stanford went on a 14-0 run of their own. Although they were down by double-digits immediately, they still fought back.

The Cardinal had a lead as high as 15 points, but with the help of a 6-0 run, the Spartans kept the deficit within single digits for a large portion of the first half. Five points was Stanford’s lead at recess; 38-33 Cardinal at the half.

Maxime Raynaud was the lone Stanford player with at least 10 points. He scored 12 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Graduate senior guard Brian Moore Jr. paced the Spartans with 10 points.

The second half began with Stanford junior forward Chisom Okpara splitting a pair of free throws, giving his team a six point advantage. However, Norfolk State responded with a 7-0 run to overtake the Cardinal with their first lead (40-39) since early in the first half. They actually increased the margin to two points, which equaled their biggest lead overall.

After two lead changes and two more ties, Stanford eventually took over the game, late in the game. Junior Guard Oziyah Sellers was very instrumental in Stanford staving off the Spartans, as he scored 9 of his 15 points in the second half. This included a huge 3-pointer and crucial free throws down the stretch.

When the final whistle sounded, after 40 minutes of competition, Stanford was the victor, by seven points (70-63). This win happened despite shooting a ptiful 34% from the floor, and 24% from beyond the arc. Two other Cardinal hoopers joined Sellers in the double-digit club.

Maxime Raynaud continued his great play, by contributing another double-double (20 points and 10 rebounds), and he blocked two shots and had two steals. A great performance for the USBWA National Player of the Week. Jaylen Blakes also chipped in 18 points and 6 rebounds. He too had two steals added to his tally.

Norfolk State had three players with at least 10 points on the scoring sheet. Brian Moore Jr. (24), Christian Ings (17), and Jalen Myers (10), all led the way for their tenacious cross-country battle with Stanford.

The Cardinal will next be in action Saturday, November 23 at Santa Clara University to take on the Broncos at 6:00 PM PDT on ESPN+. Norfolk State travels to Arizona on Friday, November 22, to take on the Grand Canyon University Lopes at 6:00 PM local time.

Stockton Kings game wrap: Kings Collins and Post too much for visiting Santa Cruz in 108-98 win

Forward Kevin Knox II scored a team-high 25 points in the Santa Cruz Warriors’ loss to host Stockton in NBA G League action Wednesday night. (John Lee – Santa Cruz Sentinel file)

By William Espy

STOCKTON–The Stockton Kings were looking to build on their three-game winning streak as they hosted the Santa Cruz Warriors for the first time this season. Meanwhile, the Warriors were looking to start a streak of their own.

They’ve yet to win back-to-back games but had the opportunity to do so with a victory over Stockton. The Kings ended up extending the win streak to four games and the Warriors didn’t get back to back wins at Adventist Health Arena in Stockton on Wednesday night. The Kings came away with a 108-98 win over the Warriors.

Santa Cruz Starters: Knox II, Johnson, Post, Spencer, Collins

Stockton: Starters I. Jones, C. Jones, Robinson, Dennis, M. Jones

The Warriors made their first shot of the night, but other than that, both teams struggled mightily on offense right out of the gate. After maintaining a 2-0 lead for multiple minutes, the Kings tied it up and both teams seemed to find a bit more of their rhythm. After Stockton had a brief lead, the Warriors went on a 10-0 run, leading to Stockton’s first time-out.

Terry Taylor got into some early foul trouble for the Kings, picking up his second personal foul with over two minutes remaining in the first quarter. After trailing by double-digits early in the first, the Kings brought themselves back into the game very quickly. At the end of the quarter, the Warriors led 23-21. Both teams were leaving much to be desired offensively though, the Warriors shot 45% from the field, while the Kings were at 33.3%.

Things would look much different at the end of the second quarter. The Kings were quite a bit more efficient, raising their field goal percentage to 43.4% and as a result, they went into the break with a 58-49 lead. Mason Jones and Colby Jones led in scoring for the Kings, with 13 and 12 points respectively. Meanwhile, Kevin Knox II and Quinten Post led the Warriors with 11 and 10 respectively.

Skal Labissiere was having a rare slow offensive night for the Kings, not recording his first points until halfway through the third quarter. Despite this, the Kings continued to grow their lead in the third. They took an 87-74 lead heading into the final frame.

During the fourth quarter, the Warriors tried on multiple occasions to launch a comeback. Each time though, the Kings were able to swing momentum back in their favor. The Jones trio was a big part of Stockton’s offense over the course of the night, led by Colby who finished the night with 27 points.

As the Warriors launched their final push with just under four minutes to go, Kings head coach Quinton Crawford issued a coach’s challenge when Dexter Dennis was called for goaltending in a crucial moment. The challenge was unsuccessful, and the Warriors only trailed by six points with quite a bit of time remaining on the clock.

The Warriors had a coach’s challenge of their own moments later, when the ball went out of bounds. It was ultimately ruled that Stockton touched the ball last, and Santa Cruz took possession. Post fouled out with just over a minute remaining in the game. When all was said and done, the Warriors’ final comeback attempt fell short and the Kings won 108-98.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Can Shanahan get Niners ready against the Packers?; Has SF’s fire got turned down a notch or two?

San Francisco 49ers head coach taking some tough questions after the loss to the Seattle Seahawks at Levi Stadium on Sun Nov 17, 2024 (AP News photo)

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

#1 Dave, how much impact to the defense did it have with Nick Bosa out of the line up and how many flaws could you see in the defense on Sunday?

#2 Talk about the impact that running Christian McCaffrey is having on the offense who is struggling and is not playing like his old self. Is he still trying to work through his past injuries that had slowed him down.

#3 The 49ers are in Green Bay this Sunday. The Packers are rolling they have won five of their last six games and defeated the Bears in their last game in a close one 20-19. Will the 49ers have their hands full this Sunday against the Pack at the Frozen Tundra?

David Zizmor does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts Wednesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Ichiro Suzuki First Japanese Inducted into Cooperstown

Amaury Pi-González throws First Pitch in Seattle during Ichiro years. (Photo from the author)

Ichiro Suzuki First Japanese Inducted into Cooperstown

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

The inevitable just happened. The 2025 Baseball Writers Association of America Hall of Fame ballot was released, and their #1 name for this round is Japanese star Ichiro Suzuki, who had a close two-decade Hall of Fame career in the Major Leagues. Also, C.C. Sabathia, a great pitcher and a local guy from Vallejo, is on the HOF ballot, as is closer Billy Wagner, who ended with 422 games saved, the most in MLB history by a left-handed pitcher. John Franco had 424.

During the years I broadcasted home games for the Seattle Mariners and San Francisco Giants (concurrently), I witnessed the greatness of Ichiro Suzuki, especially during that memorable 2004 season when he ended the season with 262 hits, breaking the all-time Major League single hits record previously held by George Sisler who in 1920 with St Louis Brown had a 257 hit season.

Interviewing Ichiro was one of the most extraordinary things I have experienced. Allen Turner was Ichiro’s first interpreter in 2001; later, others came to do the same job, home and road. Every time I interviewed Ichiro I had to pose the question in English, and the interpreter then would relay it to Ichiro in Japanese; next, the interpreter would tell me what Ichiro said(of course, translated to English), and then OK, the finished part I told the audience in Spanish for Mariners Spanish radio, what the great Ichiro just told me.

Ichiro was a distinctive, timid person who worked as hard as anybody. He stored his bats inside a particular case, like the bat(s) were Stradivarius violins. Down on the field, my broadcast partner, the late Julio Cruz, Mariner’s Dream Team Second baseman, Julio and I would stand behind the batting cage a couple of hours or so before the games at Safeco Field (the original name of the tremendous retractable stadium in downtown Seattle Ichiro would hit home runs at will, and when he took a break in between swings inside the cage, he would do some gymnastic moves. It was truly a feat to see a guy listed at 5’11, who looked like 5’7 and around 165 pounds, hit the ball as hard and many times as deep.

Ichiro Suzuki played from 2001 to 2019, a total of 19 years. It began with the Mariners in 2001 and retired with the Mariners in 2019; in between, also playing for the New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. A solid Hall of Fame career. It ended with a .311 batting average, 3,089 hits, 509 stolen bases, 117 homeruns, and 780 runs batted in.

His first name was Ichiro, and that was enough. Only one other Mariners Hall of Fame player had that distinction: Ken Griffey Jr. “Junior was enough, “and everybody knew, just like Ichiro, who it was. For me, the best lead-off hitters of all time that I have known, interviewed, and covered are Rickey Henderson and Ichiro Suzuki. One is in the Hall of Fame, and the other one soon will be joining Rickey.

QUOTE: Ichiro appeared in 10 All-Star Games. I once asked him about playing in the All-Star Game and if he could tell me something about playing during those fun games. He surprised me with one word in Spanish; he told me it was “peligroso” translation=dangerous. You asked, why dangerous? Well, in one of his 10 All-Star Game appearances, the network that carried the game got his permission to insert a small microphone in his uniform so he could say something while he was on the field during the game. He did it reluctantly; he didn’t feel comfortable doing that. In the end (like I mentioned before), he was timid, reserved, and, in many ways a mysterious player.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez does News and Commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast: Rays repair damage $56 million to fix the Trop; West Sacramento would like to keep the A’s

The roof of the Tropicana Field is damaged the morning after Hurricane Milton hit the region, Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

On That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcast:

#1 The Tampa Bay Rays are now being mentioned for relocation from Tampa Bay after having Tropicana Field destroyed by Hurricane Milton on October 9th. The damages for repair is estimated at $56 million and the Rays will play their 2025 season in the spring training home of the New York Yankees George M Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

#2 The move to Steinbrenner Field for the Rays puts them as the second big league club not to play in a Major League facility for the 2025 season as the A’s of Sacramento will be playing their home games in minor league park Sutter Health Park in 2025.

#3 The Rays are at a tough crossroads here as Tampa Bay Mayor Ken Welch wants to go ahead and repair the Trop but with the Rays getting a new stadium in 2029 they might end up playing their regular season games at George Steinbrenner Field until their new stadium is ready?

#4 The construction cost for the A’s Las Vegas ballpark at $1.5 billion is still yet to be seen. A’s owner John Fisher’s spokesperson Sandy Dean said recently at the Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting headed by Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce CEO Steven Hill that the Fisher Family will be putting up the $1.5 billion to cover their share of the construction costs. The bill to help supplement SB1 is due Dec 5th.

#5 Meanwhile until things are sorted out in Las Vegas, West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero has said that West Sacramento can build a 40-50 thousand seat ballpark for the A’s by the Sacramento River Bridge. The A’s are focused on playing in Las Vegas after the 2027 season.

Join Amaury Pi Gonzalez for That’s Amaury News and Commentary podcasts Tuesdays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Raiders need more offense to snap six game skid; Broncos next up at Allegiant

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria:

Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith (9) scores a touchdown as Las Vegas Raiders safety Isaiah Pola Mao (20) couldn’t quite catch Smith at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

On the Las Vegas Raiders podcast with Tony R:

#1 The Las Vegas Raiders (2-8) just couldn’t get any scoring going in all four quarters and not enough to stay in step with the Miami Dolphins (4-6) getting beat 34-19 dropping their sixth straight game at Hard Rock Cafe in Miami.

#2 The Raiders with this loss have given up 75 points in their last two games 34 points Sunday against the Dolphins and last week 41 points to the Cincinnati Bengals. The defense has to be exhausted and the offense is giving up to many fourth downs.

#3 Tony the fourth quarter Sunday really ate up the Raiders defense the Dolphins were unstoppable scoring 17 points to putting much put this game out of reach with the Dolphins De’Von Achane carrying for two yards for a touchdown at 10:37, Jonnu Smith at 3:19 caught a 57 yard pass to make it 31-19 and at Miami kicker Jason Sanders booted a 46 yard field goal at 1:55 for the 34-19 final.

#4 Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew continues to get frustrated and just couldn’t convert enough scoring to catch the Dolphins. Minshew 30-43 for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Minshew was having trouble staying in the pocket and getting protection.

#5 Up next for the Raiders the Denver Broncos (6-5) at Allegiant Stadium next Sunday for a 1:05pm PST kickoff against the Denver Broncos and quarterback Bo Nix. The Broncos have been hovering around .500 and played the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Can you see the offensive line recovering for the Raiders and being able to hold the Broncos pass rush so that Minshew could get some time to pass the ball?

Tony Renteria does the Las Vegas Raiders podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Alexander The Great Inches Closer To The Great One in 6-2 Capitals Victory over Utah HC

The Washington Capitals celebrate a goal as the Utah Hockey Club’s defenseman Ian Cole (28) can only skate by in the second period at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Tom Walker

Alex Ovechkin scored two goals in season quest to surpass Wayne Gretzky for most all-time NHL goals.

SALT LAKE CITY–Wayne Gretzky was just 10-years-old when a reporter watching him play youth hockey dubbed him The Great One, a prophetic nickname which he lived up to over the course of an illustrious 20-season NHL career during which he racked up 894 goals and 1,963 assists for a total of 2,857 points.

To put that into perspective, Jaromír Jágr is second on the all-time points list with 1,921. For all intents and purposes, Gretzky’s total points record is untouchable. There was a time that it was assumed that his goals record was also beyond reach.

Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals is challenging that notion as he continues his pursuit of becoming the NHL’s new goal scoring king. On Monday night in Salt Lake City, Ovechkin notched his 867th and 868th career goals against Utah Hockey Club to bring him to within just 26 of tying Gretzky’s mark, something the 39-year-old winger could potentially achieve this season as the Caps defeated the UHC 6-2 at the Delta Center.

Utah started the game off on the right foot as forward Jack McBain netted his 5th goal of the season just over three minutes into the game, assisted by Kevin Stenlund and Ian Cole. Cole’s assist gave him 200 career NHL points.

That lead would be very short-lived when Capitals center Dylan Strome scored an unassisted goal at 7:46, followed with another just ten seconds later by his teammate Nic Dowd, giving Washington a 2-1 lead.

At 11:05 of the opening frame, Capitals winger Alex Ovechkin scored his 14th goal of the season to put Washington ahead by 3-1.

Early in the 2nd period, Utah’s Jack McBain was called for tripping against Andrew Mangiapane. Just four seconds later on the power play, Ovechkin scored his second of the game, his league-leading 15th of the season, and 868th of his career triggering applause not just from Capitals fans, but clearly a fair number of Utah fans witnessing history in the making as Washington increased its lead to 4-1.

The goal sent starting netminder Connor Ingram to the bench, relieved by Karel Vejmelka. Utah center Nick Bjugstad cut the deficit in half with his 3rd goal of the season at 11:44, assisted by Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller, but that turned out to be the end of Utah’s offensive production for the evening.

Washington received a scare at 5:30 of the third period when Alex Ovechkin collided with Jack McBain and was helped to the bench. He would not return to the ice for a shot at his second hat trick in as many games.

The Capitals put the game away for good by the midway point of the final frame with goals by Brandon Duhaime and Aliaksei Protas for a final score of 6-2.

After the game, Washington goaltender Charlie Lindgren spoke about Ovechkin whose goals against Connor Ingram tied Jaromír Jágr’s NHL record of 178 different goalies he has scored upon. “I don’t even know if there’s words to describe it.

I mean, honestly, it’s beyond impressive what he does. When it rains, it pours for him. I mean, it truly does. And you know, he finds ways to get to scoring areas and when he does and the puck is on his stick, he usually doesn’t miss. He’s our leader. It’s tough to see him go down. I don’t know what the extent is there, but even last night in Vegas, he scored three goals. He made a big pass break up there in the second period, had a big block. He’s a guy that’s doing it all right now and not just scoring. He’s a captain for a reason.” Capitals Head Coach Spencer Carbery, speaking of Ovechkin’s condition, said “He’s being evaluated as we speak, and we’ll know more tomorrow.”

Utah Hockey Club Head Coach André Tourigny commented on what made the difference in the loss. “[Washington] was really opportunistic early in the game. We had chances, we hit the post five times on our power play. We had looks, but we could not score the big goal. And then on the other side, they had the killer instinct and they pulled us away when they had the opportunity.” With regard to offensive production, “We’re not getting enough from anybody. We’re getting possession, shots, things like that, but we don’t finish. We missed the net on a lot of great opportunities. What I like about our game in the last week or so, is that we’re generating. We’re back to skating well and generating offense, but we need to finish. We need to make the last play, that play will make the difference. We can possess the puck as much as we want, but if we don’t make the last play that doesn’t count.”

Forward Lawson Crouse addressed the failure to capitalize on the power play. “We have to be way better. It’s easy to sit here and say, we hit cross bars, but that’s no excuse. We have got to find a way to put the puck in the back of the net. We had seven chances tonight, and we were 0-7, that’s not good enough…Maybe you tie the game up and it’s a different story. We’ve talked about a lot, we’re talking about it consistently, in the room in intermission, seeing what we can do. It’s hard to pick one thing, but we have got to be much better.”

Utah will try to turn things around on a four-game road trip beginning Thursday in Boston and then continuing to Pittsburgh, Toronto, and Montreal before returning home to face the Edmonton Oilers the day after Thanksgiving on November 29.

Kings succumb to Hawks 109-108; Kings drop third out of last six games

The Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter (12) is guarded by the Sacramento Kings guard Jordan McLaughlin (3) in first half action at Golden One Center in Sacramento on Mon Nov 18, 2024 (AP News photo)

By Jeremiah Salmonson

SACRAMENTO–The Sacramento Kings were back in action on Monday night in Sacramento. The Kings last played on Saturday when they took on the Utah Jazz at home. The Kings beat the Jazz to improve to 8-6 on the year.

The Kings welcomed the Atlanta Hawks to Golden 1 Center on Monday night. The Hawks entered the game on Monday night with a record of 6-8. Trae Young looked to lead the Hawks to their 7th win at 7 p.m. PST in Sacramento. The Kings were defeated by the Hawks 109-108 in regulation.

In the first quarter, the Sacramento Kings started sluggishly. The Kings were once again down three key players in the game. The Kings were playing again without the services of Malik Monk, DeMar DeRozan, and Domas Sabonis.

The Hawks were outpacing the Kings early in the quarter as the shots weren’t falling. However, behind the shooting of Keon Ellis and De’Aaron Fox, the Kings managed to come within one at the end of the first, 32-31.

In the second quarter, the Keon Ellis show was in town for Sacramento. Keon hit four three-pointers in the quarter to finish the half with 18 points. The Kings played a solid quarter that saw them outscore the Hawks 35-32. The Kings went into halftime leading 66-64. Fox was also doing Fox things, putting up 14 points in the half. De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks in the first half with 13 points.

In the third, the Kings had another up-and-down quarter. However, Ellis picked up right where he left off. Keon hit three more triples in the quarter to raise his game total to 27 points. The Kings outscored the Hawks 27-25 in the third quarter of action.

Hunter led the Hawks through three with 19 points. The Kings were showing good heart in the game, especially playing short-handed.

In the fourth, the Kings fought. However, they just couldn’t muster the run they needed to defeat the Hawks. The Kings only scored 15 points in the fourth quarter to lose the game 109-108.

The Hawks only managed 20 points against the Kings’ defense but still squeaked past the Kings. The Kings were led by Ellis, who scored 33 points. The Hawks’ best performance in victory came from Hunter, who had 24 points.

Up Next: The Kings will have three days off in Sacramento before traveling to Los Angeles to take on the Clippers inside the new Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Kings lost the first meeting against the Clippers at home earlier this year.

The Sharks Taste Victory over Detroit in OT

The Sharks are back in town they are certainly not in the best mood after losing three games in a row. Tonight, they host the Red Wings.

Tyler Toffoli scores the third goal of the game in the second period for the Sharks at SAP Center in San Jose on Nov 18, 2024 (Photo Courtesy by San Jose Sharks Media)

By Fernando Abarca

We missed you, SAP Center.

SAN JOSE –– The San Jose Sharks (5-10-4) are back for Monday Night action after a not-so-good trip filled with OT losses and one win and host the Detroit Red Wings (7-9-1).

The Red Wings currently sit last in the Atlantic Division, not so different from the Sharks, who sit last in the Pacific Division. Both teams are coming to this game with tough losses, starting with the Sharks suffering a loss in overtime, 4-3, against Sidney Crosby and the Penguins. The Sharks took a close one from the Kanasa

The Red Wings visit to the West Coast has not gone as expected. The Wings played Anaheim and Los Angeles, and both games ended in losses with 4-6 vs. ANA and 1-4 vs. LAK. The Red Wings will try to finish their trip with a win over the Sharks.

The first period started with the Red Wings attacking first, Montz Seider, with possession of the puck, sent it into the Sharks zone and bounced off the boards. Poor execution by the Sharks goalie. Jake Walman, with the puck clearance, failed to get it far, leaving Simon Edvinsson with all the space and time to form the play, Larkin, with perfect timing, scored the first goal for the Red Wings.

The Sharks were able to recover quickly from the visitors’ first attack. The Sharks responded after having received a powerplay in their favor. William Eklund favored both in the creation of the play with Alexander Wennberg, whose shot did not enter the net but bounced enough for Eklund to score the equalizer.

Eklund didn’t finish business there, in the second period of the match, he scored another goal for the Sharks with a powerful wrist shot assisted by Mario Ferraro and Fabian Zetterlund.

Still, in the first period. With a powerplay for the visitors, Shark’s Goaltender did his best to keep the goal without any more pucks in the net, but a rebound inside the zone cost him dearly, and Marco Kasper made it 2-1 at the end of the period.

In the second, the Sharks looked more dominant, scoring two goals, the aforementioned by Eklund and Tyler Toffoli, who got another goal on his stats, ending the period with a 3-3 tie.

6:19 into the third period, Luke Kunin lifts the spirits of the SAP Center crowd with a wrist shot, putting the score at 4-3.

The chants began to sound louder in the SAP, and clearly better hockey by the Sharks with more continuous counterattacks and shots on goal.

The effort was not enough to keep the lead, and Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat scored a fourth goal late in the third period on a PowerPlay.

The game ended on a good note, Macklin Celebrini finished business at SAP Center with his first career OT goal to send good energy to all the fans at the tank.

After a stormy trip away from home, some sunshine came down to the SAP Center. The Sharks go back on the road to face Dallas and St. Louis to come back home Saturday against Buffalo.

San Jose Sharks podcast with Fernando Abarca: Sharks host Red Wings tonight; Yaroslav Askarov promoted to Sharks after having banner season in net at the AHL

San Jose Barracuda goaltender Yaroslav Askarov is all smiles. Askarov has been promoted to the San Jose Sharks as of Mon Nov 18, 2024 after having a standout season in the AHL. (Panayiota Good/San Jose Barracuda photo)

On the San Jose Sharks podcast with Fernando Abarca:

#1 The San Jose Sharks have promoted goaltender Yaroslav Askarov from AHL affiliate the San Jose Barracuda. Askarov has had an outstanding season with the Barracuda is 6-3 with two shutouts and a 1.92 goals against average. Fernando this has to be a big opportunity for Askarov who could get a start tonight?

#2 The San Jose Sharks took a tough loss 4-3 from the Pittsburgh Penguins. in a shootout in their last game last Saturday in Pittsburgh that concluded their four game road trip. Fernando it’s not the kind of way that Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky wanted it to end?

#3 The Penguins Evgeni Malkin scored the winning goal of the shootout. Sidney Crosby and Anthony Beauvillier scored goals in the shootout as well. Fernando there is no doubt your looking at some very talented shooters in a shootout like that when your facing Malkin, Crosby and Beauvillier?

#4 The Sharks Alex Wennberg made the attempt to score on Penguins goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic in the fifth round of the shootout but couldn’t convert thus the Sharks lose it by a goal and those can be part of the frustrations of the game not being able to get that vital goal when the game is on the line?

#5 Fernando another note former Shark and current Penguin Erik Karlsson got an assist and passed former Shark Doug Wilson for 16th place on the NHL career points list for defensemen. You don’t see too many defensemen who can pile up the goals like Karlsson has done in his career?

#6 The Sharks (5-10-4) who are back in San Jose to face off with the Detroit Red Wings here at SAP Center. The Red Wings are a struggling bunch at 7-9-1 and seventh place in the Atlantic Division, the Wings have lost their last two games and lost seven of their last ten games. The Sharks coming off that loss in Pittsburgh have a good chance to pick up a win tonight?

Fernando Abarca is a San Jose Sharks beat writer at http://www.sportsradioservice.com